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Subject: SGI impressario Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi.misc,comp.answers,news.answers From: sgi-faq@viz.tamu.edu (The SGI FAQ group) Date: 20 Nov 1994 07:01:55 GMT Archive-name: sgi/faq/impressario Last-modified: Tue Nov 15 14:55:33 CST 1994 SGI impressario Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) This is one of the Silicon Graphics FAQ series, which consists of: SGI admin FAQ - IRIX system administration SGI apps FAQ - Applications and miscellaneous programming SGI audio FAQ - Audio applications and programming SGI graphics FAQ - Graphics and user environment customization SGI hardware FAQ - Hardware SGI Impressario FAQ - IRIS Impressario SGI Inventor FAQ - IRIS Inventor SGI misc FAQ - Introduction & miscellaneous information SGI movie FAQ - Movies SGI Performer FAQ - IRIS Performer SGI pointer FAQ - Pointer to the other FAQs Read the misc FAQ for information about the FAQs themselves. Each FAQ is posted to comp.sys.sgi.misc and to the news.answers and comp.answers newsgroups (whose purpose is to store FAQs) twice per month. If you can't find one of the FAQs with your news program, you can get it by anonymous FTP from one of these sites: rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/comp.sys.sgi.misc/ rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/sgi/faq/ rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/comp.answers/sgi/faq/ viz.tamu.edu:/pub/sgi/faq/ Note that rtfm.mit.edu is home to many other FAQs and informational documents, and is a good place to look if you can't find an answer here. If you can't use FTP, send mail to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with the command 'send usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/faq' on a line by itself in the text, and it will send you a document describing how to FTP by mail. You can also read a hypertext version of the FAQs at http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/sgi/top.html The SGI FAQs are freely distributable and we encourage wide circulation. The contents are accurate as far as we know, but the usual disclaimers apply. Please send additions and changes to sgi-faq@viz.tamu.edu. Topics covered in this FAQ: --------------------------- -1- What is Impressario? -2- What version of Impressario runs on what OS? -3- What should I know before updating to Impressario version 1.2? -4- Why are my printer icons now shell script icons? Why do I no longer see printstatus and printpanel? -5- Do I need Impressario to print PostScript documents? -6- What printers are supported under Impressario? -7- What scanners are supported under Impressario? -8- What types of image files can Impressario print? -9- Can I write my own Impressario printer/scanner device plug-in? -10- What happened to the client software option in Impressario 1.2? -11- What is the mkbsdpr script (included with Impressario) used for? -12- What is the impr_desktop product? -13- Why do I need Display PostScript? -14- Can I use the serial port for HP printers with Impressario? -15- Is the Ikon 10088 parallel interface controller supported by Impressario? -16- Does Impressario support the HP Jet Direct card? -17- Why won't my HP PaintJet work with Impressario? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: -1- What is Impressario? Date: 18 Aug 94 00:00:01 EST Impressario software provides a visual printing and scanning environment. Impressario allows the user to control resolution, paper size, double-sided printing, text orientation, etc. Impressario gives you full printer status in a network-transparent manner, so you can find out locally or from a remote system when the printer is out of toner, out of paper, has a jam, isn't turned on, etc. Impressario contains device plug-ins for many popular printers and scanners. (Printer manufactures may also provide device plug-ins that work under the Impressario environment.) See the Impressario release notes or the question "What printers are supported by Impressario" for a list of supported printers. Impressario allows you to print many types of files (text and graphics). See the question "What types of image files can Impressario print?" for details. Impressario contains a PostScript interpreter, and can often drive the same printer faster than the printers' built-in interpreter (at equal or lower cost then adding a PostScript interpreter to the printer). Impressario also supports scanners. The Graphical Scan tool allows you to scan data from a scanner, file, local or remote workstation display and send the data to a printer, file, or workstation display. The Scanner installation tool provides a simple interface for installing and configuring scanners on your workstation. The Impressario Developer's Kit allows application and device plug-in developers to create software that fully supports printing and scanning in a manner that is consistent with the Impressario architecture. The Impressario fonts subsystem contains 22 Type 1 PostScript fonts, which complement the base 13 fonts provided with Display PostScript. These additional fonts provide you with a complete set of industry standard fonts used in most PostScript printers. In addition, these fonts can be used with the Display PostScript system to create true WYSIWYG applications. See the impressario(1) man page for additional details. ------------------------------ Subject: -2- What version of Impressario runs on what OS? Date: 18 Aug 94 00:00:01 EST Irix Impressario Version ----------------------------- 3.3.* Not available 4.0.* 1.1 5.0-5.1.* 1.1 5.2-5.3 1.2 6.0 1.2 Impressario 1.0 users should update to version 1.1 or 1.2. If you are under support, your upgrade is free. ------------------------------ Subject: -3- What should I know before updating to Impressario version 1.2? Date: 18 Aug 94 00:00:01 EST 1. If you upgrade a system running Irix 4.0.* or Irix 5.1.* to Irix 5.2 and you already have Impressario 1.1 installed then Impressario 1.1 should continue to work under Irix 5.2. However, you should update to Impressario 1.2 as soon as possible after any update to Irix 5.2 2. Once you upgrade to Irix 5.2 do not remove Impressario 1.1. If you do, you should re-install the following subsystems from the Irix 5.2 distribution CD (for convenience these subsystems are also found on the Impressario 1.2 CD -- see the next item): print.man.desktop print.man.relnotes print.sw.desktop 3. When you install Impressario 1.2 you will find that it has the following subsystems on the Impressario 1.2 CD: print.man.desktop print.man.relnotes print.sw.desktop As a minimum, install the default print subsystems (do not mark all the print product as 'keep' from inst). The reason this is done is that the inst procedure removes all files associated with Impressario 1.1. Some of the Impressario 1.1 files now reside in the print product and they will be removed when Impressario 1.2 is installed. So, the print product must be re-installed when Impressario 1.2 is installed. For convenience, the print product is supplied with Impressario 1.2 and it will automatically install the correct print product (assuming you do not change the set of software to be installed using the inst utility). Note that the print product shipped with Irix 5.2 is version 1.2. The print product found on the Impressario 1.2 CD is version 1.2.1. They are both the same. The higher version number of the print product on the Impressario 1.2 CD ensures that they are installed by the inst utility when you install Impressario 1.2. 4. Do not load Impressario 1.1 (client or server software) onto an Irix 5.2 system. There are OS patches in Impressario 1.1 which are not necessary for Irix 5.2. If Impressario 1.1 is installed on top of IRIX 5.2, you should be aware that the following files are replaced, and their corresponding Irix 5.2 subsystems must be reinstalled. File name Subsystem usr/lib/lpsched eoe2.sw.lp usr/lib/lputil eoe2.sw.lp usr/lib/print/lptops eoe2.sw.lp usr/bin/lp eoe2.sw.lp usr/sbin/mkcentpr eoe2.sw.lp usr/spool/lp/model/netface eoe2.sw.lp usr/lib/filetype/vadmin/printers.ftr desktop_eoe.sw.FileTypingRules usr/lib/filetype/vadmin/vadmin.ftr desktop_eoe.sw.FileTypingRules usr/etc/rshd eoe2.sw.tcp IMPORTANT: If you install Impressario 1.1 onto an Irix 5.2 system you absolutely must re-install the above subsystems -- installing Impressario 1.2 (the correct version for Irix 5.2) will not undo or replace the OS patches that Impressario 1.1 installed. Note: It is not possible to install a single file from a subsystem -- you have to install the entire subsystem. ------------------------------ Subject: -4- Why are my printer icons now shell script icons? Why do I no longer see printstatus and printpanel? Date: 18 Aug 94 00:00:01 EST You probably updated to Irix 5.2 and then removed Impressario 1.1. If you did this, re-install the "print" product from the Irix 5.2 distribution CD. The sub-systems are: print.man.desktop print.man.relnotes print.sw.desktop See the related question "What should I know before updating to Impressario version 1.2?". ------------------------------ Subject: -5- Do I need Impressario to print PostScript documents? Date: 18 Aug 94 00:00:01 EST IRIX includes a "Generic PostScript" device plug-in. This device plug-in will convert ISO text files and RGB image files to monochrome PostScript and send the PostScript file to your printer (which must be able to process PostScript files). You can install the Generic PostScript Device Plug-In using the Printer Manager. ------------------------------ Subject: -6- What printers are supported under Impressario? Date: 18 Aug 94 00:00:01 EST This section lists two sets of device plug-ins: first, those bundled with Impressario itself, and second, those provided by third parties. Impressario is an open architecture, and relies on third parties to provide support for devices which SGI cannot. The Impressario Developer's Kit makes this easy. Devices supported in Impressario 1.1 (from the Impressario release notes): Apple LaserWriter Plus, II, IINT, IINTX, IIf, and IIg Hewlett-Packard DeskJet 500C, 550C, and PaintJet XL300 Hewlett-Packard LaserJet IIP, IIP+, III, IIIP, and 4 Impressario Version 1.2: Apple LaserWriter Plus, II, IINT, IINTX, IIf, and IIg Hewlett-Packard DeskJet 500C, 550C, and PaintJet XL300 Hewlett-Packard DesignJet 650C. Hewlett-Packard LaserJet IIP, IIP+, III, IIIP, 4, 4P and 4L. All Apple LaserWriter printers must be connected to system using a serial port. All Hewlett-Packard printers must be connected to the system using a builtin parallel port. Hewlett-Packard LaserJet II and III series printers do not work properly with less than 1.5 Mbytes of memory. LaserJet 4 series printers require at least 4 Mbytes of memory. Apple LaserWriter IIf printers with less than 4 Mbytes of memory are not supported. Third Party Device Plug-Ins: ** The following printer manufacturers supply Impressario device plug-ins for some or all of their printers. They are arranged in alphabetical order: Company Product name ------- ------------ Genicom GenicomPrint 1.1 for Impressario 1.1 Supports Genicom 9080, 9170, 9170A Seiko SeikoPrint for Impressario 1.1 Supports Professional ColorPoint CH-6104 Tektronix PhaserPrint for Impressario 1.0 Supports Phaser 200e, 200i (w/ or w/o 4511A) Phaser PXi (w/ or w/o 4511A) Phaser II PXi (w/ or w/o 4511A) Phaser II SD, SDX (w/ or w/o 4511A) Phaser II SX, DX (fast raster) Phaser III PXi (w/ or w/o 4511A) Phaser III RX (fast raster) As of July 1, 1994, SGI no longer resells printers manufactured by Tektronix, Genicom and Seiko. Tektronix, Genicom and Seiko can provide the Impressario device plug-in for their respective printers. All of the above device plug-ins have been tested and work under Impressario version 1.2. ** The following software companies supply Impressario device plug-ins for the following printers. They are arranged in alphabetical order. Company Product name ------- ------------ Easy Software Products espPrint 2.0.1 Supports Canon CJ-10 (see also scanners) Epson 24-pin Fargo Primera HP DeskJet 500, 520 HP DeskJet 550C, 560C, 1200C HP LaserJet,LaserJet+,LaserJet 500 HP LaserJet II & compatibles HP LaserJet IIp, III HP LaserJet 4 IBM ProPrinter espPrint is available via ftp in swedishchef.lerc.nasa.gov:/printing/. See also SGI's Hot Mix 9 CD for more information. GW Hannaway & Associates (contact info@gwha.com) Supports Kodak XL7700, XLT7720 Fujix Pictrography 3000 Torque Systems Torque RIPServer Supports Calcomp 68000GA HP DesignJet 650C Where third parties support the same printer that Impressario does, there are generally differences in how they are supported. For instance, some third parties support error-diffusion dithering, while Impressario does not. ------------------------------ Subject: -7- What scanners are supported under Impressario? Date: 18 Aug 94 00:00:01 EST This section lists two sets of device plug-ins: first, those bundled with Impressario itself, and second, those provided by third parties. Impressario is an open architecture, and relies on third parties to provide support for devices which SGI cannot. The Impressario Developer's Kit makes this easy. Devices supported in Impressario 1.1 (from the Impressario release notes): o Hewlett-Packard ScanJet IIc o Ricoh FS1 o MicroTek ScanMaker 600 ZS o Sharp JX 320 o Epson GT 6000 Impressario version 1.2: o Hewlett-Packard ScanJet IIc and IIcx, with or without optional document feeder and transparency options. o Ricoh FS1 o MicroTek ScanMaker 600 ZS o Sharp JX 320 o Epson GT 6000 o NOTE: The Epson GT-6000 cannot scan more than 4096 dots per scan line. Thus, at higher resolutions, it might not be possible to scan all of the scannable area. Third Party Device Plug-Ins: ** The following software companies supply Impressario device plug-ins for the following scanners. They are arranged in alphabetical order. Company Product name ------- ------------ Easy Software Products espPrint 2.0.1 Supports Canon CJ-10 (see also printers) espPrint is available via ftp in swedishchef.lerc.nasa.gov:/printing/. See also SGI's Hot Mix 9 CD for more information. Ricoh RicohFS2 Supports Ricoh FS2 with or without document feeder w/ or w/o transparency adaptor ------------------------------ Subject: -8- What types of image files can Impressario print? Date: 18 Aug 94 00:00:01 EST All versions of Impressario support SGI RGB ImageLib image file format, RGB and RGBA, color and grayscale, compressed and uncompressed. Starting with Impressario 1.2, direct printing of JPEG JFIF, PhotoCD, TIFF 6.0, GIF 87a and 89a, and FIT images are supported. In addition both ASCII and binary PPM, PGM and PBM images can be directly printed. Finally, Impressario 1.2 adds support for SGI image files with 16 bits per channel, in all formats. Tektronix printer device plug-ins cannot accept the new formats included with Impressario 1.2, but they can accept XWD and Sun Raster files. More file formats can be added to Impressario quickly and easily, without knowing anything about PostScript or printer device plug-ins. See the Impressario Developer's Guide or the Indigo Magic Integration Guide for more details. Every new file conversion filter is automatically available to all printers, so that file conversion filters need only be written once for all uses. ------------------------------ Subject: -9- Can I write my own Impressario printer/scanner device plug-in? Date: 18 Aug 94 00:00:01 EST Yes. You will need the Impressario Developer's Kit (an optional product that is not part of the Impressario Server product). From the Impressario 1.2 release notes: The Impressario Developer's Kit allows application and device plug-in developers to create software that fully supports printing and scanning in a manner that is consistent with the Impressario architecture. A full developer's template for both scanner and printer device plug-ins along with a complete developer's manual are included. Starting in Impressario 1.2, the manual is supplied in both paper and online Insight format. ------------------------------ Subject: -10- What happened to the client software option in Impressario 1.2? Date: 18 Aug 94 00:00:01 EST Impressario versions 1.0 and 1.1 were sold in two packages: client and server. The server software contained filters and device plug-ins for sending print jobs to a printer connected directly to a host workstation. The server software was installed on the system that had the printer physically attached to it. The Client software provided a graphical interfaces to the printing and scanning software. The client software was installed on systems that would access the Impressario print server via a network connection. Starting with Impressario version 1.2 and IRIX 5.2, the client product has been obsoleted. The graphical interfaces to printing now ship as part of IRIX 5.2 and later, so any SGI system can now be an Impressario client. If your clients are all running IRIX 5.2 or later, you need only install Impressario Server on the system that has the printer or scanner physically attached to it. Scanner support, imprint, and psroff are not bundled: they are still part of Impressario Server. ------------------------------ Subject: -11- What is the mkbsdpr script (included with Impressario) used for? Date: 18 Aug 94 00:00:01 EST Background: There are two common print spoolers in use with Unix systems: The lp spooler. The lpr spooler. SGI uses the lp spooler. If you wish to use a printer on a remote system that uses the lpr spooler then you need a way to submit print jobs to it. SGI does supply the lpr spooler software (it is in the subsystem eoe2.sw.lpr and is not loaded by default). If you wish to use an lpr printer (which would be on another system on your network) then you should install the lpr spooler subsystem and configure it (see the lpr(1) and printcap(4) man pages for details). At this point you could print to the lpr printer using the lpr(1) command. However, you might also want to print from the Indigo Magic environment or from an application that only prints to the lp spooler. The way to do this is set up an lp printer queue that forwards all of its print requests to the lpr spooler (which is what mkbsdpr does): From the mkbsdpr(1M) man page: mkbsdpr registers a BSD spooling system printer with the System V spooling system. This provides the ability to submit a print job via System V and have that job printed on a BSD based printer. mkbsdpr creates a System V printer interface program to communicate with a BSD print spooler. This interface program will normally keep a log of its activities in the file /var/spool/lp/log. The -l option causes the interface program to keep its log in /var/spool/lp/etc/log/lp_printer-log instead. The -v option causes the interface program to keep a more verbose log. mkbsdpr only provides connectivity from the System V print spooler to BSD print spooler. The program cannot be used for installing or registering a local BSD printer. ------------------------------ Subject: -12- What is the impr_desktop product? Date: 18 Aug 94 00:00:01 EST This is the Impressario printer client software that was shipped with Irix 5.1.* systems. Starting with Irix 5.2 it has been renamed to "print". The new product subsystems are: print.man.desktop print.man.relnotes print.sw.desktop Note that with Impressario version 1.2 a version of the "print" software is included on the Impressario CD. See the related question "What should I know before updating to Impressario version 1.2?" for details. ------------------------------ Subject: -13- Why do I need Display PostScript? Date: 21 Mar 94 00:00:01 EST Impressario requires the Display PostScript software. All SGI systems that were delivered from the factory with Irix 4.0.* or higher include Display PostScript. Systems delivered with an Irix release earlier then 4.0.* did not include Display PostScript. In addition, the 4.0.* update to these systems did not include Display PostScript (requiring 4.0.* upgrade users to purchase Display PostScript). This has changed: all Irix 5.2 updates will include Display PostScript. ------------------------------ Subject: -14- Can I use the serial port for HP printers with Impressario? Date: 21 Mar 94 00:00:01 EST No. Only builtin parallel ports can be used. Note that some older SGI systems do not have a builtin parallel port. The hinv(1M) command can be used to see if the system has a parallel port. ------------------------------ Subject: -15- Is the Ikon 10088 parallel interface controller supported by Impressario? Date: 21 Mar 94 00:00:01 EST No. The Ikon board is not supported. Note: The Ikon 10088 parallel interface controller is an optional VME board that provides a parallel port for older systems that do not have a built-in parallel port. ------------------------------ Subject: -16- Does Impressario support the HP Jet Direct card? Date: 21 Mar 94 00:00:01 EST No. At this time SGI does not supply an Impressario device plug-in for the HP Jet Direct card (HP does not provide a device plug-in for SGI, either). Users of the HP Jet Direct card are encouraged to contact HP and request that a device plug-in for SGI be made available (HP can supply the source code if you wish to tackle this yourself). It is recommended that you connect HP printers directly to the parallel port of an SGI workstation. ------------------------------ Subject: -17- Why won't my HP PaintJet work with Impressario? Date: 21 Mar 94 00:00:01 EST Impressario supports the HP PaintJet XL300. The PaintJet (a different printer) is not supported. ------------------------------ End of sgi/faq/impressario Digest ****************************** -- The SGI FAQ group sgi-faq@viz.tamu.edu Finger us for info on the SGI FAQs, or look in viz.tamu.edu:/pub/sgi.