Submitting Print Jobs
To have a file printed, use the command lpr filename where filename is the name of the file you want to print.
Note: if you use wildcard expansion (e.g., lpr *) make sure that no more than 30 files are specified. If more than 30 files are specified, nothing will print and you will get no notification of the failure.
You can specify which printer to send your file to with the -Pprinter flag. In general, printers are named by their manufacturer and the location in which they are installed. For example, lpr -Pxrx_233 filename will send filename to the Xerox laser printer in the 232 mail room area on the second floor, whereas lpr -Pxrx_440c filename will send the file to the Xerox color printer on the 4th floor. You can use the printers command to get a list of printer names.
If you commonly use one printer, you can omit the -P option if you add two lines to your .login or .cshrc file to specify the printer:
setenv PRINTER printername
setenv LPDEST printername
These environment variables are used by applications which do their own printing, such as Firefox or Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not specify which printer you want to use by either setting the above environment variables or using the -P flag on the lpr command, your output will be sent to the Xerox Printer in room 232.
Checking Print Jobs
If your file does not print right away, it may be in the "printer queue" (in line, waiting to be printed). Typing lpq will give you a list of jobs in the printer queue. Note that you may need to use the -P flag with this command, if you sent your job to a specific printer. If the file remains in the queue, (i.e., is not printed), the queue may be hung. Send email to CS Staff if you experience this problem.
Canceling Print Jobs
To remove a file from the printer queue before it is printed, type lprm ## where ## is the job number of your file. You can get this job number from the lpq command mentioned above. Note, again, that the -P flag may be required if you sent your job to a specific printer.