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Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2015 14:59:43 +0100
From: Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de>
To: FreeBSD Questions <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
Subject: Using dotmatrix printer with (or without) CUPS for graphics printing
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I have a dotmatrix printer Epson LQ 570+ attached to a parallel port
and can print text (using the "recode" utility even with special
german characters). The printer is being used outside of CUPS
which I am "forced" to use even though _I_ don't need it (but some
programs insist on it in order to print).

	% dmesg | grep lpt
	lpt0: <Printer> on ppbus0
	lpt0: [ITHREAD]
	lpt0: Interrupt-driven por

Is there a way I can add this printer to CUPS (of course none of
the auto-detect capabilities work here) so I can print graphics
with it? Out of programs (Gimp, OpenOffice)? I know this could
be done with apsfilter (chained to system's lpd) in the past,
but how to do that with CUPS? Is it even possible?

It's also an acceptable solution to do this without CUPS, for
example by somehow "preprocessing" the PS output of the application
and then writing that to the printer, as I'm doing with the
crappy Samsung CLX-2160 laser printer I have (speaks "Splix"):

	% foo2qpdl-wrapper -p 2 -r 1200x600 -z 0 file.ps > /dev/ulpt0

So using CUPS is not mandatory as I can "print to file" in
programs like Gimp or OpenOffice, and then use that file.

Any ideas?



-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...