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From: axel@coma.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: Proper 4.3BSD printcap entry for Las - (nf)
Message-ID: <11900005@coma.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 31-Aug-87 09:03:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: coma.11900005
Posted: Mon Aug 31 09:03:00 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 3-Sep-87 06:31:45 EDT
References: <643@noao.UUCP>
Lines: 27
Nf-ID: #R:noao:-64300:coma:11900005:000:1182
Nf-From: coma!axel    Aug 31 14:03:00 1987

Our LaserWriter is hooked to a MicroVAX II running 4.3 BSD. We use it
with TeX (dvi2ps) and ditroff (tpscript). The printcap entry is as
follows:

lw|Apple LaserWriter:\
	:br#9600:fc#021370:fs#000000:lp=/dev/ttyS0:sd=/usr/spool/lpd/lw:sf:sh:

>I can tip to /dev/lw and converse with the laser printer, and I can
>"cat file.ps > /dev/lw" and get nice clean output.  Yet if I 
>"lpr -Plw2 file.ps", strange things happen.  The Laserwriter's yellow
>light blinks for the appropriate amount of time and I can see lights moving
>around down inside the cover release cutout; but no pages are printed.
>
To catch the LaserWriter's diagnostics that are issued while it is processing
a job, you can use the following tricks:

a) tip to the LW _before_ sending the printjob via lpr or 
b) (better!) insert the following lines in your /etc/rc.local:
  
   /usr/ucb/tail +0cf /dev/ttyS0 > /usr/spool/lpd/lw/lw-log &
   echo 'loggin LaserWriter's diagnostics on /usr/spool/lpd/lw/lw-log'\
   >/dev/console
 
With 'tail -f <logfile>', everybody will be able to monitor the LaserWriter's
diagnostics. We found this very helpful in debugging PostScript applications.

Axel Mahler, Tech.Univ. Berlin