A4 and Test Prints

[Kurt Pfeifle]

Richard Downing <theoldfellow at gmail.com> wrote (Wednesday 19 July 2006 09:14):

>> 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? 

You didn't answer this question...

>> 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

OK. So there is no hidden "PageSize=Letter" setting enabled in your 
~/.lpoptions file...

> richard at gateway:~$ lpoptions -p Xerox-C8 | grep PageSize 
> richard at gateway:~$ 

This is suspicious. Do you have a PPD installed at all for that 
printer?  What is the output of

   ls -l /etc/cups/ppd/Xerox-C8.ppd

? What is the output of

   egrep '(DefaultPageS|DefaultPageR|DefaultImageableAre|DefaultPaperD)' /etc/cups/ppd/Xerox-C8.ppd

?

>> > Sending an A4 test print
>>
>> What exactly is your A4 test print?
> 
> /usr/share/cups/data/testprint.ps

That's *not* an A4 test print! That file is very unspecific about the
page size it is going to be printed on.

testprint.ps is a rather sophisticated piece of PostScript code, 
hand-written by Mike. You can send it as "raw" to any PostScript 
printer (I assume your Xerox-C8 is one?):

   lp -d Xerox-C8 -o raw /usr/share/cups/data/testprint.ps

and it will query the printer what its default paper size (as well 
as orientation) is, and it will then print (even if the printer is 
set to default to landscape) & report some settings on the printout.

To force A4 onto your printer, try this:

   lp -d Xerox-C8 -o media=A4 /usr/share/cups/data/testprint.ps

(-o PageSize=A4 will likely not work, given the suspicious result
of the abovely quoted "lpoptions ... -l" command).


>> > 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. 

So the top line, and the left and right ones are printed?

> 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. 

OK, if they are *wrong*... (But that is rather seldom).

> 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"

This *looks* unusual. However, there are now indeed print devices
out there, which *are* able to print "borderless", or "edge to edge".
I've one in the next office (an infotec 2127) which indeed has that
Imageable Area....

Cheers,
Kurt