This chapter describes how to set up printers on a QNX Neutrino system.
The simplest way to print a text file is to send it directly to a printer. For example, if your printer is attached to your computer's parallel port, you could simply type:
cat file > /dev/par
but there are a few problems with this:
It's better to use spooling. When you spool a print job, it's placed in a queue until its turn comes up to be printed.
QNX Neutrino provides two separate mechanisms for print spooling:
If you want to use the lpr family, you have to set up the printer-configuration file, /etc/printcap.
You can use lpr, spooler, or both, depending on how you've set up your machine and network:
In order to print remotely, you have to set up some configuration files whether you use the lpr family or spooler.
Another difference is that the lpd daemon manages all of the defined printers; spooler manages one printer, but you can run more than one instance of spooler at a time.