linux pdf printing to pcl5 printer

[Masaki Birchmier]

I have a situation where I am trying to print a PDF file from Redhat AS3 to a non-postscript, PCL5 printer. There are no linux drivers offered and using the Windows print server did not print properly. I can print PDF's just fine to my postscript printers, either using jet direct or SMB connection to Windows print server shares, but the non-postscript, PCL5 printer doesn't work. Text prints OK, but not PDF's. Thanks in advance for your input.

Masaki

[Ivan Ferreira]

You should try configuring the printer without a driver or filter, and print to a windows print server (If you use CUPS).

To do that, you must use the lpadmin command and smbprint.sysv script available in /usr/share/doc/samba-/printing.

See the contents of the file for detailed explanation. Basically you need to copy the file to a location, like /usr/sbin, then set the server, service and password values, then run the command:

lpadmin -p printer_name -v /dev/null -i /usr/sbin/smbprint.sysv

Before that, you can try connecting to the printer share with smbclient //server/printer_share -U username, and then runt the print command to print the file. If the file is printed fine, then the above is the solution.

[Kodjo Agbenu]

Hi Masaki,

There should be no problem printing PDF on PCL5-capable printer with Linux.

All Linux distros come with Ghostscript that is a postscript to converter, and includes at least PCL3.

Have you installed CUPS ? What is your printer model ? Have a look on http://linuxprinting.org, then try to download the PPD file that best matches your printer, then "gzip" it and copy to /usr/share/cups/model/

After that, restart CUPS :
/etc/init.d/cups restart

Good lcuk.
Kodjo

[Masaki Birchmier]

I've looked at linuxprinting.org list of printers and they don't offer anything by printronix. Is there a similar pcl5 only printer in the list?

[Ivan Ferreira]

Did you tried with the generic pcl5 driver? Use redhat-config-printer to select one:

PCL 5 Printer
- gimp-print-ijs
- ljet3
- ljet3d

[Ivan Ferreira]

Sorry, excuse my english, please read "Have you tried" ;).