Operation Manual

Instead of spending time trying to make a proprietary Linux driver work, it may be
more cost-effective to purchase a printer which supports a standard printer language
(preferably PostScript). This would solve the driver problem once and for all, eliminating
the need to install and congure special driver software and obtain driver updates that
may be required due to new developments in the print system.
11.7.2 No Suitable PPD File Available for a
PostScript Printer
If the manufacturer-PPDs package does not contain a suitable PPD le for a
PostScript printer, it should be possible to use the PPD le from the driver CD of the
printer manufacturer or download a suitable PPD le from the Web page of the printer
manufacturer.
If the PPD le 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 le. Then use the
cupstestppd utility to check if the PPD le complies with “Adobe PostScript
Printer Description File Format Specication, version 4.3.” If the utility returns “FAIL,”
the errors in the PPD les are serious and are likely to cause major problems. The
problem spots reported by cupstestppd should be eliminated. If necessary, ask the
printer manufacturer for a suitable PPD le.
11.7.3 Parallel Ports
The safest approach is to connect the printer directly to the rst parallel port and to select
the following parallel port settings in the BIOS:
•
I/O address: 378 (hexadecimal)
• Interrupt: irrelevant
•
Mode: Normal, SPP, or Output Only
• DMA: disabled
If the printer cannot be addressed on the parallel port despite these settings, enter the
I/O address explicitly in accordance with the setting in the BIOS in the form 0x378
Printer Operation 159