NAME
    pbmtoppa  - convert PBM image to HP Printer Performance Architecture
    (PPA)

SYNOPSIS
    pbmtoppa

    [pbm_file [ppa_file]]

DESCRIPTION
    pbmtoppa converts page images in PBM format to Hewlett Packard's PPA
    (Printer  Performance Architecture) format, which is the data stream
    format expected by some HP "Windows-only" printers including the HP
    Deskjet 820C series, the HP DeskJet 720 series, and the HP DeskJet 1000
    series.

    pbm_file is the file specification of the input file or - for Standard
    Input. The default is Standard Input.

    The input file contains one or more PBM images, with each one being a
    single page. Each image must have the exact dimensions of a page (at
    600 pixels per  inch in both directions). Significantly, this is the
    format the Ghostscript produces.

    ppa_file is the file specification of the output file or - for Standard
    Output. The default is Standard Output.

    To print Postscript on an HP PPA printer, just use Ghostscript with the
    pbmraw (or pbm) device driver.

    You can generate a test page for use with this program with pbmpage.

    You can also set up a printer filter so you can submit PBM  input
    directly  to your print queue. See the documentation for your print
    spooler for information on how to do that, or look in hp820install.doc
    for an example lpd print filter for Postscript and text files.

    Sometimes, pbmtoppa generates a file which the printer will not print
    (because pbmtoppa's input is unprintable).  When this  happens, all
    three lights blink to signal the error.  This is usually because there
    is material outside of the printer's printable area. To make the file
    print, increase  the margins via pbmtoppa options or a configuration
    file. See the CALIBRATION section below.

    -v version
    printer version (720, 820, or 1000)

    -x xoff
    vertical offset adjustment in 1"/600

    -y yoff
    horizontal offset adjustment in 1"/600

    -t topmarg
    top margin in 1"/600  (default: 150 = 0.25")

    -l leftmarg
    left margin in 1"/600  (default: 150 = 0.25")

    -r rightmarg
    right margin in 1"/600 (default: 150 = 0.25")

    -b botmarg
    bottom margin in 1"/600 (default: 150 = 0.25")

    -s paper
    paper size: us or a4. Default is us.

    -f cfgfile
    read parameters from configuration file cfgfile

    The -x and -y options accumulate.

    The -v option resets the horizontal and  vertical adjustments to an
    internal default.

CONFIGURATION FILES
    You can  use configuration files to specify parameters rather than use
    invocation options. pbmtoppa processes the file /etc/pbmtoppa.conf, if
    it exists, before processing any options. It then processes each con-
    figuration file named by a -f option in order, applying the parameters
    from the configuration file as if they were invocation options used in
    the place of the -f option.

    Configuration files have the following format:

    #Comment
    key1 value1
    key2 value2
    [etc.]

    Valid keys are version, xoffset, yoffset, topmargin, leftmargin, right-
    margin, bottommargin, papersize, or any non-null prefix of these words.
    Valid values are the same as with the corresponding invocation parame-
    ters.

EXAMPLES
    Print a test pattern:

    pbmpage | pbmppa >/dev/lp1

    Print three pages:

    cat page1.pbm page2.pbm page3.pbm | pbmppa >/dev/lp1

    Print the Postscript file myfile.ps:

    gs -sDEVICE=rawpbm -q -dNOPAUSE -r600 \
  -sOutputFile=- myfile.ps \
    | pbmtoppa | lpr

CALIBRATION
    To be able to print successfully and properly, you need to tell pbm-
    toppa an X and a Y offset appropriate for your printer to use when gen-
    erating the page.  You can specify these offsets with the -x and -y
    invocation options or with the xoff and yoff parameters in a pbmtoppa
    configuration file.

    To determine the correct offsets, use the pbmpage program.

    If while trying to do this calibration, the printer refuses to print a
    page, but just blinks all three lights, specify large margins (e.g. 600
    pixels -- one inch) via pbmpage invocation options while doing the cal-
    ibration.

    For example:

    pbmpage | pbmtoppa >/dev/lp1
    or
    pbmpage | pbmtoppa | lpr -l
    (if your printer filter recognizes the '-l' (direct output) parameter).

    In the test pattern, the grid is marked off in pixel coordinate num-
    bers. Unfortunately, these coordinates are probably cut off before the
    edge of  the paper. You'll have to use a ruler to estimate the pixel
    coordinate of the left and top edges of  the actual sheet of  paper
    (should be within +/- 300, may be negative; there are 600 pixels per
    inch).

    Add these coordinates to the X and Y offsets by either editing the con-
    figuration file or using the -x and -y command-line parameters.

    When pbmtoppa is properly calibrated, the center mark should be in the
    center of the paper. Also, the margins should be able to be as  small
    as 1/4 inch without causing the printer to choke with 'blinking lights
    syndrome'.

REDHAT LINUX INSTALLATION
    RedHat users may find the following tip from Panayotis Vryonis  <vry-
    pan@hol.gr> helpful. The same should work for the 820 and 1000, but it
    hasn't been tested. Also, use the pbmraw GSDriver if you have it; it's
    faster.

    Here is a tip to intergrate HP720C support in RedHat's printtool:

    Install pbm2ppa. Copy pbm2ppa to /usr/bin.

    Edit "printerdb" (in my system it is found in /usr/lib/rhs/rhs-print-
    filters ) and append the following lines:

    ----------------------Cut here-----------------------
    StartEntry: DeskJet720C
  GSDriver: pbm
  Description: {HP DeskJet 720C}
  About: { \
     This driver supports the HP DeskJet 720C \
     inkjet printer. \
     It does does not support color printing. \
     IMPORTANT! Insert \
    "- | pbm2ppa -" \
     in the "Extra GS Otions" field.\
    }
  Resolution: {600} {600} {}
    EndEntry ----------------------------------------------------

    Now you can add an HP720C printer just like any other, using printtool.

SEE ALSO
   pbmpage(1),pstopnm(1), pbm(5)

    pnm2ppa is not  part of Netpbm, but does the same things as pbmtoppa
    except it also works with color  and has lots  more features.  See
    <http://sourceforge.net/project/?group_id=1322>.

    The file INSTALL-MORE in the pbmtoppa directory of the Netpbm source
    code contains detailed instructions on setting up a system to use pbm-
    toppa to allow convenient printing on HP PPA printers. It was written
    by Michael Buehlmann.

    For information about the PPA protocol and the separately distributed
    pbm2ppa  program  from  which  pbmtoppa  was derived,  see
    <http://www.httptech.com/ppa>.

AUTHOR
    Tim Norman. Copyright (C) 1998.  Licensed under GNU Public License

    Manual page by Bryan Henderson, May 2000.