How to print landscape files from another server via LPD?
John MacLerran
macljohn at isu.edu
Fri Jul 30 13:30:07 PDT 2010
> John MacLerran wrote:
>
> >> John MacLerran wrote:
> >>
> >> >> John MacLerran wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> >> John MacLerran wrote:
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> > Dear CUPS Forum members
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > I'm trying to set up a queue in CUPS to print landscape all the
> >> >> >> > time. I have searched the documentation and forums, and found
> >> >> >> > several similar questions, but the solutions presented there did
> >> >> >> > not help.
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > The reason I need this is that our ERP system sends its reports
> >> >> >> > in 132
> >> >> >> > column landscape format by default, and I'm trying to set up a
> >> >> >> > CUPS queue that will accept that output and print it.
> >> >> >> > Alternatively, I'm trying to get a defnintive answer of "no, this
> >> >> >> > can't be done", so that I can present other, better options (like
> >> >> >> > pdf printing and electronic delivery of reports), and still have
> >> >> >> > done due diligence.
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > There are a few wrinkles, however. Our ERP servers are running
> >> >> >> > Solaris 10, using LPD to send the output to a linux box that acts
> >> >> >> > as our print server.
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > On Solaris, the print queue is configured like this (the lines
> >> >> >> > don't wrap):
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > ccenterapp_land:\
> >> >> >> > :printer-uri-
> >> >> >>
> supported=lpd\://anaerobic.isu.edu/printers/ccenterapp_land#Solaris:\
> >> >> >> > :bsdaddr=anaerobic.isu.edu,ccenterapp_land,Solaris:
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > (Anaerobic is our Linux box. It is Red Hat Enterprise 5.5 and
> >> >> >> > cups 1.3.7, patch level 18, the Red Hat default.)
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > On Linux, our lpoptions file for this queue looks like this
> >> >> >> > (again, no wrap in the real file):
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > Default ccenterapp_land landscape=true cpi=14 lpi=8
> >> >> >> > page-left=36
> >> >> >> > page-right=36 page-top=36 page-bottom=36
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > When I send a 132-column text file from Linux, it prints
> >> >> >> > correctly -- output is flipped landscape, and extends out to the
> >> >> >> > 132-column mark, using this lp command:
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > lp -d ccenterapp_land testprint.txt
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > However, when I send that exact same test file from the Solaris
> >> >> >> > boxes,
> >> >> >> > using the same lp command, I get output that is partially
> >> >> >> > correct. It is flipped landscape, but the lines are wrapped into
> >> >> >> > portrait margins -- 101 columns, to be exact.
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > I specified various options in the cups-lpd config file (xinitd,
> >> >> >> > I think, I'm not the linux box's sysadmin), but, frankly, I'm not
> >> >> >> > sure what options to try, and neither a search here, nor a google
> >> >> >> > search, turned up a list of what options are valid.
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > The current cups-lpd config entry looks like this:
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > service printer
> >> >> >> > {
> >> >> >> > disable = no
> >> >> >> > socket_type = stream
> >> >> >> > protocol = tcp
> >> >> >> > wait = no
> >> >> >> > user = lp
> >> >> >> > server = /usr/lib/cups/daemon/cups-lpd
> >> >> >> > server_args = -o job-sheets=none,none
> >> >> >> > }
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > In the server_args parameter, I've tried the following options:
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > -o document-format=application/octet-stream -- as indicated by
> >> >> >> > the man page
> >> >> >> > -o document-format=application/vnd.cups-raw -- from a google
> >> >> >> > search
> >> >> >> > -o landscape -- a s.w.a.g. on my
> >> >> >> > part
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > Neither of which helped. The vnd.cups-raw one really clobbered
> >> >> >> > the output -- reducing it to one line, portrait, that ran off the
> >> >> >> > right side of the page and was dropped.
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > What am I missing? How can I make the linux queue print
> >> >> >> > landscape, all 132 columns, without wrapping, when the file is
> >> >> >> > sent from Solaris?
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > Thank you
> >> >> >> > -John MacLerran
> >> >> >> > macljohn at isu.edu
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> I think you are using the default system V printing system on your
> >> >> >> solaris box. In that system, every print queue is associated with
> >> >> >> one or more of the following descriptions:
> >> >> >> - printer type
> >> >> >> - content type (ASCII, PostScript, etc)
> >> >> >> - form name (especially for ASCII content type defining cpi, width
> >> >> >> (chars per line, etc.)
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> Please post how the respective printer on your Solaris box is
> >> >> >> defined with respect to these attributes. Perhaps you only need to
> >> >> >> modify one of these.
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> Helge
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >>
> >> >> > ------
> >> >> > Thanks Helge.
> >> >> > I'm not sure those attributes are set up for this print queue.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > I looked in this directory:
> >> >> > /var/spool/lp/admins/lp/printers/
> >> >> > and saw directories for some of our printers -- the ones that are
> >> >> > defined locally on the Solaris box, but the queue in question is not
> >> >> > related to a printer that is local on the Solaris box (which is
> >> >> > named Poseidon), but is just a 'remote' queue that resides on
> >> >> > Anerobic, a completely different server.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > I've asked our unix sysadmin if he's aware of another directory
> >> >> > where
> >> >> > those attributes reside, and we'll check for them. Do you know if
> >> >> > the /var/spool/lp/admins/lp/printers/ directory is the one I should
> >> >> > be looking in? -john -----------
> >> >>
> >> >> John,
> >> >>
> >> >> I currently do not have access to a real Solaris 10 box, which means
> >> >> I'm not able to do real tests on that issue.
> >> >> But you could try the following:
> >> >> - stop the respective printer on your print server
> >> >> - print a (small) sample file from your Solaris box
> >> >> - post (an URL to) both the job's control and data file from the
> >> >> Linux box (the cxxxxx and the dxxxxx-001 file from the
> >> >> /var/spool/cups directory).
> >> >>
> >> >> Looking into these files, I should be able to determine if the
> >> >> unwanted wrapping occurs on the Solaris or the Linix box and, perhaps,
> >> >> give hints how to settle down this issue.
> >> >>
> >> >> Helge
> >> >>
> >> > ---
> >> > Thanks, Helge.
> >> > You can view the files at:
> >> > http://www.isu.edu/~macljohn/c11535
> >> > http://www.isu.edu/~macljohn/d11535-001
> >> >
> >> > To me, the data in d11535-001 does not look wrapped. I'm not sure what
> >> > I'm looking at in the control file, but it doesn't look obviously
> >> > wrong.
> >> >
> >> > -john
> >> > ---------------
> >>
> >> John,
> >>
> >> the two files look OK, so the job should print OK. For further
> >> investigation, could you , on the Linux box, execute the command
> >> cupsctl --debug-logging
> >> and print this (or a similar) job (with the printer enaqbled, of course),
> >> then, if the print is finished, execute
> >> cupsctl --no-debug-logging
> >> and post (an URL to) the current /var/log/cups/error_log ?
> >> From that log file, I hope to be able to determine what your CUPS is
> >> really doing.
> >>
> >> Helge
> >>
> > -------
> > Hi Helge,
> >
> > I've posted the following files in the location specified:
> >
> > http://www.isu.edu/~macljohn/error_log
> > http://www.isu.edu/~macljohn/cupsd.conf
> > http://www.isu.edu/~macljohn/ccenterapp_land.ppd
> >
> > The error log contains material since July 26. Today's information begins
> > around line 500 or so. In the material related to today, I see that it
> > uses the cupsd.conf file, the ppd file for the printer, and a few other
> > filters - textopaps and pstops, I think. I think those are binary program
> > files that are standard with cups, so I didn't include those.
> >
> > Let me know if you need anything else.
> > Thanks for being so helpful with this. I really appreciate it.
> > -john
> > --------------------
>
> Hi John,
>
> from your error_log I learned that your CUPS install uses the texttopaps
> filter to convert plain text to PostScript. I did some research in the
> internet regarding this filter and found a lot of complaints especially with
> respect to landscape printing.
>
> As a first approach to settle your issue I'd suggest the following:
> - verify that /usr/lib/cups/filter/texttops exists and is executable.
> - in /etc/cups/mime.convs replace all occurences of textopaps
> by texttops
> - restart cups if necessary
>
> Let me know if it works now.
>
> Helge
>
> P.S.: what strikes me is that you told in a previous post that the problem
> does not show up if you print a plain text file from your Linux box locally
> using the lp command. Perhaps you could send me a log file (with debug
> enabled) for just such a test job.
>
-------------------------------
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
That worked! We are now getting landscape output that doesn't wrap.
I am deeply thankful to you for helping us. There is no way we would've found that on our own. You have been a great help to us.
-john
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