Date: Sat, 12 Jul 1997 17:55:25 -0700 (PDT) From: Annelise Anderson <andrsn@andrsn.stanford.edu> To: Kent Boortz <kent@erlang.ericsson.se> Cc: yu132719@yorku.ca, freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Printer support Message-ID: <Pine.BSI.3.94.970712173039.7490A-100000@andrsn.stanford.edu> In-Reply-To: <199707102325.BAA01048@townsend.ericsson.se>
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On Fri, 11 Jul 1997, Kent Boortz wrote: > > > 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. apsfilter (a really good program) makes a printer emulate PostScript, i.e., you can print a postscript (.ps) file to it. My impression is that in this process it does not utilize the built-in fonts of the (HP Laserjet) printer, but is printing in a sort of "graphics" mode. > > 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 > Well, I use FreeBSD with PCL printers. If the file is a plain text file I use an awk script that resets the printer, tells it to treat unix line endings as carriage return-line feeds, selects a built-in font, and sets the left margin. This script is called from a shell script. The real problem, it seems to me, is this: Suppose you want to write a simple document--a memo or letter--and you want to be able to underline the title of a book, for example, or put something in bold, or use a larger type size for a heading. A text editor won't do that for you, regardless of printing filters installed. Perhaps the choices are: -- learn troff -- learn (and install) TeX/LaTeX -- install (if you have lots of space) the staroffice port, which (I think) produces postscript (and runs under X-Windows) (MS Office workalike, more or less) -- mark your document up with html and print it from Netscape -- learn to code postscript directly (really hard) -- use a text editor and put the PCL codes directly in the document (this is what I do) -- boot Windows, use built-in programs, Word, or whatever -- take the SO out to dinner.... That's what it seems to look like to me--but maybe I'm missing something. Annelise
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