Thomas Mueller composed on 2015-06-04 07:20 (UTC): > I've been unable to get my printer, HP LaserJet Professional 1212nf MFP > working.
> Now I think it might be nonstandard implementation of PostScript or whatever > command language. Legacy DOS apps relied on drivers specific to them. DOS itself didn't "support" printers, much less MF devices. It merely provided access to the interfaces of the time, serial ports, and parallel ports. You could sent text or text files directly to printers via these interfaces, but not "control" the printers via postscript or other printer languages. Postscript wasn't even invented until DOS had been around a couple of years, and even so, it wasn't made available except in the most expensive of printers until quite some time after invention. The major apps like WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3 relied on printer drivers written specifically for those apps to produce control of things we now take for granted, like margin settings and font selection. Character sets were whatever the printer itself included, usually limited to 2 or 3 (fixed) pitches and line spacing choices of 66 or 88 lines per letter size page, in your orientation choice of portrait or portrait. Those that offered graphics modes were horrifically slow in those modes. > Why would HP have hplip when other printer manufacturers have no such thing? Marketing in part, but also because none ever emulate any printer language other than its own, and the cheaper models typically omit postscript support or any but one particular dialect from among the many of its own. IOW, it's more complicated for mere mortals to figure out how to set up HP printers without it, a bigger hurdle than with other printer brands. > But can a laser or inkjet printer with standard interface work in FreeDOS? What is a "standard" interface in FreeDOS? IBM/M$ DOSes date from long before the invention of USB and the ubiquity of networking, IIRC only ever knowing serial ports and parallel ports. This question interests me too, as I just bought a new HL-5470DW printer today to replace a Canon that provided no emulation of any kind. The new provides Epson FX, IBM Proprinter and PCL6 emulations in addition to Brother's own language, but neither parallel port nor serial port connectivity. In Linux I'll be using it via IP, but it would be nice to be able to use it directly from a DOS boot somehow to print old WP and spreadsheet files with embedded Epson FX printer control codes. Before postscript and HP's LJ* languages, the most popular printer languages that I can remember were IBM's own, Epson's, and Okidata's. Epson's seem to have become the most popular of those three, and continue to be included in some printers made by manufacturers other than Epson, Brother in particular, which is why I bought what I bought, and never consider buying HP for personal use. -- "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation) Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks! Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
