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Printers and PPD files
The old Xerox printer at 6531 (not the copier) — xrn4025p.ppd.zip
- setting A3 paper size:
lpoptions -p xerox6531 -o PageRegion=A3 -o InputSlot=Tray2
HP Color Laser outside 6505 — hpcolor.ppd.zip
Installing with CUPS
You might already know the http://localhost:631 web configuration interface, but there are also command line tools. Let's install the old Xerox printer located in the copy room 6531.
Get root. Go get the PPD file and save it somewhere:
Unpack zip file and install the printer with command:
lpadmin -p xerox6531 -v socket://157.24.24.70:9100/ -D "the old xerox" -L "mail room 6531" -P Xrn4025p.ppd
You can check your available printers as a user with:
lpstat -t
If it says your new printer is rejecting jobs and/or disabled, the following commands should be of help (as root):
/usr/bin/enable xerox6531 accept xerox6531
The enable
command is with full path because enable
is also a Bash builtin
command. In newer installations of CUPS the command may be named cupsenable
.
To see what kind of options your new printer may offer, try:
lpoptions -p xerox6531 -l
Two pages on one
Find and install package psutils
to get psnup
.
psnup -2 docu.ps new_docu.ps
Duplex printing
At least the Xerox in the mail room can print duplex. For the “normal” way:
lpr -Pxerox6531 -o sides=two-sided-long-edge file.ps
For the other way:
lpr -Pxerox6531 -o sides=two-sided-short-edge file.ps
NOTE: It has been noticed that some Postscript files refuse to print
as duplex and running through ps2ps
seems to help.
It is recommended to run everything, that is not produced through
Ghostscript, through ps2ps
.
An example
You have a PDF
where you want to nicely print selected pages.
Open the PDF in Acrobat reader and print the wanted pages into a Postscript file.
The file will likely “compress” if you run it through ps2ps
>
ps2ps file.ps file2.ps
Then, reorganize the pages to form a book:
psbook -q file2.ps file3.ps
Let's put two pages on one sheet, that is, make an A5 book:
psnup -2 file3.ps file4.ps
Print the file in duplex:
lpr -Pxerox6531 -o sides=two-sided-short-edge file4.ps
Prettyprinting code files
If you put the following Bash script snippet into your e.g. ~/.bashrc
,
you get the command m2ps
, that makes PostScript from your text (code) files.
function m2ps { while [ "$1" ]; do enscript --ps-level=1 -r --word-wrap -2 -C -G -j "$1" -o "$1.ps" shift done }
The print is landscape, two-column, with line numbers, long lines word-wrapped,
fancy header and borders drawn. The command can handle multiple files at one invocation
and output file name is input file name appended with .ps
.