A4 and Test Prints

[Richard Downing]

> Richard Downing <theoldfellow at gmail.com> wrote (Tuesday 18 July 2006 09:43):
>
> > I have two printers, Lexmark Z515 using Lexmark's proprietary driver and PPD, and Xerox C8 using the
> > cdj550 PPD as per LinuxPrinting.org's recommend.  They and CUPS-1.2.1 work almost OK.  I only use A4
> > paper.
>
> Do your jobs send the parameter "-o PageSize=A4" too? Or is your PPD
> set to default to A4?
>
> What is the result of running these commandlines:
>
>   lpoptions -p printername
>   lpoptions -p printername -l | grep PageSize

richard at gateway:~$ lpoptions -p Xerox-C8
job-sheets=none,none printer-info='Xerox Docuprint C8' printer-is-accepting-jobs=1 printer-is-shared=1 printer-make-and-model='Xerox DocuPrint C8 Foomatic/cdj550 (recommended)' printer-state=3 printer-state-change-time=1153291961 printer-state-reasons=none printer-type=143372 gamma=6000
richard at gateway:~$ lpoptions -p Xerox-C8 | grep PageSize
richard at gateway:~$

>
> > Sending an A4 test print
>
> What exactly is your A4 test print?

/usr/share/cups/data/testprint.ps

>
> > to either printer results in a good print with the bottom ~ 1.5 cm chopped off
> > (The scale on the RHS runs from 29.2 at the top, to 1.6 at the bottom - no bottom horiz-line).
>
> Try to print this:
>
>   lp -d printername /usr/share/cups/data/testprint.ps
>
> > This
> > appears to be the printers' paper-handling margin.
>
> The last job's result ("testprint.ps" file) should show a border line
> around the "ImageableArea" as is defined in the PPD.

The bottom line is missing.  The scale on the RHS runs from 29.2 at the top, to 1.6 on the bottom (i.e. you can see the 2-line and four small tick marks below it.


> > There is a 1 cm margin at the top of the test print
> > and 5-7mm left and right margins.
>
> Looks more like you may be sending (unwittingly) "-o PageSize=Letter"
> with your print jobs....

I don't think so.   If I do that (set the pagesize to letter) then the testprint print correctly, since the testprint fits well within the A4 paper's imageable area.



> > Should I edit the PPDs?
>
> No.

However I think that I should as they are clearly WRONG.  The PPD's show the ImageableArea as the whole PageSize.  This is clearly nonsesnse for a printer that needs a paper handling margin.  This from the cdj550 PPD:

*PageSize A4/A4: "<</PageSize[595 842]/ImagingBBox null>>setpagedevice"

*PageRegion A4/A4: "<</PageSize[595 842]/ImagingBBox null>>setpagedevice"


*ImageableArea A4/A4: "0 0 595 842"

*PaperDimension A4/A4: "595 842"

> > I'm loath to do this as every A4 PPD seems to be the same - I had this same
> > behaviour with a previous Canon BJC-7000-GIMP-Print set up.  And I don't believe that I'm the only A4
> > printer user using these PPDs :)  yet I find nothing the the archives.
> >
> > Is there a correct way to correct this behaviour?
>
> Sure. If we first find out what is causing your problems...
>
> Cheers,
> Kurt

Kurt,
Thanks for trying, I really appreciate it.  I have been banging my head against this for weeks.

Richard.