The LP Print Service

The LP print service is a set of software utilities that allows users to print files while they continue to work.

For background information about the LP print service, see Chapter 8, LP Print Service (Reference).

Other LP print service topics covered and their chapter references are described in the following sections.

Managing Network Printers

A network printer is a hardware device that is connected directly to the network. It transfers data directly over the network to the output device. The printer or network connection hardware has its own system name and IP address.

Network printers often have software support provided by the printer vendor. If your printer has printer vendor supplied software, then use the printer vendor software. If the network printer vendor does not provide software support, Sun supplied software is available. This software provides generic support for network attached printers, but is not capable of providing full access to all possible printer capabilities.

For step-by-step instructions on setting up a network printer, see Chapter 4, Setting Up Printers (Tasks).

Administering Printers

After you set up print servers and print clients, there are a number of administration tasks you might need to perform frequently:

• Delete a printer and remote printer access

• Check the status of printers

• Restart the print scheduler

For step-by-step instructions on how to perform the printer administration tasks, see Chapter 5, Administering Printers (Tasks).

Setting Definitions for Printers

Establishing definitions for the printers on your network is an ongoing task that lets you provide a more effective print environment for users. For example, you can assign printer descriptions for all your site's printers to help users find where a printer is located, or you can define a class of printers to provide the fastest turnaround for print requests.

For information on setting up printer definitions, see Chapter 3, Planning Printers on Your Network (Overview).

Administering Character Sets, Filters, Forms, and Fonts

Depending on your site's requirements and the types of printers you have on the network, you might have to set up and administer printer-specific features of the LP print service. For example, you can assign different print wheels, filters, and forms to different printers. For background information and step-by-step instructions on how to set up character sets, print filters, forms, and fonts, see Chapter 6, Managing Character Sets, Filters, Forms, and Fonts (Tasks).

Customizing the LP Print Service

Although the LP print service is designed to be flexible enough to handle most printers and printing needs, it does not handle every possible situation. You might have a print request that is not accommodated by the standard features of the LP print service. Or you can have a printer that does not quite fit into the way the LP print service handles printers.

You can customize the LP print service in the following ways:

• Adjust the printer port characteristics

• Adjust the terminfo database

• Customize the printer interface program

• Create a print filter

• Define a form

For detailed descriptions and step-by-step instructions to customize the LP print service, see Chapter 7, Customizing the LP Print Service (Tasks).