Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!im4u!ut-sally!utah-cs!utah-gr!uplherc!nrc-ut!nrcvax!kosman!kevin
From: kevin@kosman.UUCP (Kevin O'Gorman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: Okidata printer on 3b1 -- HELP !!
Message-ID: <367@kosman.UUCP>
Date: 26 Jan 88 17:13:43 GMT
References: <1840@rayssdb.RAY.COM>
Reply-To: kevin@kosman.UUCP (Kevin O'Gorman)
Organization: K.O.'s Manor - Vital Computer Systems, Oxnard, CA 93035
Lines: 36

In article <1840@rayssdb.RAY.COM> c4s@rayssdb.RAY.COM (Charles A. Sefranek) writes:
>
>	I have a 3b1 with an Okidata Microline 92 printer interfaced to
> it thru the RS-232 port.  I can dump files to it via lp just fine, but
> the graphics screen dump (SHIFT - PRINT) doesn't work -- it comes back
> and says it can't find a suitable printer or something like that.
>	I called the ATT hotline, they said their latest list doesn't
> show this printer as supported for screen-dump.  I *know* this can be
> done, and I would like to try to do it myself, but I don't know where
> to start. I am still learning the gritty details of the unix system.
>	Has anybody out there done this ?  Does anyone else have a uL92
> on the unixPC ?  Appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.
>
>-- 
>--
>	Charlie Sefranek		c4s@rayssdb.RAY.COM


Yep, that's my printer all right.  And I did do this once upon a time.
I don't do it any more, because it's a bit of a pain, but it's doable.

The UNIX PC will only make screen dumps in raw format for it's printers
(The ones AT&T likes to sell).  You have to fake the system into believing
there's such a printer (and it must be the default printer), but change
the interface (/usr/spool/lp/interface, I think) into piping it thru a
filter (the hard part) and re-queue to the Okidata.

What's hard is that the ATT printers use an 8-bit graphics mode, and the
Oki is limited to 7, so you've got to pull the data apart and repackage it.

Maybe I can resurrect that source code from somewhere....

-- 

Kevin O'Gorman ( kevin@kosman ) voice: 805-984-8042
  Vital Computer Systems, 5115 Beachcomber, Oxnard, CA  93035