The terminfo Database

The /usr/share/lib directory contains the terminfo database directory. This directory contains definitions for many types of terminals and printers. The LP print service uses information in the terminfo database to perform the following tasks:

• Initializes a printer

• Establishes a selected page size, character pitch, line pitch, and character set

• Communicates the sequence of codes to a printer

Each printer is identified in the terminfo database with a short name. If necessary, you can add entries to the terminfo database, but doing so is tedious and time-consuming. For more information, see Adding a terminfo Entry for an Unsupported Printer.