Kenneth Gonsalves wrote:
when using Dot Matrix printers, you should use LPD printer software like LPRng.
For printing files other then text files with LPRng, you need a filter program which tells LPRng to filter the file to be printed and get the desired output. If you are interested you should install a software called apsfilter. This requires you to install ghostscript and gs-fonts.
The help and efforts put in by you and Rajen prompted me to move my butt and reconfigure my printer. The first problem is that the LPRng and apsfilter don't exist in the Mandrake 10.1. I checked out the packages list. I recollected, this was the reason why Rajen's suggestion could not be implemented at that time when I was on RHEL 3.
I am currently using Slackware 10.0 for my office computer and all my Invoice printing (using Foxpro with DOSemu), Spreadsheet/Quotations/Letters printing (using OpenOffice), is done on Epson LX300 printer. When I was using Red Hat (the last I used was release 8.0) I was never satisfied with the printing. After I moved to SuSE and later on to Slackware, I am more then happy.
I am not using Slackware so the solution provided is definitely distro based.
Now here's what I did and can be tried out by newbies. First go to System > Configuration > Configure your computer. Enter the root password and the setup wizard opens up. Go to Hardware > Printers. Then select Add Printer and click the appropriate options till you reach the device list. The Epson Dot Matrix drivers stink real bad so avoid them like plague. In the Generic devices I selected Generic ESC/P Dot Matrix mid 9 pin printer. In the next window select the paper size and resolution. I selected the highest one 240 x 216.
Now here's the catch. The test print is ecellent except that there are ramdom vertical small 'dashes' on the paper which spoil the show. Last time I had seen this and rejected it, but this time after exhausting all other options and wasting a lot of paper, I selected the same device and resol. and printed a word document and the results were excellent. So remember, even if the test print is not fully ok, try out a document. It works and prints beautifully. Open Office does not have to be configured at all for printing, like its older versions. Simply select this printer and print.
Regards,
Rony.
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