PRINTCAP(5)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual	      PRINTCAP(5)


NAME
     printcap - printer capability data base

SYNOPSIS
     /etc/printcap

DESCRIPTION
     Printcap is a simplified version of the termcap(5) data base
     used   to	describe  line	printers.   The  spooling  system
     accesses the printcap file every time it is  used,  allowing
     dynamic  addition	and  deletion of printers.  Each entry in
     the data base is used to describe one  printer.   This  data
     base may not be substituted for, as is possible for termcap,
     because it may allow accounting to be bypassed.

     The default printer is normally lp, though  the  environment
     variable  PRINTER may be used to override this.  Each spool-
     ing utility supports an option, -Pprinter, to allow explicit
     naming of a destination printer.

     Refer to the 4.3BSD Line Printer Spooler Manual for  a  com-
     plete  discussion	on  how  setup	the  database for a given
     printer.

CAPABILITIES
     Refer to termcap(5) for a description of the file layout.

     Name   Type  Default	      Description
     af     str   NULL		      name of accounting file
     br     num   none		      if lp is a tty, set the baud rate (ioctl call)
     cf     str   NULL		      cifplot data filter
     df     str   NULL		      tex data filter (DVI format)
     fc     num   0		      if lp is a tty, clear flag bits (sgtty.h)
     ff     str   ``\f''	      string to send for a form feed
     fo     bool  false               print a form feed when device is opened
     fs     num   0		      like `fc' but set bits
     gf     str   NULL		      graph data filter (plot (3X) format)
     hl     bool  false               print the burst header page last
     ic     bool  false               driver supports (non standard) ioctl to indent printout
     if     str   NULL		      name of text filter which does accounting
     lf     str   ``/dev/console''    error logging file name
     lo     str   ``lock''	      name of lock file
     lp     str   ``/dev/lp''	      device name to open for output
     mx     num   1000		      maximum file size (in BUFSIZ blocks), zero = unlimited
     nd     str   NULL		      next directory for list of queues (unimplemented)
     nf     str   NULL		      ditroff data filter (device independent troff)
     of     str   NULL		      name of output filtering program
     pc     num   200		      price per foot or page in hundredths of cents
     pl     num   66		      page length (in lines)
     pw     num   132		      page width (in characters)
     px     num   0		      page width in pixels (horizontal)
     py     num   0		      page length in pixels (vertical)


Printed 11/26/99	  May 14, 1986				1


PRINTCAP(5)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual	      PRINTCAP(5)


     rf     str   NULL		      filter for printing FORTRAN style text files
     rg     str   NULL		      restricted group. Only members of group allowed access
     rm     str   NULL		      machine name for remote printer
     rp     str   ``lp''	      remote printer name argument
     rs     bool  false               restrict remote users to those with local accounts
     rw     bool  false               open the printer device for reading and writing
     sb     bool  false               short banner (one line only)
     sc     bool  false               suppress multiple copies
     sd     str   ``/usr/spool/lpd''  spool directory
     sf     bool  false               suppress form feeds
     sh     bool  false               suppress printing of burst page header
     st     str   ``status''	      status file name
     tf     str   NULL		      troff data filter (cat phototypesetter)
     tr     str   NULL		      trailer string to print when queue empties
     vf     str   NULL		      raster image filter
     xc     num   0		      if lp is a tty, clear local mode bits (tty (4))
     xs     num   0		      like `xc' but set bits

     If the local line printer driver supports	indentation,  the
     daemon must understand how to invoke it.

FILTERS
     The lpd(8) daemon creates a pipeline of filters  to  process
     files  for  various  printer  types.   The  filters selected
     depend on the flags passed to lpr(1).  The pipeline  set  up
     is:

	  -p   pr | if	 regular text + pr(1)
	  none if	 regular text
	  -c   cf	 cifplot
	  -d   df	 DVI (tex)
	  -g   gf	 plot(3)
	  -n   nf	 ditroff
	  -f   rf	 Fortran
	  -t   tf	 troff
	  -v   vf	 raster image

     The if filter is invoked with arguments:

	  if [ -c ] -wwidth -llength -iindent -n  login  -h  host
     acct-file

     The -c flag is passed only if  the  -l  flag  (pass  control
     characters literally) is specified to lpr.  Width and length
     specify the page width and length (from pw  and  pl  respec-
     tively) in characters.  The -n and -h parameters specify the
     login name and host name of the owner  of	the  job  respec-
     tively.  Acct-file is passed from the af printcap entry.

     If no if is specified, of is used instead, with the distinc-
     tion  that  of  is  opened only once, while if is opened for
     every  individual	job.   Thus,  if  is  better  suited   to


Printed 11/26/99	  May 14, 1986				2


PRINTCAP(5)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual	      PRINTCAP(5)


     performing  accounting.   The of is only given the width and
     length flags.

     All other filters are called as:

	  filter -xwidth -ylength -n login -h host acct-file

     where width and length are represented in pixels,	specified
     by the px and py entries respectively.

     All filters take stdin as the file, stdout as  the  printer,
     may  log  either  to stderr or using syslog(3), and must not
     ignore SIGINT.

LOGGING
     Error messages generated by the line printer programs  them-
     selves  (that  is, the lp* programs) are logged by syslog(3)
     using the LPR facility.  Messages printed on stderr  of  one
     of  the  filters are sent to the corresponding lf file.  The
     filters may, of course, use syslog themselves.

     Error messages sent to the console have  a  carriage  return
     and  a  line  feed appended to them, rather than just a line
     feed.

SEE ALSO
     termcap(5), lpc(8), lpd(8), pac(8), lpr(1), lpq(1), lprm(1)
     4.3BSD Line Printer Spooler Manual


Printed 11/26/99	  May 14, 1986				3


 
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