RIMAS for UNIX Software Installation

To: All Users of SCO Open Server UNIX Operating System

From: The SHARED LOGIC Group, Inc.

Re: Controlling HP LaserJet Printers

Date: April 28, 2000

Users of SCO OpenServer 5 can install and control HP LaserJet printers by following this procedure:

1. Use the SCO Printer Administration facility to define the printer to the UNIX operating system. While most of the steps required to do this are beyond the scope of this document, two entries made during this process will be used in subsequent points in this procedure:

The name that you assign to the printer. This memo will assume that you named it “Laser”, but you may use any name you prefer.

Each printer is associated with a printer model. A printer model is, essentially, a computer program that correlates features, such as “portrait”, with the codes the printer must receive to activate that feature. It is important that you select a printer model that defines the features of your printer. This memo is based on use of the “HPLaserJet” model.

2. Shared Logic has adopted the convention of naming all printer devices “LPTxxxxxxxxxx”, where you may substitute 1 to 10 characters for the x’s. For example, “LPT1”, “LPTMAINOFFICE” and “LPTHP” are all valid printer names.

There are two ways to send data to your printer. Data may be sent directly to the printer device, but this method is not used when you want to control a laser printer’s features. The second method is to use the UNIX spooler to send data to the printer, and this procedure is based on this method.

To send data to the UNIX spooler, you must create a script (which is similar to a DOS batch file) in the /dev directory with the name you want to use for the printer in Shared Logic programs. For example, a script named “LPTL” containing the following lines will allow you to output Shared Logic reports to a printer named “Laser” in step 1 above:

trap “” 1 2 3

rm –f /tmp/LPTL..LOCK

lp –d Laser >/dev/null

Remember that scripts must be given execute permission.

However, this basic script must be expanded to include the features of your laser printer you want to use to control the appearance of your reports. Features that are defined in the HPLaserJet model that are commonly used are:

10, pica either specifies 10 characters/inch

12, elite either specifies 12 characters/inch

c specifies compressed (about 17 characters/inch)

fp# set primary font pitch to #

fs set primary font to fixed spacing

lpi# set number of lines/inch to #

vsi# set vertical spacing increment to #/48’s inch

lm# set left margin in column #

rm# set right margin in column #

portrait use portrait orientation

landscape use landscape orientation

nb do not print banner page

double automatic double sided (duplex) print

ub, ubin feed paper from the upper cassette

lb, lbin feed paper from the lower cassette

These features are specified on the third line of the script. For example to print in landscape mode with the print line a little closer together so that the report does not run over the end of the page, you would use the following:

lp –o vsi7,landscape –d Laser >/dev/null

The “-o” indicates that the options (features) will be listed in the command line.

A commonly used set of options is written as follows:

lp –o fp20,vsi7,lm10,portrait,nb,double,lbbin –d Laser >/dev/null

Any logical combination of supported features may listed (separated by commas) after the
“-o” in the command line.

Multiple scripts may be set up for the same printer, where each script specifies a set of features. For example,

LPTHPC (‘H’P laser, ‘P’ortrait, ‘C’ondensed font) could include “-o c,portrait”

LPTHL2D (‘H’P laser, ‘L’andscape, ‘2’0cpi, “D”uplex) could include
“-o fp20,landscape,double”

Many combinations are possible, and the information provided above should make it possible for you to create an initial set of scripts for your laser printer, and to add more as the need arises.