foo2slx-wrapper

foo2slx-wrapper [-r <resolution>] [-c] [-p] [-L <level>] [-m <model>] [>] output.ppd

-r
    Sets the desired print resolution in dots per inch (dpi) for the generated PPD file. Common values include 600 or 1200.

-c
    Enables color printing capabilities within the generated PPD file, indicating the printer supports color output (for color-capable SLX printers).

-p
    Enables duplex (two-sided) printing capabilities in the generated PPD, allowing for automatic double-sided printing if the printer hardware supports it.

-L
    Specifies the PostScript language level (e.g., 2 or 3) to be declared in the PPD file. This influences how applications send print data.

-m
    Specifies a particular printer model or variant. This can be used to fine-tune the PPD settings for specific printer configurations or quirks.

The foo2slx-wrapper is a utility script associated with the foo2slx printer driver, which is part of the larger foo2zjs open-source project. foo2slx provides driver support for specific Samsung and Xerox laser printers that utilize the SLX page description language.

The primary function of foo2slx-wrapper is to generate a PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file. This PPD file is crucial for integrating the foo2slx driver with the Common Unix Printing System (CUPS). It allows system administrators to define and configure printer capabilities such as resolution, color support, and duplex printing directly into a standardized format that CUPS can interpret.

Typically, the output of this wrapper script is redirected to a .ppd file, which is then used by the lpadmin command to register the printer and its capabilities with CUPS, making the printer available for use across the Linux system.

The foo2slx-wrapper only generates a PPD file; it does not directly install or configure the printer in CUPS. Subsequent steps involving commands like lpadmin are required to integrate the printer. The effectiveness of the generated PPD and the driver depends heavily on the specific printer model's support within the foo2slx project. It assumes the underlying foo2slx driver binaries are correctly installed and compiled.

The primary purpose of foo2slx-wrapper is to generate a PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file. This PPD file contains all the necessary information about the printer's capabilities (such as resolution, paper sizes, color support, and duplexing) that CUPS needs to correctly manage print jobs. The output of the wrapper script is typically redirected to a .ppd file (e.g., foo2slx-wrapper > foo2slx.ppd), which is then used by the lpadmin command to add the printer to CUPS.

After generating the PPD file, the next step in printer setup usually involves using the lpadmin command. For example, to add a USB printer named 'MySLXPrinter':

sudo lpadmin -p MySLXPrinter -m foo2slx.ppd -v usb:/dev/usb/lp0 -E

This command registers 'MySLXPrinter' with CUPS, links it to the generated PPD, specifies the printer's device URI, and enables the printer.

The foo2slx driver, along with its wrapper scripts like foo2slx-wrapper, is a component of the broader foo2zjs open-source project. This project was initiated by Rick Richardson with the goal of providing free software drivers for various laser printers that use proprietary page description languages (like ZjStream, QPDL, SLX, etc.) instead of standard PostScript. The wrapper scripts were developed to simplify the process of generating CUPS-compatible PPD files, thereby facilitating the integration of these specialized drivers into Linux and other Unix-like printing environments, making otherwise unsupported printers usable.

foo2slx(1), lpadmin(8), cupsd(8), gs(1)