PRINTCAP(5)               NetBSD Programmer's Manual               PRINTCAP(5)

NNAAMMEE
     pprriinnttccaapp - printer capability data base

SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
     pprriinnttccaapp

DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
     The PPrriinnttccaapp function is a simplified version of the termcap(5) data base
     used to describe line printers.  The spooling system accesses the
     pprriinnttccaapp file every time it is used, allowing dynamic addition and dele-
     tion of printers.  Each entry in the data base is used to describe one
     printer.  This data base may not be substituted for, as is possible for
     termcap,  because it may allow accounting to be bypassed.

     The default printer is normally _l_p, though the environment variable
     PRINTER may be used to override this.  Each spooling utility supports an
     option, --PP _p_r_i_n_t_e_r, to allow explicit naming of a destination printer.

     Refer to the _4_._3 _B_S_D _L_i_n_e _P_r_i_n_t_e_r _S_p_o_o_l_e_r _M_a_n_u_a_l for a complete discus-
     sion on how setup the database for a given printer.

CCAAPPAABBIILLIITTIIEESS
     Refer to termcap(5) for a description of the file layout.

     NNaammee       TTyyppee      DDeessccrriippttiioonn
     af         str       NULL                   name of accounting file
     br         num       none                   if lp is a tty, set the baud
                                                 rate (ioctl(2) call)
     cf         str       NULL                   cifplot data filter
     df         str       NULL                   tex data filter (DVI format)
     fc         num       0                      if lp is a tty, clear flag
                                                 bits (_s_g_t_t_y_._h)
     ff         str       `\f'                   string to send for a form
                                                 feed
     fo         bool      false                  print a form feed when device
                                                 is opened
     fs         num       0                      like `fc' but set bits
     gf         str       NULL                   graph data filter (plot(3)
                                                 format
     hl         bool      false                  print the burst header page
                                                 last
     ic         bool      false                  driver supports (non
                                                 standard) ioctl to indent
                                                 printout
     if         str       NULL                   name of text filter which
                                                 does accounting
     lf         str       _/_d_e_v_/_c_o_n_s_o_l_e           error logging file name
     lo         str       _l_o_c_k                   name of lock file
     lp         str       _/_d_e_v_/_l_p                device name to open for
                                                 output
     mx         num       1000                   maximum file size (in BUFSIZ
                                                 blocks), zero = unlimited
     nd         str       NULL                   next directory for list of
                                                 queues (unimplemented)
     nf         str       NULL                   ditroff data filter (device
                                                 independent troff)
     of         str       NULL                   name of output filtering
                                                 program
     pc         num       200                    price per foot or page in
                                                 hundredths of cents
     pl         num       66                     page length (in lines)


     pw         num       132                    page width (in characters)
     px         num       0                      page width in pixels
                                                 (horizontal)
     py         num       0                      page length in pixels
                                                 (vertical)
     rf         str       NULL                   filter for printing FORTRAN
                                                 style text files
     rg         str       NULL                   restricted group. Only
                                                 members of group allowed
                                                 access
     rm         str       NULL                   machine name for remote
                                                 printer
     rp         str       ``lp''                 remote printer name argument
     rs         bool      false                  restrict remote users to
                                                 those with local accounts
     rw         bool      false                  open the printer device for
                                                 reading and writing
     sb         bool      false                  short banner (one line only)
     sc         bool      false                  suppress multiple copies
     sd         str       _/_v_a_r_/_s_p_o_o_l_/_l_p_d         spool directory
     sf         bool      false                  suppress form feeds
     sh         bool      false                  suppress printing of burst
                                                 page header
     st         str       _s_t_a_t_u_s                 status file name
     tf         str       NULL                   troff data filter (cat
                                                 phototypesetter)
     tr         str       NULL                   trailer string to print when
                                                 queue empties
     vf         str       NULL                   raster image filter
     xc         num       0                      if lp is a tty, clear local
                                                 mode bits (tty(4))
     xs         num       0                      like `xc' but set bits

     If the local line printer driver supports indentation, the daemon must
     understand how to invoke it.

FFIILLTTEERRSS
     The lpd(8) daemon creates a pipeline of _f_i_l_t_e_r_s to process files for var-
     ious printer types.  The filters selected depend on the flags passed to
     lpr(1).  The pipeline set up is:

           p       pr | if regular text + pr(1)
           none    if      regular text
           c       cf      cifplot
           d       df      DVI (tex)
           g       gf      plot(3)
           n       nf      ditroff
           f       rf      Fortran
           t       tf      troff
           v       vf      raster image

     The iiff filter is invoked with arguments:

           iiff [--cc] --ww_w_i_d_t_h --ll_l_e_n_g_t_h --ii_i_n_d_e_n_t --nn _l_o_g_i_n --hh _h_o_s_t _a_c_c_t_-_f_i_l_e

     The --cc flag is passed only if the --ll flag (pass control characters liter-
     ally) is specified to lpr.  The _W_i_d_t_h function and _l_e_n_g_t_h specify the
     page width and length (from ppww and ppll respectively) in characters.  The
     --nn and --hh parameters specify the login name and host name of the owner of
     the job respectively.  The _A_c_c_t_-_f_i_l_e function is passed from the aaff
     pprriinnttccaapp entry.

     If no iiff is specified, ooff is used instead, with the distinction that ooff
     is opened only once, while iiff is opened for every individual job.  Thus,
     iiff is better suited to performing accounting.  The ooff is only given the
     _w_i_d_t_h and _l_e_n_g_t_h flags.

     All other filters are called as:

           ffiilltteerr --xx_w_i_d_t_h --yy_l_e_n_g_t_h --nn _l_o_g_i_n --hh _h_o_s_t _a_c_c_t_-_f_i_l_e

     where _w_i_d_t_h and _l_e_n_g_t_h are represented in pixels, specified by the ppxx and
     ppyy entries respectively.

     All filters take _s_t_d_i_n as the file, _s_t_d_o_u_t as the printer, may log either
     to _s_t_d_e_r_r or using syslog(3),  and must not ignore SIGINT.

LLOOGGGGIINNGG
     Error messages generated by the line printer programs themselves (that
     is, the lp*  programs) are logged by syslog(3) using the LPR facility.
     Messages printed on _s_t_d_e_r_r of one of the filters are sent to the corre-
     sponding llff file.  The filters may, of course, use syslog themselves.

     Error messages sent to the console have a carriage return and a line feed
     appended to them, rather than just a line feed.

SSEEEE AALLSSOO
     termcap(5),  lpc(8),  lpd(8),  pac(8),  lpr(1),  lpq(1),  lprm(1)

     _4_._3 _B_S_D _L_i_n_e _P_r_i_n_t_e_r _S_p_o_o_l_e_r _M_a_n_u_a_l.

HHIISSTTOORRYY
     The pprriinnttccaapp file format appeared in 4.2BSD..

4.2 Berkeley Distribution        May 10, 1991                                3
