Network Printing recommendations please

[Kevin Kinsey]

Andy Kendall wrote:
> I've just built my 6v2 box and all is going well so far. I've read the
> manual and understand LPD and directly attached printers. The manual however
> is pretty minimal when it comes to network-based printers, (netprint), and
> only mentions LPRng and CUPS on a single page briefly. I understand this;
> it's probably because they're not direct FreeBSD products but this doesn't
> help a newb-to-FreeBSD like me. I only want to build the foundation system
> once, so, any recommendations please on what to install/configure? (Hope
> this doesn't start a bikeshed).
> 
> It's a single user system, for my own education (and enjoyment?) so it'll
> almost certainly never print any graphics or host complicated databases,
> etc. It's only got 512Mb RAM and a 10Gb HD so I don't have a huge resource
> available.
> 
> The printers I have are a bullet-proof classic/HPLJ4 with internal JetDirect
> card, and a new HPDeskjet 6980 (colour inkjet).
>

I'll counter the "so far" flow by suggesting you take a look at 
apsfilter.  I thought CUPS looked a tad daunting as a "newb", and picked 
apsfilter instead.  Can't say I've never had printing issues, but 
usually it was a matter of PEBKAC rather than the software's fault.

It's in ports (/usr/ports/print/apsfilter), and the project site is 
apsfilter.org --- which sings a number of praises, including MP3, Ogg 
Vorbis and .WAV support (heh, yes, you're reading that correctly).

I imagine the drivers will have no problem with the old HP, but I've 
found that some of the "really cheapo" HP's don't have support in 
hpijs/gs ... if you can find that CUPS will support the printer and 
apsfilter won't, use CUPS instead.  But Linuxprinting.org seems to 
indicate that the 6980 is supposed by the hpijs driver (at least for 
basic color printing of average documents).

> Unless someone can come up with a good reason to use X-Windows I don't know
> if I want to install it so that counts out LPRng?
> 

Well, many games and all of that, err, so-called important *content* 
doesn't look as good in Lynx.  Apart from that, you can live and do many 
kinds of Actual Work quite happily without X :-D

Come to think of it, maybe X isn't such a great idea, heh ....

> Apologies if this is the wrong forum or invalid posting, please advise.
> 
> Many thanks
> 
> Andy. (newbness embodied)

Err, can't I have my body back, then?

Kevin Kinsey
-- 
All my life I wanted to be someone; I guess I should have been more 
specific.
		-- Jane Wagner