Subject: Printing Help

From: "Alberta Playwrights' Network" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 1996 11:23:19 -0600 (MDT)

I am unable to print using the print command from Pine...there are no
local contacts listed and my Internet service provider hasn't been able to
help. The print screen key does work, but doesn't give a clean copy (and
it's a pain for long E-mails). We're set up for "attached-to-ansi" and our
software is set for the correct printer and drive, but nothing prints. Can
you help or tell me where to go for help? We use Quicklink II software
(DOS) and the printer is a Hewlett Packard LaserJet 4P.

Thanks!!
Diane
Alberta Playwrights' Network

---

From: [email-masked] (Stan Kerr)
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 1996 15:24:17 -0500

>(DOS) and the printer is a Hewlett Packard LaserJet 4P.

You need to ask the vendor of Quicklink II whether their software supports
the vt100 extended escape codes for printing which Pine is trying to use.
This is a very popular feature of Pine (judging by the questions we get
locally); it would be nice if more communications software supported the
printer codes.

Here's an extract from the technical notes that come with Unix Pine; you
may want to send it to the Quicklink II folks if they are unclear what you
mean.

          UNIX Pine can print  to  the  standard  UNIX  line
          printers  or  to generic printers attached to ANSI
          terminals using the escape sequences to  turn  the
          printer  on  and  off.   The  user has a choice of
          three printers in the configuration.

          The first setting, attached-to-ansi, makes use  of
          escape sequences on ANSI/VT100 terminals.  It uses
          "<ESC>[5i" to begin directing all output  sent  to
          the terminal to the printer and then "<ESC>[6i" to
          return to normal.  Pine  will  send  these  escape
          sequences  if  the  printer is set to attached-to-
          ansi.  This works with most  ANSI/VT100  emulators
          on  Macs and PCs such as kermit, NCSA telnet, Ver-
          saTerm Pro, and WinQVT.  Various  terminal  emula-
          tors implement the print feature differently.  For
          example, NCSA telnet requires "capfile =  PRN"  in
          the  config.tel  file.   Attached-to-ansi printing
          doesn't work at all with the telnet provided  with
          PC-NFS.
          The second selection is the  standard  UNIX  print
          command.   The  default  is  lpr,  but  it  can be
          changed on a system basis to anything  so  desired
          in /usr/local/lib/pine.conf.

          The third selection is the user's personal  choice
          for  a UNIX print command.  The text to be printed
          is piped into the command.  Enscript or  lpr  with
          options  are  popular choices.  The actual command
          is retained even if one of the other print  selec-
          tions is used for a while.

          If you have a PostScript printer attached to a  PC
          or  Macintosh, then you will need to use a utility
          called ansiprt to get printouts on  your  printer.
          Ansiprt  source  code  and details can be found in
          the ./contrib directory of the Pine distribution.

          The three printer choices are for UNIX Pine  only.
          PC-Pine  for  DOS  can  only  print to the locally
          attached printer.  All printing on  PC-Pine  (DOS)
          is  done  via  ROM  BIOS Print Services (Int 17h).
          After verifying the existence of a  local  printer
          via  the BIOS Equipment-List Service (Int 11h), it
          simply sends the message text, character by  char-
          acter,  to  the first printer found using ASCII CR
          and LF at the end of  lines  and  followed  by  an
          ASCII FF.  Note, some system adjustments using the
          PC's "MODE" command may be required if the printer
          is not on the first parallel port.  PC-Pine cannot
          generate PostScript, so  printing  to  exclusively
          PostScript printers does not work.

          PC-Pine for Winsock uses  the  MS-Windows  printer
          interface.   A  Pine print command will bring up a
          standard MS-Windows printer dialog box.

-- 
Stan Kerr, Computing & Communications Services Office/U of Illinois
[email-masked]