foo2oak

foo2oak [options] < input.foo2zjs > output.oak

-r
    Sets the resolution of the output image. Default is 600 dpi.

-p
    Sets the paper size. Common values are 'letter', 'a4', etc.

-m
    Specifies the printer model. This might be necessary for certain printer configurations.

foo2oak is a utility used to convert printer data files in the foo2zjs format to the oak format, which is compatible with certain monochrome laser printers. It is typically used as part of a larger printing system using the foo2zjs driver. The foo2zjs driver is used to print to various printers from computers running Linux and other operating systems.

The utility helps to improve the print quality by allowing for better interaction with the specific printer model. More precisely, it takes the output (usually PostScript) of a printing process which has been filtered through foo2zjs drivers, and transforms it to a format more suitable for particular types of printer. It is intended to be used in a printing pipeline, typically invoked automatically by the print spooler as the last stage before the data is sent to the printer.

The foo2oak command is highly dependent on the specific foo2zjs driver version and the target printer model. Incorrect parameters may result in printing errors or poor print quality.

A typical use case involves piping the output of another command (e.g., `gs` or `pstopdf`) to foo2zjs and then to foo2oak, before sending it to the printer.

Example: `gs -q -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sDEVICE=pswrite -sOutputFile=- input.ps | foo2zjs | foo2oak > output.oak`

foo2oak was developed as a part of the foo2zjs project. foo2zjs aimed to provide open-source drivers for printers that were initially only supported by proprietary drivers. The foo2oak utility was introduced to optimize print output for certain monochrome laser printers, allowing users to effectively use these devices on Linux systems. Its development was closely linked to reverse engineering printer protocols and creating compatible printing pipelines.

foo2zjs(1), ghostscript(1), lpr(1)