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From: Barnacle Wes <wes@intele.net>
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.misc
Subject: Re: Configuring lp
Date: 20 Jul 1995 02:42:57 GMT
Organization: The briney, briney deep
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steinber@slinky.cs.nyu.edu (Joseph Steinberg) wrote:
> I have tried to configure my FREEBSD box to print -- unsuccessully.
> Could someone please explain to me how to set up a system (I tried
> editing printcap) so that I can print to my HP LaserJet4 on /dev/lpt0
> using a parallel cable.
> All I get when I print are blank pages.
I had a number of problems when I first plugged in my new inkjet printer
to FreeBSD. I discovered that the kernel reports that lpt0 is an
Interrupt-driven port, which seems to give me a throughput of about
3 characters per minute (yes, MINUTE!). I set the port for polled i/o
mode at the bottom of /etc/rc.local thusly:
#
# Set the printer port for polled i/o so it will work properly. Interrupt
# driven i/o and lpd seem to not understand each other somehow.
#
lptcontrol -p -u 0
Now my printer works fine. I use the following ultra-simple printcap so
far; I've gotten ghostscript working but haven't yet integrated it into
the spooling system to any great extent. Here is my printcap entry:
lp|local line printer:\
:lp=/dev/lpt0:sd=/var/spool/lpd:lf=/var/log/lpd-errs:sh:
Best of luck!
P.S. My new inkjet printer is an Epson Stylus 300. Computer City and
Circuit City are both selling these for $99 here in Salt Lake City. For
the price, it is an unbeatable light-duty printer!
--
Wes Peters | Yes I am a pirate, two hundred years too late
Softweyr | The cannons don't thunder, there's nothing to plunder
Consulting | I'm an over forty victim of fate...
wes@intele.net | Jimmy Buffet