Dave and others: I tried everything you wrote here, but it/they didn't work. In fact, printing was worse :( About 8 pages with 1 to 5 lines of "gibberish" or weird characters like I used to see when programming on my C64! I had written a lengthy and detailed reply with all steps I took in using your example commands and then lost it :( I tried to save the draft, but it didn't save. I even tried adding lp to the front of the line: dj870|cdj850;r=300x300;q=high;c=full;p=letter;m=auto:\ but that didn't help either. I went back to my original printcap (as shown below) and finally got back to the 2 lines of ii, m, k, i, mm.
I may try what Jonathon wrote to see if it works and I already have the programs/files installed. I have a few things to do today, but can work on this "in-between" times. Thanks everybody for your help. Whatever I do/try, I'll let you know how it goes because I do need to get this printer working. Mike On Fri, Jun 06, 2008 at 09:38:08PM -0400, Woodchuck wrote: > On Fri, 6 Jun 2008, Michael wrote: > > > > If it wants a SYS-V style make (Linux), use gmake from ports. > > > > > > > ok. I'll do that if needed, but wasn't sure if it would conflict with make. > > Thanks. > > No problem. The two co-exist peacefully. I know, this sounds unlikely, > but I've never seen a clash. Mirabile dictu, on Linux "pmake" (what they > call BSD make) co-exists with their make, too. Someone should point this > out and get the BugMasters Tiger Team on it. There's no reason for two > such packages not to break each other. Then we could all migrate to > imake [shudder]... > > > > > Apsfilter printed out a nice test page, but so far, that's it. Won't > > > > print a file or email with mutt. > > > > > > Try this for unequivocal testing: > > > > > > df | lpr > > This would test "text" > > > > > > > cat somefile.ps | lpr > > This would test postscript > > > > > > > > Just 2 lines of gibberish ( k, mm, k, i, ii, etc) > > Well, at least the printer is alive. > > Sometimes the exact gibberish would be helpful. Probably not this time, > though. > > see my note below about "/dev/lpa0", though. > > > > Become familiar with lpq, lpr, lpc, lpd from the man 1 and 8 pages. > > > lpc and lpq will usually tell the tale. > > > > > > > I've read them several times. Guess I'm man pages "comprehension > > challenged" ;) > > lpq and lpc are the main tools. > > > > ****>>> Check that lpd has been started. Set lpd_flags="" in /etc/rc.conf > > > > > > > yep, have it as lpd_flags"-L" for debugging. > > -l doesn't get you much. > > > > Post your /etc/printcap file. This is really necessary to attack > > > a printer problem. > > > > > > > This is printcap before and after installing apsfilter: > > > > # $OpenBSD: printcap,v 1.4 2003/03/28 21:32:30 jmc Exp $ > > > > lp|local line printer:\ > > :lp=/dev/lpt0:sd=/var/spool/output:lf=/var/log/lpd-errs: > > > > #rp|remote line printer:\ > > # :lp=:rm=printhost:rp=lp:sd=/var/spool/output:lf=/var/log/lpd-errs: > > > > > > > > # $OpenBSD: printcap,v 1.4 2003/03/28 21:32:30 jmc Exp $ > > > > lp|local line printer:\ > > :lp=/dev/lpt0:sd=/var/spool/output:lf=/var/log/lpd-errs: > > > > #rp|remote line printer:\ > > # :lp=:rm=printhost:rp=lp:sd=/var/spool/output:lf=/var/log/lpd-errs: > > # APS1_BEGIN:printer1 > > # - don't delete start label for apsfilter printer1 > > # - no other printer defines between BEGIN and END LABEL > > dj870|cdj850;r=300x300;q=high;c=full;p=letter;m=auto:\ > > :lp=/dev/lpt0:\ > > :if=/etc/apsfilter/basedir/bin/apsfilter:\ > > :sd=/var/spool/lpd/dj870:\ > > :lf=/var/spool/lpd/dj870/log:\ > > :af=/var/spool/lpd/dj870/acct:\ > > :mx#0:\ > > :sh: > > # APS1_END - don't delete this > > OK, you have *two* printer queues defined for lpd. One is named > "lp" and is the default. The other is named dj870 or cdj850. > > I would comment out the lp entry, both lines of it, and change the > dj870 line to read: > > lp|dj870...<rest of line without change> > > Then kill and restart lpd. Then you will be sending everything > through the apsfilter stuffs. As it stands, to get apsfilter, > you would have needed to specify -P dj870 to lpr, for example. > > > > > I only have 6 gig for 4.3 on this computer, so was hoping not to > > > > install a bunch of extra programs, but may have to. I'm just trying to > > > > print a few files per week. > > > > > > No, you shouldn't have to. Lpd and friends have run on Unix since > > > the days when a 250 MB disk was HUGE and 4MB memory was AMPLE. They > > > have not changed noticeably since those days. Almost no extra > > > software should be needed for text files. > > > > > > > That's what I was hoping, but couldn't get mutt to print anything. The > > DJ870Cxi is pcl v3. > > Worry about mutt last. First get lpd to work. > > My impression is that pcl printers, when powered up, accept plain > text as a default. Perhaps this was before the war ;-) I have > a LaserJet 5+ with postscript module and connect via ethernet (HP > JetDirect), so I'm familiar with that setup more than others. (And > it was painless). LJ 5+ also has some sort of pcl ability, but I > never consciously evoke it. I use lpd and no filters (CUPS or > apsfilter or...). I get plain text and PS without glitches. I think > I've even seen it print from firefox, but it's been a while. > > > That's why I finally asked for help, after reading man pages for lpd, lpr, > > lpc, afterboot. > > I'm probably making something simple into something complex. > > I suspect that mutt has done this on your behalf. That a "mutt-print" > utility is looking for LaTeX is ominous, frightening and silly. It means > some programmer had too much time on his hands. > > Most people migrate to Linux from Windoze. They therefore expect > things to be complicated and not work quite right ever, or to perform > bizarre miracles. CUPS was designed to fulfill their expectations. > > Many BSD users came here from larger systems, Suns, Vaxes, even the > dreaded mainframes. We expect things to be simple, featureless and > work all the time. (And to cost a fortune. I keep waiting for the > bill from the BSD Trust.) > > Lineprinters have usually sucked in some way. Serial lineprinters > suck more than others. > > One thing to keep in the back of your mind, is that if you *seem* > to be almost working, but the printer is exceptionally slow, or > seems to hang, change the port from /dev/lpt0 to /dev/lpa0 in > /etc/printcap and restart lpd. This uses the "polling" driver for > the parallel port. Sometimes there are "issues" between the interrupt > driven port driver (lptx) and the printer, also the cable can become > a vexation. > > > > I don't want to contradict earlier posters, but are there *really* > > > printers so brain-damaged that they can't print plain text? I > > > exclude from consideration (and so should everyone) so-called > > > Win-printers, but it was my impression that those abominations had > > > all been kicked to the curb long ago. > > > > > > > The printer works great with cups and linux and probably MS stuff. I was > > just wanting to keep it simple for printing mutt email when needed. > > I still wonder if it won't print plain text. It seems so odd. > > Good luck with it! > > Dave > -- > The future isn't what it used to be. > -- G'kar _______________________________________________ Openbsd-newbies mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.theapt.org/listinfo/openbsd-newbies
