AIX Printer Tips: Sending Printer Commands to Printers

Contents

About This Document

This document describes how you can enter the commands in AIX either using a file or a virtual printer, and then send these commands to the printer.   This might be useful for sending a command that is not normally sent with the virtual printer, or even used for downloading fonts or printer macros.

The information in this document applies to AIX 3.2.5 and 4.

Cautions

The other thing that can cause problems is that some commands are reset each time the printer reset command is sent to the printer. The printer reset command is usually sent to the printer before and after a print job by the ci and cr attributes.  You may have to remove the printer reset command if it causes problems.

Method One - Put Commands in file and cat

1. Create a file with vi.
2. Enter commands using sequence ctrl-V ESC to enter the escape character.
3. x01 can be entered as ctrl-V ctrl-A, x02 -> ctrl-B, etc.
4. The ESCAPE character will look like ^[ or ctrl-<left square bracket>
5. Save the file.
6. cat to the printer.
7. If local printer (/dev file),

• put in passthrough with splp -p+ lp2.
• cat file to print - cat <filename> > /dev/lp2
8. If a remote queue with no formatting simply print the file to the queue.
9. if JetDirect attached printer send with

• piohpnpf -x<hostname> <filename>

Method Two - Use Virtual Printer ci Attribute

1. Add a virtual printer as type generic.
2. Use lsvirprt to modify the virtual printer.
3. Set ci=<command string>

• Use \33 for escape, at AIX 4, \x1b also can be used.
4. Example: ci=\33&l7.5C sets the Vertical Motion Index for a PCL printer.
5. If you have a percent sign in the sequence it must be entered twice.