lp(C) 19 June 1992 lp(C) Name lp - send requests to lineprinter Syntax lp [ options ] files lp -i request-id [ options ] Description The first form of the lp shell command arranges for the named files and associated information (collectively called a request) to be printed. If no filenames are specified on the command line, the standard input is assumed. The standard input may be specified along with named files on the command line, by specifying the files as arguments to lp before the standard input. The files will be printed in the order they appear on the command line. The second form of lp is used to change the options for a request. The print request identified by the request-id is changed according to the printing options specified with this shell command. The printing options available are the same as those with the first form of the lp shell com- mand. If request-id has finished printing, the change is rejected. If request-id is already printing, it will be stopped and restarted from the beginning, unless the -P option has been given. This form of lp can not be used to change the options for a remote printing request. lp associates a unique id with each request and prints it on the standard output. This id can be used later to cancel, change, or find the status of the request. (See lpstat(C) for information about checking the status of a print request.) For remote printing, lp only supports -d, -n, and -t options. Options to lp must always precede filenames but may be listed in any order. The following options are available for lp: -c When lp runs, it immediately creates a copy of the files specified for printing. The copies are subsequently printed. Changes made to a file after the lp command is issued but before the file is printed will therefore not be reflected in the printed output. Versions of lp in earlier releases did not create a copy of the print files unless the -c flag was used (to indicate that copies of the print files should be made). Because this is now the default behaviour for lp, this flag is retained solely for backward compatability, and need not be used. -d dest Prints this request using dest as the printer or class of printers. Under certain conditions (lack of printer availa- bility, capabilities of printers, and so on), requests for specific destinations may not be accepted (see accept(ADM) and lpstat(C)). By default, dest is taken from the environ- ment variable LPDEST (if it is set). Otherwise, a default destination (if one exists) for the computer system is used. Destination names vary between systems (see lpstat(C)). -f form-name [ -d any ] Prints the request on the form form-name. The LP print ser- vice ensures that the form is mounted on the printer. If form-name is requested with a printer destination that cannot support the form, the request is rejected. If form-name has not been defined for the system or if the user is not allowed to use the form, the request is rejected (see lpforms(ADM)). When the -d any option is given, the request is printed on any printer that has the requested form mounted and can han- dle all other needs of the print request. -H special-handling Prints the request according to the value of special- handling. Acceptable values for special-handling are hold, resume, and immediate, as defined below: hold Will not print the request until notified. If already print- ing, stops it. Other print requests will go ahead of a held request until it is resumed. resume Resumes a held request. If it had been printing when held, it will be the next request printed, unless subsequently overridden by an immediate request. immediate (Available only to LP administrators) Prints the request next. If more than one request is assigned immediate, the requests are printed in the reverse order queued. If a request is currently printing on the desired printer, you have to put it on hold to allow the immediate request to print. -m Sends mail (see mail(C)) after the files have been printed. By default, no mail is sent upon normal completion of the print request. -n number Prints number copies of the output (default is 1). -o option Specifies printer-dependent or class-dependent options. Several such options may be collected by specifying the -o keyletter more than once. The standard interface recognizes the following options: nobanner Does not print a banner page with this request. (The administrator can disallow this option at any time.) nofilebreak Does not insert a form feed between the files given if sub- mitting a job to print more than one file. length=scaled-decimal-number Prints the output of this request with pages scaled- decimal-number lines long. A scaled-decimal-number is an optionally scaled decimal number that gives a size in lines, columns, inches, or centimeters, as appropriate. The scale is indicated by appending the letter ``i'' (for inches) or the letter ``c'' (for centimeters). For length or width set- tings, an unscaled number indicates lines or columns; for line pitch or character pitch settings, an unscaled number indicates lines per inch or characters per inch (the same as a number scaled with ``i''). For example, length=66 indi- cates a page length of 66 lines, length=11i indicates a page length of 11 inches, and length=27.94c indicates a page length of 27.94 centimeters. This option cannot be used with the -f option. width=scaled-decimal-number Prints the output of this request with page-width set to scaled-decimal- number columns wide. (See the explanation above for scaled-decimal- numbers.) This option cannot be used with the -f option. lpi=scaled-decimal-number Prints this request for ``lines per inch'' with the line pitch set to scaled-decimal-number lines per inch. This option cannot be used with the -f option. TP 12 cpi=scaled- decimal-number Prints this request for ``characters per inch'' with the character pitch set to scaled-decimal-number characters per inch. Character pitch can also be set to pica (representing 10 columns per inch) or elite (representing 12 columns per inch), or it can be compressed, to print as many columns as the printer can handle. There is no standard num- ber of columns per inch for all printers; see the terminfo(F) database for the default character pitch for your printer. The cpi option cannot be used in conjunction with the -f option. stty=stty-option-list Set the printer with a list of options valid for the stty command. Enclose the list with quotes if it contains blanks. -P page-list Prints the page(s) specified in page-list. This option can be used only if there is a filter available to handle it; otherwise, the print request will be rejected. The page-list may consist of range(s) of numbers, single page numbers, or a combination of both. The pages will be printed in ascending order. -q priority-level Assigns this request priority-level in the printing queue. The values of priority-level range from 0, the highest prior- ity, to 39, the lowest priority. If a priority is not speci- fied, the default for the print service is used, as assigned by the system administrator. -s Suppresses messages from lp(C) such as ``request id is ...''. -S character-set [ -d any ] -S print-wheel [ -d any ] Prints this request using the specified character-set or print-wheel. If a form has been specified that requires a character-set or print-wheel other than the one specified with the -S option, the request is rejected. For printers that take print wheels: if the print-wheel specified is not one listed by the administrator as accept- able for the printer involved in this request, the request is rejected unless the print wheel is already mounted on the printer. For printers that use selectable or programmable character sets: if the character-set specified is not one defined in the terminfo database for the printer (see terminfo(F)) or is not an alias defined by the administrator, the request is rejected. When the -d any option is used, the request is printed on any printer that has the print wheel mounted or any printer that can select the character set and can handle all other needs of the request. -t title Prints title on the banner page of the output. The default is no title. -T content-type [ -r ] While the printer type information tells the print service what type of printer is being added, the content type infor- mation tells the print service what types of files can be printed. Prints the request on a printer that can support the specified content-type. If no printer accepts this type directly, a filter will be used to convert the content into an acceptable type. If the -r option is specified, a filter will not be used. If -r is specified but no printer accepts the content-type directly, the request is rejected. If the content-type is not acceptable to any printer, either directly or with a filter, the request is rejected. -w Writes a message on the user's terminal after the files have been printed. If the user is not logged in or the terminal cannot be written to (mesg is n), then mail will be sent instead. -y mode-list Prints this request according to the printing modes listed in mode-list. The allowed values for mode-list are locally defined. This option can be used only if there is a filter available to handle it; if there is no filter, the print request will be rejected. -R Removes file after sending it. -L Local printing option. Sends print job to printer attached to the terminal. The file /etc/default/lpd contains the setting of the variable BANNERS, whose value is the number of pages printed as a banner identifying each printout. This is normally set to either 0 or 1. The variables LPR and PRINTER can each be set to `spooler' or `local'. These variables let you send files to the spool printer or the terminal's local printer, respectively. The file /usr/bin/spool contains the `spooler' setting for both variables. The file /usr/bin/local contains the `local' setting. The following are a few examples of variable usage: lp -option spooler LPR=local LPR=spooler spool lp -option device file Printers for which requests are not being accepted will not be considered when the destination is any. (Use the lpstat -a command to see which printers are accepting requests.) On the other hand, if a request is destined for a class of printers and the class itself is accepting requests, all printers in the class will be considered, regardless of their acceptance status, as long as the printer class is accepting requests. lpr is a link to lp. These names may be used interchangeably. For print- ers that take mountable print wheels or font cartridges, if you do not specify a particular print wheel or font with the -S option, whichever happens to be mounted at the time your request prints will be used. Use the lpstat -p -l command to see what print wheels are available. For printers that have selectable character sets, you will get the standard set if you don't give the -S option. Files /usr/spool/lp/* /etc/default/lpd /usr/spool/lpd /etc/printcap /etc/hosts.equiv See Also accept(ADM), cancel(C), enable(C), lpadmin(ADM), lpfilter(ADM), lpforms(ADM), lpsched(ADM), lpstat(C), lpusers(ADM), mail(C), terminfo(F) Standards conformance lp is conformant with: AT&T SVID Issue 2; and X/Open Portability Guide, Issue 3, 1989.