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   Updated: 01 May 2000
   Table Of Contents

NAME

   pbmtoppa  - convert PBM image to HP Printer Performance Archi-
tecture (PPA)

SYNOPSIS

   pbmtoppa [pbm_file [ppa_file]]

DESCRIPTION

   This program is part of Netpbm. pbmtoppa converts page  images
in PBM format
   to  Hewlett	Packard's  PPA (Printer Performance Architecture)
format, which is
   the data stream format  expected  by	 some  HP  "Windows-only"
printers including
   the HP Deskjet 820C series, the HP DeskJet 720 series, and the
HP DeskJet
   1000 series.

   pbm_file is the file specification of the input file or -  for
Standard
   Input. The default is Standard Input.

   The	input file contains one or more PBM images, with each one
being a single
   page. Each image must have the exact dimensions of a page  (at
600 pixels per
   inch	 in  both  directions). Significantly, this is the format
the Ghostscript
   produces.

   ppa_file is the file specification of the output file or - for
Standard
   Output. The default is Standard Output.

   To print Postscript on an HP PPA printer, just use Ghostscript
with the
   pbmraw (or pbm) device driver.

   You can generate a test page for use with  this  program  with
pbmpage.

   You can also set up a printer filter so you can submit PBM in-
put directly to
   your	 print	queue.	See  the  documentation	 for  your  print
spooler for
   information on how to do that, or look in hp820install.doc for
an example
   lpd print filter for Postscript and text files.

   Sometimes,  pbmtoppa generates a file which the  printer  will
not print
   (because  pbmtoppa's input is unprintable). When this happens,
all three
   lights blink to signal the  error.  This  is	 usually  because
there is material
   outside  of	the  printer's	printable  area. To make the file
print, increase
   the margins via pbmtoppa options or a configuration file.  See
the section on
   calibration below.

OPTIONS

   -v version
	  printer version (720, 820, or 1000)
   -x xoff
	  vertical offset adjustment in 1"/600
   -y yoff
	  horizontal offset adjustment in 1"/600
   -t topmarg
	  top margin in 1"/600 (default: 150 = 0.25")
   -l leftmarg
	  left margin in 1"/600 (default: 150 = 0.25")
   -r rightmarg
	  right margin in 1"/600 (default: 150 = 0.25")
   -b botmarg
	  bottom margin in 1"/600 (default: 150 = 0.25")
   -s paper
	  paper size: us or a4. Default is us.
   -f cfgfile
	  read parameters from configuration file cfgfile

   The -x and -y options accumulate.

   The	-v  option resets the horizontal and vertical adjustments
to an internal
   default.

CONFIGURATION FILES

   You	can use configuration files to specify parameters  rather
than use
   invocation  options.	 pbmtoppa processes the file /etc/pbmtop-
pa.conf, if it
   exists, before processing any options. It then processes  each
configuration
   file	  named	 by a -f option in order, applying the parameters
from the
   configuration file as if they were invocation options used  in
the place of
   the -f option.

   Configuration  files	 have the following format: #Comment key1
value1 key2 value2 [etc.]

   Valid  keys	are   version,	 xoffset,   yoffset,   topmargin,
leftmargin,
   rightmargin,	 bottommargin,	papersize, or any non-null prefix
of these words.
   Valid values are the same as with the corresponding invocation
parameters.

EXAMPLES

   Print a test pattern: pbmpage | pbmppa >/dev/lp1

   Print  three pages: cat page1.pbm page2.pbm page3.pbm | pbmppa
>/dev/lp1

   Print the Postscript file  myfile.ps:  gs  -sDEVICE=rawpbm  -q
-dNOPAUSE -r600	   -sOutputFile=- myfile.ps ;| pbmtoppa | lpr



CALIBRATION

   To  be  able	 to  print successfully and properly, you need to
tell pbmtoppa an
   X and a Y offset appropriate for your printer to use when gen-
erating the
   page. You can specify these offsets with the -x and -y invoca-
tion options or
   with the xoff and yoff parameters in a pbmtoppa  configuration
file.

   To determine the correct offsets, use the pbmpage program.

   If while trying to do this calibration, the printer refuses to
print a page,
   but just blinks all three lights, specify large margins  (e.g.
600 pixels --
   one inch) via pbmpage invocation options while doing the cali-
bration.

   For example: pbmpage | pbmtoppa >/dev/lp1

   or pbmpage | pbmtoppa | lpr -l

   (if your printer filter recognizes the  '-l'	 (direct  output)
parameter).

   In  the  test pattern, the grid is marked off in pixel coordi-
nate numbers.
   Unfortunately, these coordinates are probably cut  off  before
the edge of the
   paper.  You'll have to use a ruler to estimate the pixel coor-
dinate of the
   left and top edges of the actual sheet  of  paper  (should  be
within +/- 300,
   may be negative; there are 600 pixels per inch).

   Add	 these	 coordinates   to   the X and Y offsets by either
editing the
   configuration file or using the -x and -y command-line parame-
ters.

   When	 pbmtoppa  is properly calibrated, the center mark should
be in the
   center of the paper. Also, the margins should be able to be as
small as 1/4
   inch	 without  causing  the	printer	 to  choke with 'blinking
lights syndrome'.

REDHAT LINUX INSTALLATION

   RedHat  users  may  find  the  following  tip  from	Panayotis
Vryonis
     helpful. The same should work for the 820 and
1000, but it
   hasn't been tested. Also, use the pbmraw GSDriver if you  have
it; it's
   faster.

   Here	 is a tip to intergrate HP720C support in RedHat's print-
tool:

   Install pbmtoppa. Copy pbmtoppa to /usr/bin.

   Edit	  "printerdb"	(in   my   system   it	 is   found    in
/usr/lib/rhs/rhs-printfilters
   )  and  append  the following lines: ----------------------Cut
here-----------------------

StartEntry: DeskJet720C
  GSDriver: pbm
  Description: {HP DeskJet 720C}
  About: {	   This	 driver	 supports  the	HP  DeskJet  720C
inkjet	printer.	 It does does not support color printing.
IMPORTANT! Insert	       "- |  pbm2ppa  -"	  in  the
"Extra GS Otions" field.      }

  Resolution: {600} {600} {}

EndEntry ----------------------------------------------------

   Now	you  can add an HP720C printer just like any other, using
printtool.

SEE ALSO

   pbmpage, pstopnm, pbm

   pnm2ppa is not part of Netpbm, but does  the	 same  things  as
pbmtoppa except
   it	 also	 works	 with	color  and  has	 lots  more  fea-
tures.	See
   .

   The file INSTALL-MORE in the pbmtoppa directory of the  Netpbm
source code
   contains  detailed  instructions on setting up a system to use
pbmtoppa to
   allow convenient printing on HP PPA printers. It  was  written
by Michael
   Buehlmann.

   For	 information  about  the  PPA protocol and the separately
distributed
   pbm2ppa    program	 from	 which	   pbmtoppa    was    de-
rived,	 see
   .

AUTHOR

   Tim	Norman. Copyright (C) 1998. Licensed under GNU Public Li-
cense

   Manual page by Bryan Henderson, May 2000.
     _________________________________________________________________



Table Of Contents

     * NAME
     * SYNOPSIS
     * DESCRIPTION
     * OPTIONS
     * CONFIGURATION FILES
     * EXAMPLES
     * CALIBRATION
     * REDHAT LINUX INSTALLATION
     * SEE ALSO
     * AUTHOR
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