Printing FAQ

The printer is out of paper!

Send a note to isrl-support@mail.isrl.uiuc.edu to let us know. If someone is in the ISRL workshop (room 345), they should also be able to help. We do try to keep the printer stocked.

Where is the "secret stash" of paper? It's 03:00am and no-one else is here!

When we load the paper in the printers, sometimes we place some overflow off to the side in the lower paper tray (tray 3) of HP5si. If it's an emergency, check there and use that, but take the time to send a note to isrl-support@mail.isrl.uiuc.edu to let us know. If someone uses this "secret stash" then there's no emergency reserve.

How do I print under Linux?

The default printer on the iworkXX Linux workstations should work. The default printer is hp5si. You can specify hp4si to print to the hp4si. Both of these printers are located in Room 341, affectionately known as "The Fishbowl".

Under Mozilla, the printer "PostScript/Default" will print to hp5si

How do I print under Solaris?

You will need to specify the printer to the lpr in the solaris format. To use HP5si, use the command:

   lpr -P shares.isrl.uiuc.edu:hp5si filename.ps
   

How do I print under Windows?

The default printer will be hp5si. You may be able to change this in the control panel.

I'm having problems with printing (i.e. bad fonts, bad font alignment, et cetera). Is there a test page that I can print?

The printers understand PostScript, so the most basic test should be done with a simple PostScript document. Here is a very rudimentary PostScript document:

%!
/Times-Roman findfont 72 scalefont
100 100 moveto 
(Testing) show 
showpage

How do I see whether my job is printed or in the queue?

From the Unix side, you should be able to query the printer queues on shares with the lpq command. For more information on lpq refer to the man page (by typing man lpq).

How do I remove my print job?

From the Unix side, you should be able to query the print queue with the lpq command. Find the job number for your job and use the lprm command to remove the print job. You may have to run this command from the machine on which you submitted the job.

My job didn't print. Should I send it again?

Check the print queue and see whether there's a problem. If there is a problem, you should email isrl-support@mail.isrl.uiuc.edu. Do not resubmit your job without trying to find out what the problem is.

Are there print quotas?

No quotas are enforced at present, although logging is done. If printing becomes a major expense, this policy may be changed

How could I get my question answered on this FAQ?

Mail your printing question to isrl-support@mail.isrl.uiuc.edu and suggest that it be placed in the Printing FAQ.

Is this FAQ on-line?

It is on the ISRL systems page under User Documentation. The systems page is:

http://www.isrl.uiuc.edu/systems

My workstation says the printer is on fire?!

Probably not... you might check the printer to see what the problem might be.