[WEB4LIB] printing

[Luis Domingues]

Hello

We have developed a client-server program for controlling public terminal
printouts.
It is made of three modules: server, client (which must be run from the
public terminal) and manager (which can create/delete/change users).
This program has been tested in Windows NT 4.0 Workstation/Server and two HP
laser printers (non-postscript), but should work with any printer (in NT
OS).
It doesn't require additional hardware, besides the client computer (which
runs printclient), the server computer (which runs printserver) and the
printer, of course.

More information at:
http://www.libri.ucp.pt/systems/general/printman/

Regards,

Luis Filipe F. F. Domingues                   E-Mail: lfd at libri.ucp.pt
Biblioteca Universitária João Paulo II        Home Page:
http://www.libri.ucp.pt/
Universidade Católica Portuguesa              Tel: +351 21 7214019
Palma de Cima                                 Fax: +351 21 7214010
1600 Lisboa
Portugal

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org]On Behalf Of John West
Sent: Quinta-feira, 15 de Junho de 2000 22:42
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [WEB4LIB] printing


I am cross-posting this in hopes of finding an inexpensive solution to
providing printing to our public access patrons.

Austin College is a small liberal arts college of 1,200 students.  We have
a microcomputer classroom in our library open to students, faculty and
staff.  All other patrons must use the computers we have provided outside
of this facility - Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 PCs.  We provide access to
the Internet through these machines which also have Fortres 101 to protect
against general mischief.  In the past we have provided printing by
permitting the downloading of files to the floppy drive and then having the
person bring the diskette to our Circulation Desk.  From there we locate
the file and print it out.

To do this, a patron must follow some published instructions which
indicated how he/she was to use the Save As function to save the file.

I would prefer to:

1) have each person simply Print from the web browser, but we are concerned
about wasteful printing and in controlling the print jobs themselves
2) if not 1) then have them Save As to a network available drive from which
we can select whichever file we want to print (after establishing from our
patron which file(s) to print

Unfortunately, I don't seem able to have a printer that will use the
special Print to File as a shared printer over a network.  If that worked
perhaps we could manipulate the print queue to our advantage, but I haven't
been able to get that to work.  In sharing the printer, everything sent to
it prints OK, but we have no real control over deciding which of the jobs
in the print queue are to be printed.

In sharing a space on a hard drive for others to 'save as' to, and from
there to have it printed, I've found that certain file types create
problems (.cgi; .pl; .asp) not that they can't be worked around but simply
having those files opened by Netscape hasn't worked well though changing
the extension to .htm or .html allows them to be opened and printed (most
of the .asp, .pl, and .cgi files seem to have others like them embedded so
Netscape tried to open each instance individually - nope, don't want
that).  Since they are saved files instead of printed files they have lost
some information along the way.  If they had been Printed, all of the
images would be there instead of rather ugly looking place holders.  I am
anticipating statements like, "Well, it didn't look like that when I saved
it?"

If anyone has an inexpensive way to manipulate a print queue, or advice on
this other than the prior discussions on debit print cards, UniPrint,
GoPrint, etc., please email me directly.

yrs,

John



John R. West             "always the beautiful
Assoc. College Librarian/ answer who asks a
Systems Administrator     more beautiful
Abell Library Center      question..."
Austin College              Edward Estlin Cummings
900 N. Grand Avenue       "If they can get you to
Sherman, TX  75090-4440   ask the wrong questions
phone: 903-813-2536       then they don't need to
fax: 903-813-2297         worry about the answers."
e-mail:jwest at austinc.edu     Thomas Pynchon