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24.7.1 Printers without Standard Printer
Language Support
Printers that do not support any common printer language and can only be addressed
with special control sequences are called GDI printers. These printers only work with
the operating system versions for which the manufacturer delivers a driver. GDI is a
programming interface developed by Microsoft for graphics devices. The actual problem
is not the programming interface, but the fact that GDI printers can only be addressed
with the proprietary printer language of the respective printer model.
Some printers can be switched to operate either in GDI mode or one of the standard
printer languages. Some manufacturers provide proprietary drivers for their GDI
printers. The disadvantage of proprietary printer drivers is that there is no guarantee
that these work with the installed print system and that they are suitable for the various
hardware platforms. In contrast, printers that support a standard printer language do
not depend on a special print system version or a special hardware platform.
Instead of spending time trying to make a proprietary Linux driver work, it may be
more cost-effective to purchase a supported printer. This would solve the driver problem
once and for all, eliminating the need to install and configure special driver software
and obtain driver updates that may be required due to new developments in the print
system.
24.7.2 No Suitable PPD File Available for a
PostScript Printer
If the manufacturer-PPDs package does not contain any suitable PPD file for a
PostScript printer, it should be possible to use the PPD file from the driver CD of the
printer manufacturer or download a suitable PPD file from the Web page of the printer
manufacturer.
If the PPD file is provided as a zip archive (.zip) or a self-extracting zip archive (.exe),
unpack it with unzip. First, review the license terms of the PPD file. Then use the
cupstestppd utility to check if the PPD file complies with "Adobe PostScript
Printer Description File Format Specification, version 4.3." If the utility returns "FAIL,"
the errors in the PPD files are serious and are likely to cause major problems. The
Printer Operation
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Troubleshooting
