HP-UX 11i v3 International Printing Features

The /usr/old/usr/lib/lp/model directory contains old versions of PCL5.asian, ESCP, and

LIPS4 model files for users who want complete backward compatibility, including bug-to-bug

compatibility.

The /usr/lib/lp/model directory also includes a couple of other PCL-related model files that

provide some limited European languages and Japanese kana character support:

• Some model files support the r8 and k8 options for selecting the Roman8 and Kana8 character

sets, respectively. These model files include PCL2, PCL3, PCL4, PCL5, HP256x.cent, hpc1208a,

hp333440a, and paintjetXL300.

• Some model files support printing of a subset of UTF-8 characters that can be converted to single-

byte ISO8859-* character sets. The printers must have fonts that support these character sets and

must have either the cs option with the proper symbol set ID or have that character set as the

printer’s default. These model files include PCL4, PCL5, HPC1208a, and PaintjetXL300.

If the current locale is one of the utf8 locales and if another utf8 locale is not already specified with

the -o option, the lp command automatically inserts the current locale name into the -o option list.

For the second set of model files listed above, character code is converted automatically from UTF-8 to

ISO8859-* character sets even if the –o option is not specified when passing UTF-8 file from a client

running in an utf8 locale.

Selecting Model Files and Configuring Printers

This paper focuses on printing local language characters on HP printers using the PCL5.asian and

PS.font model files. For information about options that are available on other model files, check the

embedded usage information in the model files. Sometimes the banner page also contains usage

information.

Many new printers can support more than one printer language. For example, many HP printers can

support both PCL and PostScript. In that case, you can choose to use either PS.font or

PCL5.asian as the model file to control the printer. Because different model files have different

features, you are free to choose the one that best meets your needs. For a comparison of the

PS.font and PCL5.asian model files, see the last section.

Sometimes application needs dictate which printer language to use. For example, when instructed to

print a web page, the Mozilla web browser generates PostScript output. This means the PS.font

model file should be used to support this application.

Figure 2 shows a simplified view of the steps required to configure an HP printer for HP-UX. The

model-file selection step might differ for printers made by other manufacturers. For information about

how to configure a network or remote printer, as well as detailed descriptions of the PCL5.asian

and PS.font model files, see the remaining sections of this paper.