The terminfo Database

The /usr/share/lib directory contains the terminfo database directory, which contains definitions for many types of terminals and printers. The LP print service uses information in the terminfo database to initialize a printer, to establish a selected page size, character pitch, line pitch, and character set, as well as to communicate the sequence of codes to a printer.

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