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printcap - Printer capability data base
The printcap file is used to describe printer characteristics. The format of the printcap file is a simplified version of the /etc/termcap database format.
The lpd line printer daemon accesses the /etc/printcap file every time a file is passed to the spooler for printing. The print spooling system uses the printcap file to obtain information about each printer attached to the system and about remote printers. Each entry in the printcap file describes a single printer.
When the local line printer driver supports indentation, the lpd line printer daemon must understand how to invoke this capability.
The default printer for your system usually has the device reference lp, although environment variable PRINTER can be used to override the default printer reference. The print commands (for example, lpr, lpq, and lprm) support the -Pprinter option, which enables you to specify a specific printer.
Name | Type | Default | Description |
af | str | NULL | Name of accounting file |
br | num | none |
If lp is a tty, set the baud rate (ioctl call).
|
cf | str | NULL | The cifplot data filter. |
ct | str | dev |
The connection type. The choices
are: dev, LAT, and tcp.
|
df | str | NULL | The tex data filter (DVI format). |
fc | num | 0 |
If lp is a tty, clear flag bits (sgtty.h).
|
ff | str | \f | String to send for a form feed. |
fo | bool | false | Print a form feed when the device is opened. |
fs | num | 0 | Like fc, but set bits. |
gf | str | NULL | The graph data filter (plot format). |
hl | bool | false | Print the burst header page last. |
ic | bool | false |
Driver supports (non standard) ioctl to indent printout.
|
if | str | NULL | Name of text filter that does accounting. |
lf | str | /dev/console | Error logging filename. |
lo | str | lock | Name of lock file. |
lp | str | /dev/lp |
Device name to open for output.
The syntax for networked printers (tcp) specifies the
service name from the /etc/services file and the remote hostname
in the format @hostname/servicename.
|
mx | num | 1000 |
Maximum file size (in BUFSIZ blocks). Zero = unlimited.
|
nf | str | NULL |
The ditroff data filter (for device independent troff).
|
of | str | NULL | Name of output filtering program. |
pl | num | 66 | Page length (in lines). |
pw | num | 132 | Page width (in columns). |
px | num | 0 | Page width in pixels (horizontal). |
py | num | 0 | Page length in pixels (vertical). |
rf | str | NULL |
Filter for printing FORTRAN style text files.
|
rm | str | NULL |
Machine name for remote printer. (Required for remote printers.)
Use the string @dpa to define a gateway for the Advanced Printing
Software.
|
rp | str | lp |
Remote printer name argument. (Required for remote printers.)
Specify a queue name, such as lpr1, for the Advanced Printing
Software.
|
rs | bool | false | Restrict remote users to those with local accounts. |
rw | bool | false |
Open the printer device for reading and writing.
|
sb | bool | false | Short banner (one line only). |
sc | bool | false | Suppress multiple copies. |
sd | str | /usr/spool/lpd |
Spool directory. (Required for LAT and remote printers.)
|
sf | bool | false | Suppress form feeds. |
sh | bool | false | Suppress printing of burst page header. |
st | str | status | Status filename. |
tf | str | NULL |
The troff data filter (for the cat phototypesetter).
|
tr | str | NULL |
Trailer string to print when queue empties.
|
vf | str | NULL | The raster image filter. |
xc | num | 0 |
If lp is a tty, clear local mode bits (tty).
|
xf | str | NULL | Pass-through filter. |
xs | num | 0 | Like xc, but set bits. |
ya | str | NULL | Additional parameters for print filter (I18N). |
yd | str | NULL | Secondary device name for font faulting (I18N). |
yj | str | NULL | Restart of for every job (I18N). |
yp | str | NULL | Printer ID conforming to Wototo standard (I18N). |
ys | num | 0 | Size of SoftODL character cache (I18N). |
yt | str | "fifo" | SoftODL character replacement strategy (I18N). |
When the local line printer driver supports indentation, the lpd line printer daemon must understand how to invoke this capability.
The following table lists the LAT printing characteristics:
Name | Type | Default | Description |
ct | str | LAT | Remote printing using LAT as the |
transport. | |||
lp | str | /dev/ttyWX |
Device name to open for output where WX is a LAT device.
|
The following table lists typical TCP/IP printing characteristics for a DEClaser3500 printer. The entry in the /etc/services file reads: dlaser35 10001/tcp Examples of print symbol settings are set as follows: Has a value of tcp to specify network printing using TCP/IP Has a value of @prthub/dlaser35 which specifies service name dlaser35 on node prthub
Flag | Filter | Description |
none | if | regular text |
-p | pr | if | regular text + pr |
-c | cf | cifplot |
-d | df | DVI (tex) |
-g | gf | plot |
-n | nf | ditroff |
-f | rf | FORTRAN |
-t | tf | troff |
-v | vf | raster image |
The if filter is invoked with arguments according to the following format:
if [-c] -wwidth -llength -iindent -nlogin -hhost acct-file
The xf pass-through filter is specified when output is preformatted and does not require special filtering.
The -c flag is passed only when the -l flag (pass control-characters literally) is specified to the lpr command. The -wwidth and -llength parameters specify the page width and length (from the assigned or default values of pw and pl respectively in the printcap file) in characters. The -n and -h flags specify the login name and hostname of the owner of the job, respectively. The acct-file is passed from the af entry in the printcap file.
The if filter is opened for all individual jobs, which makes it suitable for accounting. When the if filter is not specified, the system uses the of filter as the default value. The of filter however, is opened only once and is only given the -wwidth and -llength flags.
All other filters are called according to the following format:
filter -xwidth -ylength -nlogin -h host acct-file
In this format, -xwidth and -ylength are represented in pixels as specified by the px and py entries, respectively, in the printcap file.
All filters take standard input (stdin) as the source file and standard output (stdout) as the destination. The printer may log either to standard error (stderr) or use syslogd, and must not ignore the SIGINT signal.
Error messages sent to the console have a carriage return and a line feed appended to them, rather than just a line feed.
Commands: lpq(1), lpr(1), lprm(1), lpc(8), lpd(8), lprsetup(8), pac(8)
Files: termcap(4)
Others: i18n_printing(5)
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