Samba/Printing

[Chuck Swiger]

On  Tue, 30 Jun 1998 10:35:36  Brett Worth <brett at select.com.au> suggested:

>On Tue, 30 Jun 1998 <baberna at menger.eecs.stevens-tech.edu>wrote:
>
>> Everytime a samba client send print requests to the samba server/print
>> server the job does print but I get a header and trailer page enclosing
>> each job. This means everytime a samba client send a print request two
>> sheets of paper are being wasted per job. This is adding up quickly.
>
>This means that the default lp print command is doing something 
>strange.  
>
>the lp options until you stop getting a printjob sandwich on white.  :-)
>
>Brett

hold the onions, Heheh :)

Hmmm. Today for first time setup two different printers on FreeBSD 2.2.2 to
test Samba 1.9.17 printing, an Epson LQ-1070 and an HP DeskJet 540. Got both
to work ok from Unix with 'out of box' print support, except for having to add
a filter for the HP to handle <LF> = <CR><LF>, able to turn banner/header/burst
off or make short in printcap, all per FreeBSD handbook ok. Also shared the
printers w/ Samba as in the simple smb.conf:

	workgroup = schiller

	; debug level = 3

[public]
	comment = public files
	path = /usr/public
	read only = no
	guest ok = yes
	browsable = yes

[cdrom]
	comment = cdrom
	path = /cdrom
	read only = yes
	guest ok = yes
	browsable = yes

[printers]
        path = /usr/spool/public
        writable = no
        public = yes
        printable = yes


The behavior I see is:
1) Print ok from Unix, banner or no as config'd, ejects page, end of job.
2) Print from NT (4sp3), using proper printer drivers, gets an extra page at the end, i.e., 
    prints the job, ejects last page, then ejects another blank sheet.

Now, I can stop the last page waste by adding a :sf:  suppress form/feed to printcap,
but then printing from Unix won't eject the page, must hit FF on printer to get the page, and
from NT all is ok, that is, prints and ejects the last sheet ok. Happens on both printers,
SO I definitely see a *difference* in printing between Unix and from NT via Samba, there's an
extra FF from NT - but haven't cornered it yet. Never got a blank sheet before the print job.
The hp filter isn't the culprit, as it isn't necessary for files coming from NT, and DID pwr
off the printer after using it.

Still investigating and learning...

Chuck
cswiger at widomaker.com