foomatic-db-engine for Debian
-----------------------------

Note that the structure of the LinuxPrinting.org (foomatic) printer
configuration system in Debian (and upstream) has changed from the 2.0
series.  There are now 3 core packages:

* foomatic-db: Contains the foomatic printer database.

* foomatic-db-engine (this package): Contains the foomatic-configure script.

* foomatic-filters: Contains the filter scripts for various backend
  printing systems.

In addition, the new foomatic-db-hpijs package includes the database
entries for printers supported by the HPIJS print filter developed by
Hewlett-Packard for its consumer inkjet line of printers.

The foomatic-bin package is provided for upgrade purposes from
Foomatic 2.0, and can be purged after its dependencies have been
installed.

If you want a GUI to configure your printer, you may want to try
"foomatic-gui," a GNOME-based printer configuration tool that works
with Foomatic and all of the spoolers it supports.

** How to configure a queue manually *

The command "foomatic-configure" handles this.  Set up the queue as follows:

foomatic-configure -n <queue-name> -N <description> -L <location> 
  -c <connection> -p <printer> -d <driver> -s <spooler>

where:

queue-name: What you want the queue to be called.

description: A human-readable description of the queue.

location: The physical location of the printer.

connection: How the printer is connected.  e.g.:
  Parallel port: file:/dev/lp0
  USB port:      file:/dev/usb/lp0
  IPP/CUPS:      ipp://printserver.example.org/printers/lj4500
  Samba/Windows: smb://WORKGROUP/PC/Canon
  JetDirect:     socket://jetdirect.example.org:9100/

printer: The printer database name.  Generally:
  Manufacturer_Model-Name

driver: The driver backend to use.  For most modern printers, one of:
  hpijs      (if you have foomatic-db-hpijs installed)
  gimp-print (if you have foomatic-db-gimp-print installed)
  gimp-print-ijs (a hybrid that ijsgimpprint and hpijs to be installed)
  Postscript
  pcl5

Your best bet on these two items is looking them up in the database at
LinuxPrinting.org or looking through the XML files in
/usr/share/foomatic/db/source/printer/

spooler: one of: cups, lpd, lprng, ppd, direct, ppr, pdq, gnulpr
  (You can omit the -s option and it will try to guess.)

** Notes for CUPS users **

IMPORTANT: If your printer filter is not working (dumping raw
PostScript to the printer) immediately after setting up a queue with
foomatic-configure, you may need to reload the CUPS daemon.  e.g. use:
# invoke-rc.d cupsys reload

There used to be a package called "cupsomatic-ppd" that provided PPD
files for all printers supported by CUPS.  A similar package called
"foomatic-filters-ppds" is now available in Debian.

This package saves the step of using foomatic-configure to generate
and install a PPD file for your printer and driver.  Perhaps more
importantly, it provides an easy way to select printers from within
CUPS's web-based administration tool.  However, it is also 15 MB when
compressed, so is not recommended unless you need to use the CUPS web
interface to initially set up printers.

 -- Chris Lawrence <lawrencc@debian.org>, Tue Jul  1 19:15:43 2003
