Re: can't print from acroread

[Erdmut Pfeifer <e.pfeifer@science-computing.de>]

On Fri, Mar 16, 2001 at 01:01:31PM -0800, peanut butter wrote:
> > can you print the file in question if you have acroread direct its
> > output to a file, which you then send to the printer manually?
> > Can you view the resulting PS-file in ghostscript?
> 
> Yes to both.  Sorry not to mention this right off.  I mentioned this the
> first time I attempted to post this message but apparently wasn't yet
> fully subscribed and neglected to save myself a copy.
> 
> If I save the file as a postscript from the acroread print pop-up
> window, I can print the job without a problem from the command line
> and, thus, to no surprise, can also correctly display it with gv.
> Thus, the job seems to somehow never be making it outside acroread.
> 
> In trying to diagnose the problem, I tried using another printer that I
> didn't realize hadn't been configured for the system by changing the
> printer command to "/usr/bin/lpr -Plex".  I received the same print
> error message I would have received from lprng if I had tried this from
> the command line yet it was displayed within a pop-up window from
> acroread.  So obviously acroread is talking to lprng to some degree.

well, this is really a little strange...

Perhaps you might want to try the following to get some more information:

Write a shell script something like

#!/bin/sh
ls -l $1 >/tmp/acroprint-debug.$$
cp $1 /tmp/acroprint-out.$$
/usr/bin/lpr -P<printer> $1          # substitute your printer here
echo $? >>/tmp/acroprint-debug.$$

  (the .$$ are not required, they just create a seperate pair of files
  for each try, with the PID appended)

and run this instead of the /usr/bin/lpr from acroread's print dialogbox
(e.g. Printer Command: "/home/name/test-print"  -- no further options)

This should

(a) give you some info about the temp-file that acroread creates (-> ls)
(b) copy the temp-file to a safe place, before it gets deleted (-> cp)
(c) try to run the actual print command -- maybe it works from here
(d) capture the return code of the print command -- should be 0 if OK

Then you can also compare the /tmp/acroprint-out with the file you
created when printing directly to a file from within the dialogbox.
I guess both files should be identical.

Also, feel free to add other debugging commands you could think of
to the script...


Don't know whether it helps ;)
Erdmut


-- 
Erdmut Pfeifer
science+computing ag

-- Bugs come in through open windows. Keep Windows shut! --