Oi,
now I have entered the execution data of all printer drivers listed on
www.linuxprinting.org (except the Seiko label printer driver "slap"
which does not support PostScript or graphics input), which means that
when you update to the newest packages of GhostScript and CUPS-Drivers
from the Cooker (backport for 7.2 comes later) all printers listed on
www.linuxprinting.org will work as described there.
But many printers (especially laser printers) do not simply print the
document as generated by the printer driver, they accept also some extra
commands (so-called PJL commands), sent before the job is sent, to
access special printing modes as toner saving mode, smoothing of edges
(REt), input tray selection, usage of finishers, ... This works for both
PostSctipt and non-PostScript printers.
Unfortunately, the database of www.linuxprinting.org does not contain
many PJL commands, and I have found out how to read the available ones
out of the printer. So I ask you to read out the PJL options of your
printer and send them to me (to me, not onto the lists, to prevent them
from being flooded). Read the attached file or surf to
http://www.linuxtag.org/2001/deutsch/showitem.php3?item=194lang=en
to see a call written by Kurt Pfeifle who is the author of many printing
articles in the german "Linux Magazin". It contains all info which you
need to do the check.
Thank you in advance for your PJL option files.
Till
Title: Call for Support: Collection of valid PJL commands for
all printers by "Linuxprinting.org"
Call For Support:
Collection Of Valid PJL Commands For
All Printers By "Linuxprinting.org"
Every user with a printer can help to achieve a better Linux print
support. Wanna help out?
PJL And The Linuxprinting Database
You are asked to help fill the Linuxprinting.org Database with valid pieces of info concerning the PJL commands understood by your printer. Every user with a printer connected to a parallel or USB port can help to achieve a better Linux support for his printer (if not working perfectly already).
The Database has been built and accumulated by Grant Taylor, the well-known author of the Linux Printing
HOWTO for quite some time. It is a key for the achievement of one (or some?) hi class Free printing system(s) for Linux. For quite a few printers the data about working PJL commands are still very incomplete. The quicker and the more precise this gap is filled the more profound and rapid the Linux support for modern printers in a Linux environment (and, in fact, amongst other Free Unix-like operating systems as well as non-Free ones) will develop in the months ahead. The database is not just of a huge advantage for CUPS -- other printing and spooling systems will also benefit a lot, like BSD-LPD,
LPRng or PDQ.
On the backgrounds and workings of this database you might want to read a bit in my (so far German-only) "CUPS-FAQ". If there is comcern, I could do a translation of a more detailed explanation of this action also comprehensible for newbies. (Hello, you editors of printed magazines: isn't this a good story for you as well? The author's fee I'll donate to a free software project... ;-)
This here is just a short shot.
A Shell Script To Read The PJL Capabilities Off The Printer
Keying in the PJL info for thousands of printers off the vendor's documentation is very tiring and error-prone. Is this docu available at all? Is it complete? Is it correct? -- There's a better way to find out, with your help: ask you printer directly, what it supports...
Till Kamppeter, architect and maintainer of the new Mandrake 7.2 printing system which chose CUPS to be the premium install (Till is also author
of the free GUI Tool for CUPS, XPP), has presented a small shell script to help you do the job. Every Linux (and maybe, BSD) supporter can use it to ask his printer(s) about their level of PJL support. The results will go into the database which is designed to become the repository of automatic driver and printer configuration files for the major spooling systems CUPS, LPD, LPRng and PDQ.
Just copy the 6 line shell script beneath, save it with an easy to remember name of your joice and mak it executable:
#!/bin/sh
echo "Writing PJL options into opts.txt"
echo -en "\0330
