Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Is LP Plus a separate UNIX print system?

Answer: YES! LP Plus does not utilize or rely on any part of the existing lp or lpr print services. In fact, LP Plus can run concurrently with the existing UNIX lp, lpr, or enq system. It installs as a separate print system and will not affect current print operations.

Question: Will LP Plus tell me how many total pages in a print request?

Answer: YES! In fact, it will actually show you in real-time as the pages are counting up (spooling) and printing (de-spooling).

Question: Can I restart a print request from any page I want?

Answer: YES! If a request stops printing for any reason (e.g., paper runs out, off-line, paper jam) or is suspended by a user, LP Plus shows you what page it stopped on. When you restart the request, LP Plus defaults to the last page printed but allows you to specify any page. This applies to ASCII text and Postscript documents.

Question: Can I tell LP Plus to keep a print request in the print queue even after it prints?

Answer: YES! You can set a purge time (e.g., 5 minutes) so that after a request prints it will remain accessible. You can then restart the request for more copies or any other of the many options with LP Plus. You can also set a request to "no purge" in which case it will remain in the queue until you purge it.

Question: Can I view a report while it is in the queue?

Answer: YES! By pressing the "v" (view) key, your text report is displayed in an interface just for this purpose. If the report is wide (132 columns) and you are on an 80-column terminal, you can view the whole report by horizontal panning. LP Plus can also place your terminal in wide mode automatically if you choose. You know what printable page you are on as displayed on the Page X of X indication. You can go to any page you wish, search for text, and even print a range of pages while you view!

Question: Can I change the priority of a request after it is in the queue?

Answer: YES! You can change the priority any time until it is printing. After selecting the new priority, the request will move to its new position in the queue.

Question: How does LP Plus integrate with my application?

Answer: The commands for LP Plus are similar to those of lp. Many of them just have a "dcc" prefix (e.g., dcclp, dccenable, dccsched, dccshut, etc.). The dcclp command used for submitting print requests (dcclp -d printer -f form -n # copies) is compatible with the SVR4 lp command (lp -d printer -f form -n # copies). In most cases, after setting up your printers with LP Plus you would just change the command your application uses to call the spooler from lp to dcclp or you can replace or "link" LP Plus to lp. To do this you just run a provided script that does this for you (dcclplink). You can go back to lp by unlinking LP Plus from lp (dcclpunlink).

Question: Can I print across a TCP/IP network?

Answer: YES! LP Plus emulates the LPD/LPR network protocol (RFC 1179). This means that LP Plus can print to, and receive from, other UNIX systems without the need to have LP Plus on those systems. This also allows LP Plus to print to network printers such as HP JetDirect or any application/gateway that emulates the LPD/LPR protocol. This includes LP Plus NovPrint and WinPrint (also from Digital Controls) which provide bi-directional printing using LPD/LPR for Novell 3.11 or greater, Windows 3.11, 95, and NT. LP Plus also provides seamless centralized printer and queue management across dissimilar UNIX hosts.

Question: Does LP Plus work with Ethernet terminal servers and print servers?

Answer: YES! LP Plus works with most terminal servers (Digi, Equinox, Xylogic, etc.) and print servers (Axis, Intel, HP, Milan, etc.) through named pipes, pseudo ttys, vendor supplied software, or direct port addressing through LP Plus.

Question: How does LP Plus handle pre-printed forms?

Answer: With LP Plus there is a form associated (mounted on) with a printer. As print requests are submitted to the printer they also have a form associated with them (the default is "stock"). When a request gets to the top of the print queue, it prints if the form mounted on the printer is the same as the one with the request. If not, the request status goes to "fpend" (form pending) and the request will not print until the correct form is mounted on the printer. This prevents other requests from printing on pre-printed forms.

Question: How does the free evaluation process work?

Answer: The free evaluation is the entire product including complete documentation. This will run for 30 days from the time it is installed on your system During the evaluation period, or after it expires, you may purchase a license for the number or printers you wish to use LP Plus with.

Question: How is LP Plus licensed?

Answer: LP Plus is licensed by the number of printers you have added through the LP Plus administration system. The license levels are 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, and Unlimited printers.

Question: Do I have to license all of my printers?

Answer: NO. You only license the printers you want to have better control over. For example, if you have 12 printers on your system where eight print small jobs and four are for large print jobs with many pages or high volume, you would only need to license the 4 printers and let lp or lpr handle the rest.

Question: What platforms does LP Plus run on?

Answer: IBM AIX, DEC UNIX, Intel SVR4 (UnixWare, Unisys, NCR, Sequent, etc.), DG/UX, HP/UX, SCO UNIX V4/5, Solaris 2.X.

Question: How do I use LP Plus? Can my users/customers use it with minimal training?

Answer: There are three ways to use LP Plus. One is to execute commands form the UNIX command line (like UNIX lp and lpr). The second is via the LP Plus Status and Operation user interface (dccstat pictured below). This interface allows any user to manage and see the status of their print requests. This is done by displaying a real-time status of print requests (queues) and the printers (e.g., shows page counts and request status changes as they print). All commands issued to print requests and printers are accomplished with pop-up window interaction. For example, to change the number of copies for a request, the user positions the cursor on the request and presses the "n" (number of copies) key which presents them with a window asking for the number of copies needed. To change the printer destination, the user presses the "d" (destination) key and is presented with a list of valid destinations. The third method is from the Windows client provided by WinPrint.

Got Another Question?

Call (800) 274-1627 and ask to speak to an LP Plus representative or click here to e-mail your question.