Printing a Big5 File to an Epson Dot Matrix Printer

Traditional Chinese Solaris software provides a configuration file that defines for zh_TW.BIG5 files the built-in fonts in the Epson dot matrix printers. Modify the configuration file according to your printing equipment before using it. The contents of the /usr/lib/lp/files/big5.epson.conf configuration file can be as follows:

# @(#)big5.epson.conf	1.6 96/05/06 SMI; ALE
#
# Big5 Print Filter Configuration File for Epson Dot Matrix Printers
#

ACCEPT CODE RANGE:
	PLANE 1:
		0xA140 - 0xA3E0
		0xA440 - 0xC6A1
		0xC940 - 0xF9D5

FONT FILES:
	PLANE 1:
		/usr/openwin/lib/locale/zh_TW.BIG5/X11/fonts/75dpi/mingL1B5-24.pcf.Z

An lpfilter command line such as the following can be used to print files whose format is not supported by the printer:

# lpfilter -f filter-name -F filename

The above command tells LP that a converter called filter-name (for example big5.epson.filter) is available through the filter description file named filename.

If you are installing an Epson dot matrix printer, the content of the filter description file, big5.epson.fd, should be as follows:

Input types: simple
Output types: BIG5
Command: big5.epson.filter 

This filter takes the default type file input and converts it to a dot matrix data stream by using the big5.epson.filter.

For example, the following command sequence tells LP, the printer service, that printer lp2 accepts only zh_TW.BIG5 format files. This command line also installs printer lp2 on the bidirectional parallel port /dev/bpp0. The lpadmin(1) man page explains this command more fully.

# lpadmin -p lp2 -v /dev/bpp0 -I BIG5
# accept lp2
# enable lp2

To print a file that contains Chinese characters in zh_TW.BIG5 format to an Epson dot-matrix printer, use the following command:

system% lp -d lp2 BIG5-filename