Red Hat Bugzilla – Bug 7805
Ascii print filter failing.
Last modified: 2008-05-01 11:37:53 EDT
After configuring a HP LaserJet 6P, I find that I can print postscript test page with printtool, but the ascii test page fails. This is after doing the quickie work-around for the failure to find the parallel port at all. This failure is not limited to the test page, but is a simple example. - all postscript prints that I've tried work, and all ascii text prints fail. I did not have this problem on another Linux box I have running 5.2 where printer filter can handle a mix of text and postscript without problem. There I had an epson ST800C printer.
That is perfectly normal. The HP LaserJet 6P can't print ASCII. It's a PostScript only printer. Printing ASCII in Linux just sends raw text to the printer, which the HP LJ 6P doesn't handle. You can use an ASCII to PostScript converter, such as mpage or a2ps, to print plain text.
Can you give a pointer to how to install a smart print filter that can do the right thing? I have such a filter, but need a little guidance on putting it inline. Thanks!
Related to this, although not part of the same problem, is it possible to configure the Linux print server to have a "printer" that forwards the print request to a remote printer on the system the user is telnet'd in from?
The initial response was BOGUS. The capability to print a mix of input types is already in the print system. The answer to the question is to deselect the "Fast text printing (non-PS printers only)" - this causes the input to be converted to postscript | ghostscript filter.
As far as controlling which printer is used based upon user login - if you can control the "PRINTER" environment variable you have it made. Good Luck.!
Having similar problems with my HP-DJ 540 Text worked under RH5.2, but now only postscript test will print. Not a mission critical prob, as i usually only need to print from WordPerfect or Netscape, but it still kinda irks me.