Date: Sat, 8 Aug 2009 22:09:30 -0700 (PDT) From: James Phillips <anti_spam256@yahoo.ca> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FreeBSD for the common man(or woman) (was: upgrade 7.2 Message-ID: <496205.8560.qm@web65512.mail.ac4.yahoo.com> In-Reply-To: <20090808233414.171401065686@hub.freebsd.org>
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--- On Sat, 8/8/09, freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org <freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org> wrote: > > Message: 11 > Date: Sat, 8 Aug 2009 10:46:00 -0600 > From: Chad Perrin <perrin@apotheon.com> > Subject: Re: FreeBSD for the common man(or woman) (was: > > upgrade 7.2 > > On Thu, Aug 06, 2009 at 02:56:41PM -0700, James Phillips > wrote: > > > > > > Following the FreeBSD Handbook, I got stuck on trying > to get the > > printer to work. The handbook was basicly instructing > me to write my > > own print driver! I checked the HP website: they will > release the > > details of the PCL language (version 4 or so) for a > price. I finally > > got it working by installing the Apsfiler package in > the ports > > collection (no, did not send the post-card yet; the > print server is not > > functional yet.) > > <SNIP!> > > I'm really not sure how to answer this question, I'm > afraid. I don't > think it's a stupid question, and I think I can understand > what you mean > about your problems with getting use out of the > documentation, but I > haven't had the same problems so I don't know of any quick > fixes to offer > in how to get around these problems. For instance, > when I installed CUPS > on a couple of computers here for the first time since I > started > installing FreeBSD them, it all seemed very straightforward > and I didn't > see anything that could even through hyperbole be described > as involving > writing my own printer driver. I basically just set > up configuration for > CUPS, and it worked -- much more easily than it ever did > with Debian (my > OS of choice before I migrated stuff to FreeBSD). > Okay, after reading this, I used the "WayBack Machine" to review the printing section of the April 17, 2006 version of the Handbook. I was not able to find anything that is writing a print-driver per-se. In the "Advanced" section numerous shell scripts are described (some of which use printer commands directly), but they tend to use filters from the ports collection: http://web.archive.org/web/20060417220024/www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/printing-advanced.html There is a section in the "Simple" section that explicitly says PS != PCL. Part of the problem may be I did not have documentation for my printer, so did not know how to put it in postscript mode. I really did feel I needed the PCL 4 documentation at one point. I'm going to have to conclude I was mistaken. Regards, James Phillips __________________________________________________________________ Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to Yahoo! Answers and share what you know at http://ca.answers.yahoo.com
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