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Using a Local Printer or Plotter

This chapter describes how you can attach a printer or plotter to an HP X station. Topics include:

If you have problems with the printer installation, refer to If the Printer Will Not Print.

Which Devices Can I Connect?

Which devices you can connect depends largely on your host computer. In general, all HP printers are supported on any multi-vendor system. Other printers that can plug into the X station and have their own model scripts are also supported.

Connecting a Printer or Plotter to the X Station

This section explains how to connect a printer or plotter to the X station and how to test the connection.

Connecting to the Parallel Port

To connect a parallel printer to the X station, use a Centronics-style cable (HP 24542D).

Connecting to the Serial Port

To connect a serial printer to the X station, use an HP 24542G cable. If your X station has two serial ports, you can connect the printer to either serial port. To configure the Serial Port to work with the printer:

  1. Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.

  2. Click on [Terminal].

  3. For the serial port that has the printer cable connected: Set the serial port use to General.

    (The printer's documentation describes the baud rate, stop bits, data bits, parity, and pacing you must set.)

  4. Click on [OK] to exit.

Testing the X Station-Printer Connection

HP X stations have print tests you can use with non-PostScript printers to test the X station-to-printer connection.

  1. Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.

  2. Click on [Terminal].

  3. Click on the [Print Test] button.

  4. Click on [Serial 1], [Serial 2], or [Parallel].

If your printer does not print the X station's configuration, check the cable and the printer for problems.

Setting Up the Host for the X Station's Printer

How you set up the host for the X station's printer depends upon what host you have. All supported systems use print spoolers, but you configure the spooler using different host-side tools. In addition, SCO UNIX systems make use of a printer daemon. Refer to the section appropriate for your system:

Setting Up an HP-UX, Sun, or SCO UNIX System

The administration script (xtadm) makes it easy for you to add an X station's printer or plotter to the print spooler and provides a script to test the operation of the printer or plotter.

The "Printers, plotters" section of the administration script prompts you for all the information required to set up a printer or plotter on the print spooler.

Before you begin, you need to know the following:

To begin:

  1. Invoke the administration scripts, as described in Running the X Station Administration Scripts.

  2. Choose Printers, plotters from the main menu.

  3. Choose Check operation of a printer or plotter.

    The administration script uses ping to verify that the X station is connected to the network, then sends a test file to the printer. This test bypasses the print spooler. If the test fails, check that the X station and the printer are properly connected and configured.

  4. Choose Add a printer or plotter. The script prompts you as necessary. To access the online help, at the prompt, type: ?

To learn how to print a file, see Printing a File.

Using HP Plotters on HP-UX Systems

To use HP 7440A, HP 7475A, HP 7550A, HP 7570A, HP 7595A, or HP 7596A plotters with HP X stations, you must use a pseudo-terminal driver as follows:

  1. Assign the master side of the pseudo-terminal driver. You do this when you set up a daemon that directs data from a pseudo-terminal driver to the X station.

  2. Assign the slave side of the pseudo-terminal driver. You do this when you add the plotter to the print spooler.

Assigning the Master Side of the Pseudo-Terminal Driver

To assign the plotter daemon to the master side of the pseudo-terminal driver, edit the file /etc/rc and add: 

/usr/lib/hpnp/hpnptyd -m /dev/ptym/ptyr8 -x xterm2 -p 9100

Or, for HP-UX 10.x systems, add: 

/opt/hpxt/enware/hpnp/hpnptyd -m /dev/ptym/ptyr8 -x xterm2 -p 9100

In this example:

Assigning the Slave Side of the Pseudo-Terminal Driver

To assign the slave side of the pseudo-terminal driver, use sam as follows:

  1. On the root server as superuser, type: sam

  2. Select [Printers and Plotters].

  3. From the [Actions] pulldown, choose: "Add Printer/Plotter Requiring Nonstandard Device File..."

  4. Fill in the resulting menu as follows:

Setting Up an IBM AIX System

Before you begin you need to know the following:

To begin:
  1. As superuser, type: smit
  2. Choose: Devices
  3. Choose: Printer/Plotter
  4. Choose: Print Spooling
  5. Choose: Add a Print Queue
  6. Choose: Printer or Plotter Attached to an HP X Station
  7. smit prompts you for all the necessary information.

To learn how to print a file, see Printing a File.

Printing a File

You can print a file to a printer connected to an X station using much the same commands as you would on any UNIX system.

On HP-UX, AIX, or SCO UNIX Systems

To print a file, use: lp -dprintername filename

For example: lp -dxterm1par data.output

Note: To eliminate the -d option, make the local printer the default by typing one of the following command lines in the VUE users, in .vueprofile:

On a Sun System

To print a file, use:

Examples:

To print PostScript files, you can use:
lpr -Pprintcap_name -h file
For example: lpr -P700xpr -h data.ps

How the Print Command Works

When you issue a print command using the print spooler, the hpnpf utility completes the print request. On SCO UNIX systems, a print command causes the printer daemon to start a child daemon for the printer.

Monitoring the Status of a Local Printer

ENWARE 7.0 uses SNMP to identify a parallel printer attached to an X station and to report back whether the printer is out of paper, jammed or offline.

You can query the configuration and status of your parallel printer using any SNMP-supported printer utility (for example, JetAdmin). For more information on SNMP, refer to Using SNMP with HP X Stations. 

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