Datasheet

“main” (Installation and Administration) — 2004/6/25 — 13:29 — page 310 — #336
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
13.7 Printer Hardware
13.7.1 Printers without Standard Printer Language
Support
Printers that do not support any common printer language and can only
be addressed with special control sequences are called GDI printers. These
printers only work with the operating system versions for which the man-
ufacturer delivers a driver. GDI is a programming interface developed by
Microsoft for graphics devices. The actual problem is not the programming
interface, but the fact that GDI printers can only be addressed with the pro-
prietary printer language of the respective printer model.
Some printers can be switched to operate either in GDI mode or one of
the standard printer languages. Some manufacturers provide proprietary
drivers for their GDI printers. The disadvantage of proprietary printer
drivers is that there is no guarantee that these will work with the installed
print system and that they are suitable for the various hardware platforms.
In contrast, printers that support a standard printer language do not de-
pend on a special print system version or a special hardware platform.
Instead of spending time trying to make a proprietary Linux driver work,
it may be more cost-effective to purchase a supported printer. This would
solve the driver problem once and for all, eliminating the need to install
and configure special driver software and obtain driver updates that may
be required due to new developments in the print system.
13.7.2 No Suitable PPD File Available for a PostScript
Printer
If the manufacturer-PPDs package does not contain any suitable PPD
file for a PostScript printer, it should be possible to use the PPD file from
the driver CD of the printer manufacturer or download a suitable PPD file
from the web page of the printer manufacturer.
If the PPD file is provided as a zip archive (.zip) or a self-extracting zip
archive (.exe), unpack it with unzip. First, review the license terms of the
PPD file. Then use the cupstestppd utility to check if the PPD file com-
plies with the "Adobe PostScript Printer Description File Format Specifi-
cation, version 4.3". If the utility returns "FAIL", the errors in the PPD files
are serious and are likely to cause major problems. The problem spots re-
ported by cupstestppd should be eliminated. If necessary, ask the printer
manufacturer for a suitable PPD file.
310 13.7. Printer Hardware