1Pbmtoppa User Manual(0)                                Pbmtoppa User Manual(0)
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NAME

6       pbmtoppa  -  convert  PBM  image to HP Printer Performance Architecture
7       (PPA)
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SYNOPSIS

11       pbmtoppa [pbm_file [ppa_file]]
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DESCRIPTION

15       This program is part of Netpbm(1).
16
17       pbmtoppa converts page images in PBM format to  Hewlett  Packard's  PPA
18       (Printer  Performance  Architecture)  format,  which is the data stream
19       format expected by some HP 'Windows-only'  printers  including  the  HP
20       Deskjet 820C series, the HP DeskJet 720 series, and the HP DeskJet 1000
21       series.
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23       pbm_file is the file specification of the input file or - for  Standard
24       Input.  The default is Standard Input.
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26       The  input  file contains one or more PBM images, with each one being a
27       single page.  Each image must have the exact dimensions of a  page  (at
28       600  pixels  per  inch in both directions).  Significantly, this is the
29       format that Ghostscript produces.
30
31       ppa_file is the file specification of the output file or - for Standard
32       Output.  The default is Standard Output.
33
34       To print Postscript on an HP PPA printer, just use Ghostscript with the
35       pbmraw (or pbm) device driver.
36
37       You can generate a test page for use with this program with pbmpage.
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39       You can also set up a printer  filter  so  you  can  submit  PBM  input
40       directly  to  your  print  queue.  See the documentation for your print
41       spooler for information on how to do that, or look in  hp820install.doc
42       for an example lpd print filter for Postscript and text files.
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44       Sometimes,  pbmtoppa  generates a file which the printer will not print
45       (because pbmtoppa's input is  unprintable).   When  this  happens,  all
46       three  lights blink to signal the error.  This is usually because there
47       is material outside of the printer's printable area.  To make the  file
48       print,  increase  the  margins  via pbmtoppa options or a configuration
49       file.  See the section on calibration ⟨#calibration⟩  below.
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51
52   About PPA
53       The PPA printer language is a far lower level language than most.  When
54       you  use  a  PPA  printer,  most  of the processing that a conventional
55       printer does is done instead on the computer end of the wire.  In  par‐
56       ticular,  pbmtoppa  has  to do 'swath cutting,' and 'sweep formatting,'
57       which other printers do themselves.  There is very little  intelligence
58       inside  a  PPA  printer;  pbmtoppa  generates  direct  controls for the
59       printer's hardware.
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61       The design goal of PPA was to reduce the cost of a printer by  exploit‐
62       ing  computing  resources already present in the computer that requests
63       the printing.  CPU power, ROM, and RAM requirements inside the  printer
64       are all reduced compared to a conventional printer.
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66       PPA was new in 1997.  It was preceded by Hewlett Packard's PCL (Printer
67       Control Language) language.  HP manufactured PPA printers  for  only  a
68       few years, and no one else ever did.
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OPTIONS

72       -v version
73              printer version (720, 820, or 1000)
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76       -x xoff
77              horizontal offset adjustment in 1/600 inches.
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80       -y yoff
81              vertical offset adjustment in 1/600 inches.
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84       -t topmarg
85              top margin in 1/600 inches    (default: 150 = 0.25 inch)
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88       -l leftmarg
89              left margin in 1/600 inches   (default: 150 = 0.25 inch)
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92       -r rightmarg
93              right margin in 1/600 inches (default: 150 = 0.25 inch)
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96       -b botmarg
97              bottom margin in 1/600 inches (default: 150 = 0.25 inch)
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100       -s paper
101              paper size: us or a4.  Default is us.
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103
104       -d dpi Print resolution in dots per inch.
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107       -f cfgfile
108              Read  parameters from the configuration file named cfgfile.  See
109              CONFIGURATION FILES ⟨#configfile⟩
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113       The offset adjustments you specify with -x and -y accumulate.  I.e.  if
114       you specify them multiple times, the total offset adjustment is the sum
115       of the adjustments you specify.  -x 60 -x 120 is the same as -x 180.
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117       The -v option undoes any preceding -x and -y options, leaving the hori‐
118       zontal and vertical adjustments their default values.
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CONFIGURATION FILES

123       You  can use a configuration file to specify parameters rather than use
124       invocation options.  pbmtoppa processes the file /etc/pbmtoppa.conf, if
125       it  exists, before processing any options.  It then processes each con‐
126       figuration file named by a -f option in order, applying the  parameters
127       from  the configuration file as if they were invocation options used in
128       the place of the -f option.
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130       Configuration files have the following format:
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132       #Comment
133       key1 value1
134       key2 value2
135       [etc.]
136
137       Valid keys are version, xoffset, yoffset, topmargin, leftmargin, right‐
138       margin, bottommargin, papersize, or any non-null prefix of these words.
139       Valid values are the same as with the corresponding invocation  parame‐
140       ters.
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142

EXAMPLES

144       Print a test pattern:
145       pbmpage | pbmppa >/dev/lp1
146
147       Print three pages:
148       cat page1.pbm page2.pbm page3.pbm | pbmppa >/dev/lp1
149
150       Print the Postscript file myfile.ps:
151       gs -sDEVICE=rawpbm -q -dNOPAUSE -r600 \
152          -sOutputFile=- myfile.ps ;\
153       | pbmtoppa | lpr
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155

CALIBRATION

157       To  be  able  to print successfully and properly, you need to tell pbm‐
158       toppa an X and a Y offset appropriate for your printer to use when gen‐
159       erating  the  page.   You  can specify these offsets with the -x and -y
160       invocation options or with the xoff and yoff parameters in  a  pbmtoppa
161       configuration file.
162
163       To determine the correct offsets, use the pbmpage program.
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165       If  while trying to do this calibration, the printer refuses to print a
166       page, but just blinks all three lights, specify large margins (e.g. 600
167       pixels -- one inch) via pbmpage invocation options while doing the cal‐
168       ibration.
169
170       For example:
171       pbmpage | pbmtoppa >/dev/lp1
172       or
173       pbmpage | pbmtoppa | lpr -l
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175       (if your printer filter recognizes the '-l' (direct output) parameter).
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177       In the test pattern, the grid is marked off in  pixel  coordinate  num‐
178       bers.  Unfortunately, these coordinates are probably cut off before the
179       edge of the paper.  You'll have to use a ruler to  estimate  the  pixel
180       coordinate  of  the  left  and  top  edges of the actual sheet of paper
181       (should be within +/- 300, may be negative; there are  600  pixels  per
182       inch).
183
184       Add these coordinates to the X and Y offsets by either editing the con‐
185       figuration file or using the -x  and -y command-line parameters.
186
187       When pbmtoppa is properly calibrated, the center mark should be in  the
188       center  of  the paper.  Also, the margins should be able to be as small
189       as 1/4 inch without causing the printer to choke with 'blinking  lights
190       syndrome'.
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192

REDHAT LINUX INSTALLATION

194       RedHat  users  may  find the following tip from Panayotis Vryonis <vry‐
195       pan@hol.gr> helpful.  The same should work for the 820 and 1000, but it
196       hasn't been tested.  Also, use the pbmraw GSDriver if you have it; it's
197       faster.
198
199       Here is a tip to intergrate HP720C support in RedHat's printtool:
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201       Install pbmtoppa. Copy pbmtoppa to /usr/bin.
202
203       Edit 'printerdb' (in my system it is found  in  /usr/lib/rhs/rhs-print‐
204       filters ) and append the following lines:
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206       ----------------------Cut here-----------------------
207
208       StartEntry: DeskJet720C
209         GSDriver: pbm
210         Description: {HP DeskJet 720C}
211         About: { \
212               This driver supports the HP DeskJet 720C \
213               inkjet printer. \
214               It does does not support color printing. \
215               IMPORTANT! Insert \
216                    '- | pbm2ppa -' \
217               in the 'Extra GS Otions' field.\
218             }
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220         Resolution: {600} {600} {}
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222       EndEntry
223       ----------------------------------------------------
224
225       Now you can add an HP720C printer just like any other, using printtool.
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227

SEE ALSO

229       pbmpage(1), pstopnm(1), pbm(1)
230
231       This  program  was  derived  from pbm2ppa.  pbm2ppa is obsolete and has
232       been replaced by pnm2ppa, which does the same things as pbmtoppa except
233       it   also   works   with   color  and  has  lots  more  features.   See
234       http://pnm2ppa.sourceforge.nethttp://pnm2ppa.sourceforge.net⟩    for
235       more  information about the PPA protocol and the separately distributed
236       pnm2ppa program.
237
238       The file INSTALL-MORE in the pbmtoppa directory of  the  Netpbm  source
239       code  contains detailed instructions on setting up a system to use pbm‐
240       toppa to allow convenient printing on HP PPA printers.  It was  written
241       by Michael Buehlmann.
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243

AUTHOR

245       Tim Norman.  Copyright (C) 1998.  Licensed under GNU Public License
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247       Manual page by Bryan Henderson, May 2000.
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251netpbm documentation              01 May 2005          Pbmtoppa User Manual(0)
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