JLab Unix Printing

Access to the entire inventory of Jefferson Labs printers for UNIX is provided via the PDQ/XPDQ printing applications. These applications are available on all centrally managed UNIX systems and all systems that mount the centrally supplied JLABAPPS filesystems. The advantage of these applications is that they support extended features and enhancements for specific printer models to UNIX users.

(NOTE: If you are a Guest UNIX machine, please see the Guest Printing instructions below.)

pdq command

pdq is the command line based utility with a functionality almost identical in practice to that of the legacy lp/lpr/rlprs command previously employed for the same purpose. Differences include greater support for printer features, client side postscript processing, and the ability to graphically control and get the status of submitted print jobs via xpdq.

pdq prints the listed files, or STDIN if none is listed. The printer is selected with the -d or -P flag. If none is given, the job is sent to the default printer. Driver options and arguments are specified with the -o and -a flags respectively. Interface options and arguments are specified with the -O and -A flags respectively. To show printer-specific options and arguments, pass the -h or --help flag, and at the same time select a particular printer with the -d or -P flag.

pdq should be used as a direct replacement for lp and rlpr commands.

PDQ OPTIONS

-a VAR=value - Set driver argument VAR to value.
-A VAR=value - Set interface argument VAR to value.
-d printer- Send job to printer. (The -P option may also be used to select printer.)
-h, --help - Show summary usage. If no printer is selected, a list of available printers will be displayed. If a printer is selected, available options and arguments will be displayed.
-o option - Select driver option option.
-O option - Select interface option option .
-P printer - Send job to printer. The -d option may also be used to select printer

xpdq command

xpdq is a non-daemon-centric graphical print system built upon the UNIX command pdq which features a built-in, and sensible, driver configuration syntax. Both include the ability to declare printing options. The GUI and command line tool allows users to specify these options with either a mouse with which the users get a nice dialog box in which to specify resolution, duplexing, paper type, etc. OR command line configuration options tailored for the selected printer.

To print using this command launch the xpdq applications from the command line and simply select the destination printer from the xpdq print window, then select `open file' from the File Menu.

To change the printing options, simply select `Driver options" for the current printer and click on the features you are interested in. The job status will appear in the lower window along with any errors that may occur during processing. If you desire more detailed status information, right-clicking on your print job will display additional diagnostics.

Important Note:

When passing over a feature in the driver options window, the equivalent command line switch will be displayed. This switch is used in conjunction with the pdq command described below to set extended printer features.

Addtional Important Note:

Users can assign a default printer by selecting a printer from the xpdq printer selection window, right-clicking and selecting 'Set as default printer' from the pop-up menu that appears.

A word concerning the LEGACY printing commands lp, rlpr:

While still available on all CUE systems as a printing option, these commands are provided for LEGACY SUPPORT ONLY. They provide only the most basic printing functionality. In other words, familiar options specified with the -o qualifier will in most cases CEASE TO FUNCTION. This includes but is not limited to DUPLEX and TRAY SELECTION options.

Automatic translation from text to postscript is still supported.

Users currently using prtsrv.jlab.org should substitute jlabprt.jlab.org in all printcap/printer.conf files. All rlpr commands should direct print jobs to the new print server:

rlpr -Hjlabprt -Pprinter_name

All users are STRONGLY URGED to use either pdq or xpdq. It provides the best supported and most consistent interface for printing at Jefferson Labs.

Printers that are currently supported for JLab UNIX systems include the following:

Hewlett Packard:

LaserJet 4000, 4500, 4550, 4600, 4, 4+, 4mv, 4si, 5, 5si, 5000, 8000, 8100, 8150, 8500, 8550

Xerox/Tektronix:

2PXi, 550, 560, 740, 850, 860, 8200

Oce:

9400, 9600

Canon:

ImageRunner 2200, 2800, 3300

If you would like to see a printer added that is not supported above, you can send the Computer Center a CCPR to have it supported.

Guest Printing

In order to access JLab printers outside of a CUE configuration, users will need to download and install rlpr (to their Linux or Solaris machine). In the event that they can't locate their own rlpr rpm (for Linux), they can download and build the utility from source code at:

http://truffula.com/rlpr/

once installed, they should be able to print using the following command:

rlpr -Hjlabprt -Pprinter file

If they don't have access to jlabprt, they might try:

rlpr -Hconfsrv -Pprinter file

In both cases, "printer" is the name of the printer they want to print to.

Frequently Asked Questions

This document is maintained by {helpdesk@jlab.org}