Printing from CSSE Linux Accounts
There are three printers queues available to undergraduate users of CSSE Linux accounts. The names of these printer queues are: "FollowYou-BlackAndWhite", "FollowYou-Colour" and "JackErskine136", respectively.
The JackErskine136 is a colour printer located in CSSE Lab4. The two FollowYou queues print to Black and white or Colour MFD's (Scanner/copier/printer) devices around campus. To collect your printout place your Canterbury Card on the scanning device and release the printing. This can be done an various devices around campus. The ones in this building are located in CSSE lab 2 and the Crypt JE001 and level 3 south side in the Jack Erskine building. Details on finding and using the devices can be found in the ITS section of the UC web pages ITS knowledge section of the UC web pagesMost Linux applications, such as Firefox and Thunderbird, can send files directly to the printer by using the "Print ..." (Ctrl+P) command from the "File" menu, without having to use any of the commands described below for specific types of files.
Printing a "Portable Document Format" (PDF) file
Documents that are produced by a word processor, and/or those that include graphics, are usually provided as PDF files (especially on the Web), and are a compressed version of the PostScript format which is compatible with most systems. If you have a PDF file (whose names usually end in ".pdf"; e.g. "blarg.pdf") then you can view and print it (as above) using the `evince' command:
`evince blarg.pdf'
For more information, see the man(ual) page: `man evince'.
Printing a "Text" file
Text files contain ordinary (ASCII) text. Program source files are one type of text file. The best way to print text files is to use the "Any-to-PostScript" utility: `a2ps'. This provides a very wide range of options to format the output in various ways, but the defaults generally give excellent results. For example, to print the text file, "blarg":
`a2ps blarg'
For more information, see the man(ual) page: `man a2ps'.
Printing a "PostScript" (PS) file
Documents that are produced by a word processor, and/or those that include graphics, are always converted to PostScript format (or PDF) to be printed. If you have a PostScript file (whose names usually end in ".ps"; e.g. "blarg.ps") then you can view it using the `gv (ghostview)' command, or print it directly to the printer (which prints only PS files) using the `lpr' command:
`gv blarg.ps'
`lpr blarg.ps'
For more information, see the man(ual) pages: `man gv' and `man lpr'.
To save paper, `psnup', `a2ps' and `mpage' squeeze multiple pages (2, 4, 8 or 9) of a PostScript file on to one page (`a2ps' and `mpage' work for text files as well as PostScript files). For example:
`mpage -P -4 -A X_oheads.ps | lpr'
For more information, see the man(ual) pages: `man mpage' and `man psnup'.
Printing a LaTeX "Device Independent" (DVI) file
The "LaTeX" document preparation system produces "device independent" (DVI) files. DVI files (whose names usually end in ".dvi") can be viewed on-screen using the `xdvi' command. To print a .dvi file, it must first be converted to PostScript format by the `dvips' command. For example, to convert and print the DVI file, "blarg.dvi":
`dvips blarg'
`lpr blarg.ps'
For more information, see the man(ual) pages: `man xdvi' and `man dvips'.
Printing a "Troff" file
"Troff" is a document processing system that predates "LaTeX". The `groff' command typesets "Troff" files into PostScript format. For example, `groff -man' is the command used to produce a PostScript file from a "Troff" manual page, whereas `nroff' "typesets" Troff files in a format suitable for listing on an ASCII terminal.
For more information, see the man(ual) pages: `man groff' and `man nroff'.
Print Queues
The `lpq' shell command lists print jobs currently in the queue. To cancel a queued job use the shell command:
`lprm request-id'
where "request-id" is the value printed in the "Job" column by `lpq' for the print job you want to delete. Note that `lpr', `lpq' and `lprm' can be instructed to operate on a printer other than the default one using the " -P" option.
Print Charging
Printing on CSSE printers is charged to each student's ICTS account. If the balance of a student's ICTS account drops below $0.0, then they will be unable to print until they deposit more money in their ICTS account.
You should take sensible steps to limit your printing by viewing material on-screen (say in a different window), and printing source programs "n-up" (two or more pages per sheet). Please avoid unnecessary printouts---they are environmentally unfriendly and cost you money!
