diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'pbmtoppa.html')
| -rw-r--r-- | pbmtoppa.html | 317 |
1 files changed, 317 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/pbmtoppa.html b/pbmtoppa.html new file mode 100644 index 00000000..ab605b29 --- /dev/null +++ b/pbmtoppa.html @@ -0,0 +1,317 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> +<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Pbmtoppa User Manual</TITLE></HEAD> +<BODY> +<H1>pbmtoppa</H1> +Updated: 01 May 2005 +<BR> +<A HREF="#index">Table Of Contents</A> + +<A NAME="lbAB"> </A> +<H2>NAME</H2> +pbmtoppa - convert PBM image to HP Printer Performance Architecture (PPA) + +<A NAME="lbAC"> </A> +<H2>SYNOPSIS</H2> + +<B>pbmtoppa</B> +[<I>pbm_file</I> +[<I>ppa_file</I>]] + +<A NAME="lbAD"> </A> +<H2>DESCRIPTION</H2> + +<p>This program is part of <a href="index.html">Netpbm</a>. + +<B>pbmtoppa</B> converts page images in PBM format to Hewlett +Packard's PPA (Printer Performance Architecture) format, which is the +data stream format expected by some HP "Windows-only" +printers including the HP Deskjet 820C series, the HP DeskJet 720 +series, and the HP DeskJet 1000 series. + +<P><I>pbm_file</I> is the file specification of the input file or +<B>-</B> for Standard Input. The default is Standard Input. + +<P>The input file contains one or more PBM images, with each one +being a single page. Each image must have the exact dimensions of a +page (at 600 pixels per inch in both directions). Significantly, this +is the format that Ghostscript produces. + +<P><I>ppa_file</I> is the file specification of the output file or +<B>-</B> for Standard Output. The default is Standard Output. + +<P>To print Postscript on an HP PPA printer, just use Ghostscript with +the <B>pbmraw</B> (or <B>pbm</B>) device driver. + +<P>You can generate a test page for use with this program with +<B>pbmpage</B>. + +<P>You can also set up a printer filter so you can submit PBM input +directly to your print queue. See the documentation for your print +spooler for information on how to do that, or look in hp820install.doc +for an example lpd print filter for Postscript and text files. + +<P>Sometimes, <B>pbmtoppa</B> generates a file which the printer will +not print (because <B>pbmtoppa</B>'s input is unprintable). When this +happens, all three lights blink to signal the error. This is usually +because there is material outside of the printer's printable area. To +make the file print, increase the margins via <B>pbmtoppa</B> options +or a configuration file. See <a href="#calibration">the section on +calibration </a> below. + +<h3>About PPA</h3> + +<p>The PPA printer language is a far lower level language than most. +When you use a PPA printer, most of the processing that a conventional +printer does is done instead on the computer end of the wire. In +particular, <b>pbmtoppa</b> has to do "swath cutting," and +"sweep formatting," which other printers do themselves. +There is very little intelligence inside a PPA printer; +<b>pbmtoppa</b> generates direct controls for the printer's hardware. + +<p>The design goal of PPA was to reduce the cost of a printer by exploiting +computing resources already present in the computer that requests the +printing. CPU power, ROM, and RAM requirements inside the printer are all +reduced compared to a conventional printer. + +<p>PPA was new in 1997. It was predated by Hewlett Packard's PCL +(Printer Control Language) language. HP manufactured PPA printers for only +a few years, and no one else ever did. + +<A NAME="options"> </A> +<H2>OPTIONS</H2> + +<DL COMPACT> +<DT><B>-v</B> <I>version</I> + +<DD> +printer version (720, 820, or 1000) + +<DT><B>-x</B> <I>xoff</I> + +<DD> +horizontal offset adjustment in 1/600 inches. + +<DT><B>-y</B> <I>yoff</I> + +<DD> +vertical offset adjustment in 1/600 inches. + +<DT><B>-t</B> <I>topmarg</I> + +<DD> +top margin in 1/600 inches (default: 150 = 0.25 inch) + +<DT><B>-l</B> <I>leftmarg</I> + +<DD> +left margin in 1/600 inches (default: 150 = 0.25 inch) + +<DT><B>-r</B> <I>rightmarg</I> + +<DD> +right margin in 1/600 inches (default: 150 = 0.25 inch) + +<DT><B>-b</B> <I>botmarg</I> + +<DD> +bottom margin in 1/600 inches (default: 150 = 0.25 inch) + +<DT><B>-s</B> <I>paper</I> + +<DD>paper size: <B>us</B> or <B>a4</B>. Default is <B>us</B>. + +<dt><b>-d</b> <i>dpi</i> +<dd> +Print resolution in dots per inch. + +<DT><B>-f</B> <I>cfgfile</I> + +<DD>Read parameters from the configuration file named <I>cfgfile</I>. +See <a href="#configfile">CONFIGURATION FILES</a> + +</DL> + +<P>The offset adjustments you specify with <B>-x</B> and <B>-y</B> +accumulate. I.e. if you specify them multiple times, the total offset +adjustment is the sum of the adjustments you specify. <b>-x 60 -x 120</b> +is the same as <b>-x 180</b>. + +<P>The <B>-v</B> option undoes any preceding <b>-x</b> and <b>-y</b> +options, leaving the horizontal and vertical adjustments their +default values. + + +<H2 id="configfile">CONFIGURATION FILES</H2> + +<P>You can use a configuration file to specify parameters rather than +use invocation options. <B>pbmtoppa</B> processes the file +<b>/etc/pbmtoppa.conf</b>, if it exists, before processing any +options. It then processes each configuration file named by a +<B>-f</B> option in order, applying the parameters from the +configuration file as if they were invocation options used in the +place of the <B>-f</B> option. + +<P>Configuration files have the following format: + +<PRE> +<B>#</B><I>Comment</I> +<I>key1</I> <I>value1</I> +<I>key2</I> <I>value2</I> +[etc.] +</PRE> + +<P>Valid <I>key</I>s are <B>version</B>, <B>xoffset</B>, +<B>yoffset</B>, <B>topmargin</B>, <B>leftmargin</B>, +<B>rightmargin</B>, <B>bottommargin</B>, <B>papersize</B>, or any +non-null prefix of these words. Valid values are the same as with the +corresponding invocation parameters. + +<A NAME="lbAF"> </A> +<H2>EXAMPLES</H2> + +<P>Print a test pattern: +<PRE> +<B>pbmpage | pbmppa >/dev/lp1</B> +</pre> + +<P> +Print three pages: +<PRE> +<B>cat page1.pbm page2.pbm page3.pbm | pbmppa >/dev/lp1</B> +</pre> +<P> +Print the Postscript file myfile.ps: +<PRE> +gs -sDEVICE=rawpbm -q -dNOPAUSE -r600 \ + -sOutputFile=- myfile.ps ;\ +| pbmtoppa | lpr +</pre> + +<A NAME="calibration"> </A> +<H2>CALIBRATION</H2> + +<p>To be able to print successfully and properly, you need to tell +<B>pbmtoppa</B> an X and a Y offset appropriate for your printer to +use when generating the page. You can specify these offsets with the +<B>-x</B> and <B>-y</B> invocation options or with the <B>xoff</B> and +<B>yoff</B> parameters in a <B>pbmtoppa</B> configuration file. + +<P>To determine the correct offsets, use the <B>pbmpage</B> program. + +<P>If while trying to do this calibration, the printer refuses to +print a page, but just blinks all three lights, specify large margins +(e.g. 600 pixels -- one inch) via <B>pbmpage</B> invocation options +while doing the calibration. + +<P>For example: +<PRE> +<B>pbmpage | pbmtoppa >/dev/lp1</B> +</pre> +or +<pre> +<B>pbmpage | pbmtoppa | lpr -l</B> +</pre> + +(if your printer filter recognizes the '-l' (direct output) parameter). + +<P>In the test pattern, the grid is marked off in pixel coordinate +numbers. Unfortunately, these coordinates are probably cut off before +the edge of the paper. You'll have to use a ruler to estimate the +pixel coordinate of the left and top edges of the actual sheet of +paper (should be within +/- 300, may be negative; there are 600 pixels +per inch). + +<P>Add these coordinates to the X and Y offsets by either editing the +configuration file or using the <B>-x </B> and <B>-y</B> command-line +parameters. + +<P>When <B>pbmtoppa</B> is properly calibrated, the center mark should +be in the center of the paper. Also, the margins should be able to be +as small as 1/4 inch without causing the printer to choke with +'blinking lights syndrome'. + +<A NAME="lbAH"> </A> +<H2>REDHAT LINUX INSTALLATION</H2> + +<P>RedHat users may find the following tip from Panayotis Vryonis +<<A HREF="mailto:vrypan@hol.gr">vrypan@hol.gr</A>> helpful. The +same should work for the 820 and 1000, but it hasn't been tested. +Also, use the pbmraw GSDriver if you have it; it's faster. + +<P>Here is a tip to intergrate HP720C support in RedHat's printtool: + +<P>Install pbmtoppa. Copy pbmtoppa to /usr/bin. + +<P>Edit "printerdb" (in my system it is found in +/usr/lib/rhs/rhs-printfilters ) and append the following lines: + +<PRE> +----------------------Cut here----------------------- + +StartEntry: DeskJet720C + GSDriver: pbm + Description: {HP DeskJet 720C} + About: { \ + This driver supports the HP DeskJet 720C \ + inkjet printer. \ + It does does not support color printing. \ + IMPORTANT! Insert \ + "- | pbm2ppa -" \ + in the "Extra GS Otions" field.\ + } + + Resolution: {600} {600} {} + +EndEntry +---------------------------------------------------- +</pre> + +<P>Now you can add an HP720C printer just like any other, using +printtool. + +<A NAME="lbAI"> </A> +<H2>SEE ALSO</H2> + +<B><A HREF="pbmpage.html">pbmpage</A></B>, +<B><A HREF="pstopnm.html">pstopnm</A></B>, +<B><A HREF="pbm.html">pbm</A></B> + +<P><B>pnm2ppa</B> is not part of Netpbm, but does the same things as +<B>pbmtoppa</B> except it also works with color and has lots more +features. See <<A +HREF="http://sourceforge.net/projects/pnm2ppa">http://sourceforge.net/projects/pnm2ppa</A>>. + +<P>The file INSTALL-MORE in the pbmtoppa directory of the Netpbm +source code contains detailed instructions on setting up a system to +use pbmtoppa to allow convenient printing on HP PPA printers. It was +written by Michael Buehlmann. + +<P>For information about the PPA protocol and the separately +distributed pbm2ppa program from which <B>pbmtoppa</B> was derived, +see <<A +HREF="http://www.httptech.com/ppa">http://www.httptech.com/ppa</A>>. + +<A NAME="lbAJ"> </A> +<H2>AUTHOR</H2> + +<p>Tim Norman. Copyright (C) 1998. Licensed under GNU Public License + +<P>Manual page by Bryan Henderson, May 2000. + +<HR> +<A NAME="index"> </A> +<H2>Table Of Contents</H2> +<UL> +<LI><A HREF="#lbAB">NAME</A> +<LI><A HREF="#lbAC">SYNOPSIS</A> +<LI><A HREF="#lbAD">DESCRIPTION</A> +<LI><A HREF="#options">OPTIONS</A> +<LI><A HREF="#configfile">CONFIGURATION FILES</A> +<LI><A HREF="#lbAF">EXAMPLES</A> +<LI><A HREF="#calibration">CALIBRATION</A> +<LI><A HREF="#lbAH">REDHAT LINUX INSTALLATION</A> +<LI><A HREF="#lbAI">SEE ALSO</A> +<LI><A HREF="#lbAJ">AUTHOR</A> +</UL> +</BODY> +</HTML> |