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Date:      Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:08:30 -0700
From:      Predrag Punosevac <punosevac@math.arizona.edu>
To:        Ted Mittelstaedt <tedm@toybox.placo.com>,  questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: DJ500 dead after >= 16 years.
Message-ID:  <47BE910E.2050404@math.arizona.edu>
In-Reply-To: <BMEDLGAENEKCJFGODFOCOEGGCFAA.tedm@toybox.placo.com>
References:  <BMEDLGAENEKCJFGODFOCOEGGCFAA.tedm@toybox.placo.com>

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Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:
>   
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
>> [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Predrag
>> Punosevac
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 12:25 PM
>> To: David Kelly
>> Cc: Gary Kline; FreeBSD Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: DJ500 dead after >= 16 years.
>>
>>
>> David Kelly wrote:
>>     
>>> On Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 12:02:25AM -0800, Gary Kline wrote:
>>>
>>>       
>>>> 	Nutshell, I'd like anyone's ideas/experiences with some of these
>>>> 	new HP/<<< or whateverbrand>>> printers. I wouldn't *mind* if I
>>>> 	could scan in text from a techy paper into HTML or PDF or text.
>>>> 	But mostly, like 99.44%  plain black text.  My old deskjet used
>>>> 	gs as a filter to print PostScript.  Do we have any such plugin
>>>> 	support, or are printers still roll-your-own?  [FWIW, I can't
>>>> 	seem to get CUPS working...  altho it maay be my misssing
>>>> 	/dev/lpt0.]
>>>>
>>>>         
>>>       
>> Why don't you check http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/OpenPrinting for
>> the most comprehensive information available.
>>
>> Just couple a comments. I would keep native LPD spooling system instead
>> installing CUPS unless you need to use something
>> like HPLIP drivers.
>>     
>
> You do not need CUPS for the hplip drivers, you can use lpd if you
> want.
>
> To be perfectly clear on this, all that CUPS is, is 4 things:
>
> Spool manager - LPD does this
>
> Speaks IPP protocol - LPD also does this except it speaks LPR protocol
>
> Easy user interface for the options needed by some of the more complex
> filters. - lpd does NOT do this BUT, you can do it by writing
> your own filter script and coding the options you want into it.
> Note that most options are set once and forget, so CUPS really
> doesen't add much here.  CUPS uses Postscript PPD files to automagically
> generate the webpage the user fills out to select these options.
>
> web-interface for job mangement - well who needs this for a
> personal printer attached to a workstation?
>
> The reason CUPS is used so much is that it dummifies the
> chain of hooking together programs into a black box.  So,
> people who don't understand what is going on can setup a
> printer by clicking buttons.  That is fine if your printer
> model is supported.  But if it doesen't work or if the model
> is a new one that the cups people haven't quite yet got around
> to testing with, or nobody has written a .PPD file for it,
> you have to understand what is going on then.
>
> I've posted the following before, but here's the instructions
> I use for setting up my C84 without CUPS, so you can see
> how this kind of thing works.  They are just a bit old but
> still work if you change the version #s.  The setup uses the IJS output
> from Ghostscript and feeds it into gimpprint.  The HPLIP
> scheme works exactly the same way except that instead of
> gimpprint, you use the hpijs driver along with the required
> options:
>
> 1) setup print queue
>
> Add the following to the end of /etc/printcap:
>
> lp-epson|Epson C84 Color printer:\
>         :sh:\
>
> :lp=/dev/lpt0:sd=/var/spool/output/lp-epson:lf=/var/log/lpd-errs:mx=0:\
>         :of=/usr/local/bin/epsonfilter:rw:
> lp-epson-raw|Epson C84 Color Printer - raw for Windows systems:\
>         :sh:\
>
> :lp=/dev/lpt0:sd=/var/spool/output/lp-epson-raw:lf=/var/log/lpd-errs:\
>         :mx#0:rw:
>
> Create the print queues:
>
> cd /var/spool/output
>
> mkdir lp-epson
> mkdir lp-epson-raw
>
> Add in access for the local systems
>
> cat /etc/hosts.lpd
> # $FreeBSD: src/etc/hosts.lpd,v 1.4 1999/08/27 23:23:42 peter Exp $
> #
> # See lpd(8)
> #machine.domain
> tedwin2k.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com
> 192.168.1.60
> tedsdesk.ipinc.net
> ip-port-rtr1.ipinc.net
> sunrise.ipinc.net
> nat-rtr#
>
> Run some test prints through the queues:
>
> cd /etc
> ls -l | lpr -P lp-text
>
> Send a test print page from the Windows 2K workstation
> via lpr to the print queue on the BSD box
>
> (do a chmod 664 on the lock file in the lp-epson-raw queue, since network
> LPR doesen't set the mask up properly per submitted bug)
>
> 2) Install the tools to image a printjob for the Epson, as follows:
>
> cd /usr/ports/print/gimp-print
> make WITHOUT_CUPS=yes
> cd work/gimp-print-4.2.7/src/escputil
> ./escputil -i -u -r /dev/lpt0 (checks ink levels)
> ./escputil -n -u -r /dev/lpt0 (prints nozzle alignment)
> (try some other commands to see if the level of support is better)
> cd ../../../../
> make WITHOUT_CUPS=yes install
> cd ../ghostscript-gnu
> make install
> Deselect all the printers, leave in stp and ijs driver, as well
> as all the X-windows drivers and the jpg and other image drivers.
>
> test the ghostscript install:
>
> cd /root
> man -t which > which.ps
> gs -dBATCH -sDEVICE=jpeg -sOutputFile=test.jpg which.ps
> open test.jpg in a browser and see if the page is there
>
> Now test gimpprint and ghostscript:
>
> first manually with the command,
>
> gs -sDEVICE=ijs -sIjsServer=/usr/local/bin/ijsgimpprint -sDeviceManufacturer
> =EPSON  -sDeviceModel=escp2-c84 -sIjsParams=Quality=720x360sw,InkType=CMYK
> ,MediaType=Plain -dIjsUseOutputFD -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sOutputFile=test.out
> /usr/local/share/ghostscript/7.07/examples/colorcir.ps
>
> lpr -P lp-epson-raw test.out
>
> Create the file /usr/local/bin/epsonfilter with the following contents:
>
> #!/bin/sh
> #
> # Script that runs gimp-print for the Epson
> #
> /usr/local/bin/gs -q -sDEVICE=ijs -sIjsServer=/usr/local/bin/ijsgimpprint -s
> DeviceManufacturer=EPSON  -sDeviceModel=escp2-c84 -sIjsParams=Quality=720x
> 360sw,InkType=CMYK,MediaType=Plain -dIjsUseOutputFD -dNOPAUSE -dNOBATCH -dSA
> FER -sOutputFile=- -
>
> test with firefox and
>  use the printer lpr -P lp-epson
>
> test PS file:  /usr/local/share/ghostscript/7.07/examples/colorcir.ps
>
>   
This is now a real thing!!! Thank you so much for this how to!


I was wondering myself why would one need CUPS to use HPLIP but I never 
had the gut to
ask anybody as I didn't want to look like an idiot. In reality the only 
semi-serious document about setting HPLIP I have seen for
FreeBSD is Daniel W. Steinbrook's how to which walks you through but 
doesn't explain how the things really work and why does he need CUPS.


I learned a lot from your The FreeBSD Corporate Network's Guide.
I would really love to see you personally updating chapter about 
printing in the Handbook.
Chapter is well written but seems that it lacks details about filters 
and drivers necessary to set printers which speak only PCL.
Most  users  including  the University where I work do have some if not 
most printers which do NOT speak Post Script. The knowledge to edit the 
printcap file and how to utilize various filters seems to me as 
paramount importance.
However, like  probably on many other places the system administrators 
choose "easy"  route which is using CUPS and buying
printers that are documented to work with PPD files they can get from 
Linux Printing web-site. I do not think that they have every used 
foomatic rip to get PPD for a printer.

Even worse they use Ubuntu for Printer Server and they are clueless what 
is really going on. At some point I was contemplating to buy 
http://www.amazon.com/CUPS-Common-Printing-System-White/dp/0672321963
and try to learn how really CUPS does work.

The problem with that is that the more I learn about Unix Printing it is 
less clearly to me why the hack do we need CUPS anyway. For a really 
novice user I find apsfilter and running ./SETUP script far easier than 
using idiotic CUPS web-tool.
Native  LPD  system is  easy to trouble shoot, including network 
printing and I am not a system administrator by profession.
Whole that mambo-jambo thing about security problems with LPD in the 
past seems absurd as even my home printer servers and stations are 
behind two layers of firewalls deep behind in the LAN zone.

I would really love to see you writing a book about Unix printing as 
except the above book about CUPS I have not
seen a single book entirely dedicated to Unix printing. I would love to 
learn from you advantages and disadvantages of common spooling systems 
LPD, LPRng, CUPS, and PDQ. I would love to see comprehensive paper 
explaining in the details
printing process on the printers which speak PostScript or PCL. And 
trust me I did read blue and green book for Post Scrip language and are 
read through HP technical notes regarding CPL release.

I would love to see comprehensive compassion of various auxiliary 
filters a2ps, apsfilter, magicfilter, ifhp, foomatic and explanation how 
they work. I would love to see driver comparation ghostscrip vs 
gutenprint vs hplip.
I would love to see lots of examples of the printcap files  which were 
used on real  *BSD machines in various situations network situation 
including heavy network printing with various groups, priorities, and 
quotas.

Maybe most people who use computers want them just to work but I 
personally love to know how they do it. In detail:-)

Most Kind Regards,

Predrag Punosevac







> Ted
>
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