Here's a basic /etc/printcap file that you can modify:
lpt1|tpptr|printer in Docs department:\
:lp=/dev/par1:\
:sd=/usr/spool/output/lpt1:\
:lf=/usr/adm/lpd-errs:\
:mx#0:\
:sh:
Each entry in the /etc/printcap file describes
a printer. Comments start with a number sign (#). An entry
consists of a number of fields delimited by colons (:).
In the example above, each field is on a separate line,
but you can string the fields together on one line as long as they
each start and end with a colon.
Here's what each line means:
- lpt1|tpptr|printer in Docs department:\
- The known names for the printer, separated
by | (bar) characters.
The last name is the only name that can include spaces;
it's a long name that fully identifies the printer.
Entries may continue
onto multiple lines by giving a \ (backslash) as the
last character of a line. Empty fields may be included for readability.
- :lp=/dev/par1:\
- The name of the device to open for output
(the default is /dev/lp).
- :sd=/usr/spool/output/lpt1:\
- The spooling directory (the default is
/usr/spool/output/lpd).
Each printer should have a separate spooling directory; if it doesn't,
jobs are printed on different printers, depending on which printer
daemon starts first. By convention, the name of the spooling directory
has the same name as its associated printer.
Note:
Make sure you create the named spooling directory before you print.
- :lf=/usr/adm/lpd-errs:\
- A file to take printing error messages
(by default, errors are sent to the console).
Note:
Sometimes errors that are sent to standard error output don't
appear in the log file.
We highly recommend that you use the system-logger daemon,
syslogd.
- :mx#0:\
- Remove the default limits on the size of the spooling buffer.
- :sh:
- Suppress the printing of the burst header, a page that lists the
user ID and job information about the print job.