Re: PCL Woes

[Andreas Klemm <andreas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

You're description of your problem sounds somehow not logic ...
PCL is a binary bytestream, so to say simply "data".

By design (normally) apsfilter simply sends data to a locally
connected or remote printer unmodified.

So if you have suitable print data (for example by a Windows
client or whatever), it simply will be send to the output
device by using "cat(1)".

On Mon, Apr 02, 2001 at 05:18:39PM -0500, Patrick Clochesy wrote:
> I configured apsfilter to output PCL on my remote LaserJet 6L, and it prints 
> remotely okay, however it prints the PCL data. The plain data. Obviously that 
> is not anything good :)

If your printer is a PCL printer, then it is the only useful thing.
BTW, how do you get the PCL data ?
Do we only misunderstand each other that you maybe only choosed
a non suitable ghostscript driver for your printer ?

> How do I know it's the pure PCL? The text ") HP-PCL XL;1;1;Comment Copyright 
> Alladin Enterprises 1996" was a pretty big clue.

Use file command to see, what type of file you have.

> Any ideas? My friend said he uses apsfilter but needed an additional script 
> to enable PCL input on the printer, but he no longer can find it and I havn't 
> found much on Google.

Try to be more specific and you'll get better help

1. How do you print (what application)
2. Which apsfilter version do you use ?
3. What gs printer driver do you use ?
4. Are you really using apsfilter or is it perhaps susefilter
   (SuSE calls their susefilter also apsfilter, because in former
   time it was based on apsfilter)

Normally apsfilter does the following

	read print data
	check with file command, which file type we have
	if its 
		1. data -> don't filter simply use cat to
			send it to print device or if you have
			a remote printer, then sent it through
			a suitable program for remote printing

		2. a supported file type (PS, ASCII, gif, jpeg, etc etc)
			2.1	if you have a true PS printer, simply
				send it to a filter that converts the
				file type to Postscript and then send
				it to printer port
			2.2	if you don't have a PS printer, then
				pipe it additionally through ghostscript
				(gs)

Concerning 2.2, you have to choose a gs driver during printersetup
using the SETUP utility, that supports your printer....

Now you should get a better clue how things work
and well, if you have PCL5 data and you wanna print it
you only have to make sure that your printer understands
this PCL5 language.

If still bad things happen, it might be related, that apsfilters
auto file type detection is possibly confused by the output of
your file command. Maybe it doesn't tell "data" or such so that
we have to find a workaround for your file commands /etc/magic 
database to produce more specific/better output or
we have to check if apsfilter needs an update to handle even
that situation perfect.

For that we need debugging output of one print session.
You have to uncomment "set -x" in apsfilter script.
The you'll find debugging output in the logfile of your
print queue (its located in your printers spooldir).
See /etc/printcap, lf="path to logfile" ...

	Andreas ///

-- 
Andreas Klemm
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