[comp.sys.att] Okidata printer on 3b1 -- HELP !!

c4s@rayssdb.RAY.COM (Charles A. Sefranek) (01/23/88)

	I have a 3b1 with an Okidata Microline 92 printer interfaced to
 it thru the RS-232 port.  I can dump files to it via lp just fine, but
 the graphics screen dump (SHIFT - PRINT) doesn't work -- it comes back
 and says it can't find a suitable printer or something like that.
	I called the ATT hotline, they said their latest list doesn't
 show this printer as supported for screen-dump.  I *know* this can be
 done, and I would like to try to do it myself, but I don't know where
 to start. I am still learning the gritty details of the unix system.
	Has anybody out there done this ?  Does anyone else have a uL92
 on the unixPC ?  Appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.

-- 
--
	Charlie Sefranek		c4s@rayssdb.RAY.COM

kevin@kosman.UUCP (Kevin O'Gorman) (01/27/88)

In article <1840@rayssdb.RAY.COM> c4s@rayssdb.RAY.COM (Charles A. Sefranek) writes:
>
>	I have a 3b1 with an Okidata Microline 92 printer interfaced to
> it thru the RS-232 port.  I can dump files to it via lp just fine, but
> the graphics screen dump (SHIFT - PRINT) doesn't work -- it comes back
> and says it can't find a suitable printer or something like that.
>	I called the ATT hotline, they said their latest list doesn't
> show this printer as supported for screen-dump.  I *know* this can be
> done, and I would like to try to do it myself, but I don't know where
> to start. I am still learning the gritty details of the unix system.
>	Has anybody out there done this ?  Does anyone else have a uL92
> on the unixPC ?  Appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.
>
>-- 
>--
>	Charlie Sefranek		c4s@rayssdb.RAY.COM


Yep, that's my printer all right.  And I did do this once upon a time.
I don't do it any more, because it's a bit of a pain, but it's doable.

The UNIX PC will only make screen dumps in raw format for it's printers
(The ones AT&T likes to sell).  You have to fake the system into believing
there's such a printer (and it must be the default printer), but change
the interface (/usr/spool/lp/interface, I think) into piping it thru a
filter (the hard part) and re-queue to the Okidata.

What's hard is that the ATT printers use an 8-bit graphics mode, and the
Oki is limited to 7, so you've got to pull the data apart and repackage it.

Maybe I can resurrect that source code from somewhere....

-- 

Kevin O'Gorman ( kevin@kosman ) voice: 805-984-8042
  Vital Computer Systems, 5115 Beachcomber, Oxnard, CA  93035

kak@stc-auts.UUCP (Kris Kugel) (02/03/88)

sorry to bother the net with this reply,
cmc12 chocked on the return address:
> 550 <brl-adm!umd5!mimsy!rayssd!rayssdb!c4s>... Host unknown
  
> 	I have a 3b1 with an Okidata Microline 92 printer interfaced to
>  it thru the RS-232 port.  
>  I *know* this can be
>  done, and I would like to try to do it myself, but I don't know where
>  to start. I am still learning the gritty details of the unix system.
> 	Has anybody out there done this ?  Does anyone else have a uL92
>  on the unixPC ?  Appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.
> 
> 	Charlie Sefranek		c4s@rayssdb.RAY.COM

Waall, I recently implimented some filters on a Sun which print out a pixrect
image on an okidata 192, if you want, I could send it out to you and maybe
save you some gruntwork once you know how to get the image to it....

	Kris A. Kugel
	Storage Tek:    ...{ uunet!nbires, hao, ihnp4 }!stcvax!stc-auts!kak
	High Country Software: ...{hao, wldrdg, uunet!nbires}!hicntry!kak
	"It is better to light one small cannibal than to torch the duchess"

PS. I don't have time to research the rest of the problem, but I DO have
a 3b1 and oki 192 available to play with if you can tell me where to get
the image.