A4 and Test Prints

[Richard Downing]

Kurt Pfeifle wrote:
> Richard Downing <theoldfellow-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org> wrote (Wednesday 19 July 2006 09:14):
>
>>> Richard Downing <theoldfellow-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org> 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...

OK, sorry.  Neither of these printers is a POSTSCRIPT printer, they are both colour ink-jets.  I never set that parameter as I have used the web interface to set A4 as the default (since that is all the paper than I've got!)

>>> Or is your PPD set to default to A4?

Yes, default is 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

Yes it's got a PPD...
root at gateway:~# ls -l /etc/cups/ppd/Xerox-C8.ppd
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 11887 2006-07-19 06:51 /etc/cups/ppd/Xerox-C8.ppd


> ? What is the output of
>
>    egrep '(DefaultPageS|DefaultPageR|DefaultImageableAre|DefaultPaperD)' /etc/cups/ppd/Xerox-C8.ppd
>

root at gateway:~#  egrep <LF inserted by MUA>
'(DefaultPageS|DefaultPageR|DefaultImageableAre|DefaultPaperD)' /etc/cups/ppd/Xerox-C8.ppd
*DefaultPageSize: A4
*DefaultPageRegion: A4
*DefaultImageableArea: A4
*DefaultPaperDimension: A4

>
>>>> 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.

I can't do that, it's not a postscript printer.  It would just print the file as a text of the ps!

> 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).

OK.  I tried this, it produces exactly the same result as I reported in my first email (lower line cut off to the 1.6mm point).  However, I'll report the information boxes:

Imageable Area:
Page Size: 7.76x11.03in  197.2x280.1mm
Lower-Left: 0.25x0.5in 6.4x12.7mm
Upper-right: 8.01x11.53in 203.5x292.8mm
Resolution: 300x300dpi  11781x11781dpm

Interpreter Information.

Postscript Level 3
Version:3010 (81502)
Product ESP Ghostscript
Serial #: 42

Which seems to me to suggest that the PPD is wrong!

>>>> 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?

Yes, about 5mm in from the edges.  Also the Colour Wheel Gray Ramp and 1 Degree Radial Lines are fine.

>> 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....

The Xerox Docuprint C8 isn't exactly a printer 'in the first flush of youth' ;-) although the Lexmark Z515 is only a year old.   And both certainly will not print in the top and bottom margins, nor at the extreme edges (even on Windows with the proprietary drivers).

So I now need to work out how to edit the PPD.  Is it just the '*ImageableArea' lines?  I think they are wrong for all paper sizes (ImageableArea = PageSize).  And for both my printers.  I'm actually amazed that this isn't reported anywhere.

Cheers, and Thanks for the help,

Richard.