Specifications

6-7
System V Printer Configuration
Customizing Printer Configuration
Although the print service is flexible enough to handle most printers and printing needs, you
might require features that the standard print service does not accommodate.
You can customize the print service by:
• Setting Default Printer Page Size and Spacing on page 6-7
• Configuring Banners on page 6-8
• Administering the /etc/lp/Systems File on page 6-8
• Printer Models File on page 6-9
• Creating Printer Interface Scripts on page 6-11
• Using the terminfo Database on page 6-13
• Creating a Printer Form on page 6-15
• Adding a Form to the Print Service on page 6-16
• Removing a Form on page 6-16
• Restricting User Access to Forms on page 6-16
• Mounting a Form on page 6-17
• Unmounting a Form on page 6-18
• Examining a Form on page 6-18
Setting Default Printer Page Size and Spacing
When a user submits a request to print a file, the page size, character pitch, and line pitch
(spacing) are normally determined from the form that it is printed on. If the user does not
require a form, he or she can specify the page size and print spacing to use. If the user
gives neither a form to use nor the page size and print spacing, defaults are used.
Note: The preceding information does not apply to PostScript printers.
By setting defaults for each printer, you can make it easier to submit print requests. For
example, you can designate different printers as having different default page sizes or print
spacing. You can dedicate one printer to printing wide (132–column) output, another to
printing normal (80–columns, 66 lines) output, and yet another to printing letters in
monospaced fonts (12 characters per inch, 8 lines per inch). Users simply route their file to
the appropriate printer to get the style of output they want.
You can specify the following default settings:
• Page width
• Page length
• Character pitch
• Line pitch
Specify the first two in columns and lines respectively (or in inches). Specify character pitch
and line pitch in characters per inch (cpi) and lines per inch (lpi) respectively.
In addition, specify the character pitch as pica for 10 cpi, elite for 12 cpi, or compressed
for the maximum cpi the printer can provide (up to a limit of 30 cpi).
To specify the default settings, use the following commands: