[comp.sys.apollo] postscript printers using lpr

slocum@hi-csc.UUCP (Brett Slocum) (02/27/88)

Has anyone solved the problem of sending files to post-script printers
using 'lpr'.  The problem lies in the fact that 'lpr' uses 'prf' to do the
printing, after prepending a banner page.  This works okay with text
files, but gets very confused when printing post-script output from
such products as 'xroff' since the text banner page gets prepended
in front of postscript output.   My very kludgy solution is to have
'lpr' pass everything through a filter before sending it to 'prf'.
This filter adds postscript commands to the banner page, and tests
to see if the body of the printout is text or postscript.  If ps, it
does nothing, but if text it again adds postscript commands.  The
whole file is thus postscript, and gets passed to the prf command
transparently.  There must be a better way.

Also, we are trying to bring the Ultra Office software up, which connects
the Domain network to an AppleTalk network.  Has anyone else had
experience with this, especially getting the Apollo side to print
Mac files on Postscript printers??

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.


-- 
--Brett Slocum  "Never bet with a Sicilian where Death is involved."
UUCP: ...{uunet,ihnp4!umn-cs}!hi-csc!slocum
Arpa: hi-csc!slocum@umn-cs.arpa     

krowitz@mit-richter.UUCP (David Krowitz) (03/01/88)

The reason you get the banners is that the /etc/printcap entry
which pipes output from lpr to prf assumes that the file is
text. (ie. your entry probably is similar to the default one
shipped by Apollo:

#
# This is a sample of printcap entries used by various printers/plotters
#
lp|line printer:\
        :pc=/com/prf -banner off -text -npag -headers off:lp=/dev/null:\
        :sd=/usr/spool/lpd/lp:if=/usr/lib/lpf:\
        :af=/usr/adm/lpacct:lf=/usr/adm/lpd-errs:

). What you could do is to define another entry for printing postscript
files which pipes output from lpr to /com/prf with the -transparent and/or
-postscript switches.


 -- David Krowitz

krowitz@richter.mit.edu   (18.83.0.109)
krowitz%richter@eddie.mit.edu
mit-erl!mit-richter!krowitz@eddie.mit.edu
mit-erl!mit-richter!krowitz@mit-eddie.arpa
krowitz@mit-mc.arpa
(in order of decreasing preference)

jec@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (03/02/88)

	You probably also want to put in the "sh" parameter in the
/etc/printcap file.  This will keep lpd from trying to put a text
header in front of your PostScript printer.

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weber_w@apollo.uucp (Walt Weber) (03/02/88)

In article <3a8561d9.805@hi-csc.UUCP> slocum@hi-csc.UUCP (Brett Slocum) writes:
>Has anyone solved the problem of sending files to post-script printers
>using 'lpr'.  The problem lies in the fact that 'lpr' uses 'prf' to do the
>printing, after prepending a banner page.  This works okay with text
>files, but gets very confused when printing post-script output from
>such products as 'xroff' since the text banner page gets prepended
>in front of postscript output.

1) to get lpr/lpd to supress banners, add "sh" (supress header) to the
   /etc/printcap entry defining the printer.  There are some other useful
   options in the printcap file, check the manpage.

2) To eliminate prf/prsvr from the equation completely, see article number
   <3a7e225a.10b48@apollo.uucp> (GOD, what an article id....) posted by
   me on 2/25/88, subject line is "Re: DOMAIN/OS Questions".  If for some
   obscure reason this is missing from your system, please advise and I will
   either email directly or repost.

...walt...
-- 
Walt Weber               PHONE: (617) 256-6600 x7004
Apollo Computer          GENIE: W.WEBER
Chelmsford, People's Republic of Massachusetts

wcwang@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (03/02/88)

From wcwang Wed Mar  2 09:49:12 1988
Date: Wed, 2 Mar 88 09:49:05 EST
From: Bill Wang <wcwang>
To: mit-erl!mit-richter!krowitz@EDDIE.MIT.EDU, wcwang@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu
Subject: Re:  printer spooler lpr-prf
Cc: wcwang
Status: R

Yes, it works. The problem is that you have to put a field called "sh"
in the printcap to avoid the header page by lpr.