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To: yu132719@yorku.ca
Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Cc: kent@erlang.ericsson.se
Subject: Re: Printer support
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In-Reply-To: Your message of "Thu, 10 Jul 1997 16:08:51 -0700"
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Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 01:25:26 +0200
From: Kent Boortz <kent@erlang.ericsson.se>
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> I am planning to buy a pesonal laser printer and I would like to know
> which printers are supported under FreeBSD since I would also like to
> install FreeBSD on my home computer. I have narrowed my choices to the
> following printers;

Unfortunately printer support isn't "built in" in the way it is
on platforms like Windows or Macintosh. It is up to the individual
applications to produce something that could be sent directly to
the printer. So enabling resolution enhancement is either done from

	The application, if it has an option (not likely)
	You printer filter if you have one and it supports it
	(you may have to write your own)
	A program that send the control sequences to the
	printer (you may have to write it)
	Your printers control panel (low cost printer has none)

> HP 6L
> Okidata 600e or 610e
> Raven (Panasonic) Ls6
> 
> I am especially concerned if I can access the 'full potential' of the
> printer under FreeBSD (i.e. dpi and print speed). For instance, in the
> HP 6L the printer makes use of HP's Resolution Enhancement technology
> (REt) and enhanced PCL 5. But can these features work under FreeBSD?

Note that some programs, like Netscape, produce PostScript output
suitable for PostScript printers only. You can configure and install a
printer spooling system that run a PostScript to PCL translation but
this will take some CPU and time.

I would spend some more $$ to get a PostScript model + some extra
memory to enable resolution enhancement. But setting this up,
especially enabling the resolution enhancement, isn't a trivial
task (but not that hard, I have done it).

But I haven't met someone that uses a Unix system with a PCL printer
and I haven't yet seen an Unix application with a PCL printer option.
There must be, persons as well as applications, so I'm maybe not the
right person to answer ;-) Just my personal opinion,

/kgb