Printer without driver

[Joel]

It's hard to tell what you're saying. Yes, even Windows includes an FTP
client, and yes, it can be used to transfer files to a JetDirect. Kind
of sounds like you're saying that since most people don't use it, it
doesn't exist, but that can't be right.

Yes, you may send file to JetDirect or JetInDirect, but the JetDirect and
JetInDirect will have to communicate with the printer via Printer Driver.

I don't say it's exist or not, but I only say that if you want to PRINT
then the system will have to have Printer Driver installed in order to
print. Samething

- In order to transfer a data from one system to other you will need
Tranfering Protocol.

- In order to communicate with the printer the system will need Printer
Driver

- In orer to print the Printer Driver will have to have correct command to
send to the printer.

And as I said the only way you can Print without Printer Driver is "Print
To File"

And Print Server is a SERVER not printer driver so it may allow to have
access to printer, but the printer just won't print without Printer Driver.

As I show below, you are mistaken.

Then give and prove your point.

I did, but let me repeat:

In more detail, and even on Windows:

Run Notepad.
Type in a few lines of text:

"Printers can print files in their native PDLs without drivers.
This page is proof of that."

Save the file as sample.txt. This is a plain ASCII file.
Close Notepad.
Start a command shell (cmd).
FTP the file to the printer. For this example, we have a JetDirect
print server at 192.168.1.50:

ftp 192.168.1.50

Connected to laser.
230 FTP Server Ready
User (lasernone)):

Press Enter for no user name.

331 Enter password.
Password:

Press Enter for no password.

230-Hewlett-Packard FTP Print Server Version 3.0.

Directory: Description:
--------------------------
PORT hp LaserJet 4250

To print a file use the command put <filename> [portx]
or 'cd' to a desired port and use put <filename>.

230 User logged in.
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.

ftp>

put sample.txt

200 Port command successful.
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection.
226-Ready
226-Processing job.
226 Transfer complete.
ftp: 91 bytes sent in 0.00Seconds 91000.00Kbytes/sec.
ftp>

And the page prints. Yes, I actually did this to collect the output
above.

quit (to leave the FTP program).

On this particular printer, it would have also have worked if the sample
file was PostScript, PCL, or PDF.

No driver was used to create the file or to print it.

I see you try to use the printing command, but it doesn't mean anything,
and as I said in order to print something to PAPER the printer must have
Printer Driver installed in order to print.

And that's why the printer manufactures always include Printer Driver for
different OS, and this is why we have incompatible and upgrading driver now
and then.

 

[Joel]

AFAIR the old dot matrix printers didn't need drivers,
you just sent ASCII characters to them, just like
you used to do with the ASR33 Teletypes, and Dec
Writer page printers.
The drivers came in when you had to convert an
application produced document to something
the printer could understand.
And if you got it wrong, instead of a nice printed
page you got sheet after sheet of Postscript
command language, and had to pull the plug
before you ran out of paper.

Old DOT Matrix printer may not need specific driver to print the standard
ASCII character, or the OS has built-in enough commands to send to printer.
But when you want to print some fancy font then even the matrix printer will
require driver to do some fancy printing.

I do remember the good old day that with some BBS we can send some
printing command in message, so the remote printer of any user who read that
text message will start printing.

 

[Martin Trautmann]

You must be kidding right? and why not saying that all Windows OSes come
FPT application that most people don't use.

It's a rather straightforward task to set up a print driver which does
catch files by ftp and sends them to the printer - and it is possible to
build this funtion into a network printer directly.

And Print Server is a SERVER not printer driver so it may allow to have
access to printer, but the printer just won't print without Printer Driver.

The more you built into the printer, the less has to be done by its
driver. It does make the printer more expensive and lexx flexible, but
you may have certain improvements which are worth the effort.

Then give and prove your point.

"ftp" something to any receiver, e.g. as ps, could be set up to work
this way, you agree? From the sender's point of view it does not matter
how it is done, but it can be done - and it can be even done for .doc,
..xls and anything else.

Even the manual operation is something which proves this point: burn a
PDF to disk, send this to a copy shop and they may print and return it
to you, without any need for any driver on your own side. All you might
need is a credit card and some post men.

There must be some kind of interface between computer and printer
anywhere - but there are many print servers around which have more or
less unidirectional communication only and it's a matter of definition
what you may call driving and what not. Is it a "driver" to move ink or
toner to the paper or does it know where to make something black on its
own?

- Martin

 

[Martin Trautmann]

In the old
days of the ASR33 teletype, and printers, that just understood
ASCII, the application did the driving, and talked directly
to the I/O, by sending ASCII data bits to an address.
Drivers evolved with different printer languages appeared,
like it was not much good sending Postscript to a dot
matrix, And drivers got more and more complex as
printers got more complex, Postscript, vector graphics,
colour. But in the early days we had no concept of
separate drivers.

In the early days each slightly more advanced application hat a printer
driver of its own.

MS$'s failing is not to recognise the need to support
both ancient and modern printers Whilst some
programs can be installed (and work) in compatibility
mode, there is no such concept of a compatibility
mode for drivers.

At least it was good enough to install a single printer driver which
could be used by all applications.


But currently I'm in the need for a driver for an ancient printer (a
label printer with parallel port only), while neither Win 3.* is
available, nor a parallel port - and the usb2parallel did not work for
this special printer.

- Martin

 

[Joel]

Some dipstick keeps pratting on that we should blame HP, not
MS, claiming that MS don't write the drivers.
It's MS$ that keeps producing crap operating systems.
MS know how to drive ancient printers because Win95,
Win98, WinME, XP, knows how to drive them.
It's the crap software writers that thought of installing
some legacy programs in compatibility mode, but
didn't follow it through with using printer drivers in
compatibility mode.
So Linux support printers ancient and modern,
Win7 doesn't, and Vista was rubbish.
Sooner MS sack Ballmer the better, he hasn't
a clue about developing what customers want.
I can see MS$ going the same way as PanAm,
and TWA, even the mighty can fall if they don't
listen to their customers.

Now, we are/were talking about printing *without* Printer DRIVER,
remember?

 

[Joel]

It's a rather straightforward task to set up a print driver which does
catch files by ftp and sends them to the printer - and it is possible to
build this funtion into a network printer directly.

It's possible that the Printer Server (not FPT) has built-in option to
send Printing Command to printer (just like NotePad, Word, WordPerfect,
Browser, and Usenet Reader etc.). But again, the system with the printer
connected to must have Printer Driver in order to tell the printer to print
to paper.

Again, without printer driver Windows apps give the option to "Print To
File" so you can transfer to system with working printer to print from
there.

The more you built into the printer, the less has to be done by its
driver. It does make the printer more expensive and lexx flexible, but
you may have certain improvements which are worth the effort.


"ftp" something to any receiver, e.g. as ps, could be set up to work
this way, you agree? From the sender's point of view it does not matter
how it is done, but it can be done - and it can be even done for .doc,
.xls and anything else.

As we understand FTP stands for FILE Transfering Protocol which
transfering DATA from one system to other. Yes, there are program not only
can access to remote system (via internet, network, or back to the good ole
day through modem hooked to phoneline) and it could have option to send
Printing Command to a remote system.

But *again* the computer still have to have Printer Driver installed in
order to accept the printing command.

FTP doesn't care what format you send, it treats everything as DATA so you
can send .doc, text, porn photo, movie, goverment secret doc and on and on.

Even the manual operation is something which proves this point: burn a
PDF to disk, send this to a copy shop and they may print and return it
to you, without any need for any driver on your own side. All you might
need is a credit card and some post men.

You are correct, but that isn't what we are talking about. Or you may not
need the printer driver, but in order to print your PDF file the shop still
need printer driver INSTALLED.

There must be some kind of interface between computer and printer
anywhere - but there are many print servers around which have more or
less unidirectional communication only and it's a matter of definition
what you may call driving and what not. Is it a "driver" to move ink or
toner to the paper or does it know where to make something black on its
own?

- Martin

Yes,

- The printer has built-in the Printer Head with option to move around to
spray ink to paper.

- The printer connected to computer via Parallel or USB port

- The Cable requires bunch of WIRES and much be in working order to take the
printing command from computer

- The computer will convert whatever Font, Text, Graphic, Color etc. into
the computer language that the printer understand, then the printer will
follow the command

- And all of the above won't do any good without the correct and working
Printer Driver installed.

The driver may not control the INK which usually the duty of the printer
utility comes with the printer, or some application may call Printing
Management (or something like that)

 

[Martin Trautmann]

It's possible that the Printer Server (not FPT) has built-in option to
send Printing Command to printer (just like NotePad, Word, WordPerfect,
Browser, and Usenet Reader etc.). But again, the system with the printer
connected to must have Printer Driver in order to tell the printer to print
to paper.

That does not matter, from the user's point of view. There's no printer
driver on his own system.

You are correct, but that isn't what we are talking about. Or you may not
need the printer driver, but in order to print your PDF file the shop still
need printer driver INSTALLED.

You asked for a proof that systems without driver may work - and I
proofed it. All what you do name as using a printer driver might be
merged within a single device, within the casing of a single so called
printer. Would this make any difference to you? It does not matter
whether this is within a single device, a single building (the copy shop
from the building before) or split to multiple devices: Every printer
needs some kind of translation in order to know what to do with certain
bits in order to make certain dots out of them.

I doubt that you are able to give a working description what a driver is
and what not - but I'm very sure there are tons of configurations where
no driver is need on the user's computer, while there are networking and
printer options that may take certain files and create a printout from
them, maybe within external printer drivers, maybe without, but that
does not matter at all.

Yes,

- The printer has built-in the Printer Head with option to move around to
spray ink to paper.

- The printer connected to computer via Parallel or USB port

or SCSI or serial or centronix or or or.
Typical here would be a simple LAN cable, while WLAN is yet another
option, even Bluetooth may work, as well as "usb stick" network.

- The Cable requires bunch of WIRES and much be in working order to take the
printing command from computer

- The computer will convert whatever Font, Text, Graphic, Color etc. into
the computer language that the printer understand, then the printer will
follow the command

- And all of the above won't do any good without the correct and working
Printer Driver installed.

The driver may not control the INK which usually the duty of the printer
utility comes with the printer, or some application may call Printing
Management (or something like that)

Much of this can be done without anything what you consider to be a
driver.

Many printers are able to print directly from certain exchange formats.

Where's the "driver" when you take your SD card from your camera, plug
it into your printer and select to print .jpg number 12?

Please define "driver" - and I hope that your definition is more precise
than "any appropriate source or exchange format".

- Martin

 

[Warren Block]

In more detail, and even on Windows:

Run Notepad.
Type in a few lines of text:

"Printers can print files in their native PDLs without drivers.
This page is proof of that."

Save the file as sample.txt. This is a plain ASCII file.
Close Notepad.
Start a command shell (cmd).
FTP the file to the printer. For this example, we have a JetDirect
print server at 192.168.1.50:

ftp 192.168.1.50

Connected to laser.
230 FTP Server Ready
User (lasernone)):

Press Enter for no user name.

331 Enter password.
Password:

Press Enter for no password.

230-Hewlett-Packard FTP Print Server Version 3.0.

Directory: Description:
--------------------------
PORT hp LaserJet 4250

To print a file use the command put <filename> [portx]
or 'cd' to a desired port and use put <filename>.

230 User logged in.
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.

ftp>

put sample.txt

200 Port command successful.
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection.
226-Ready
226-Processing job.
226 Transfer complete.
ftp: 91 bytes sent in 0.00Seconds 91000.00Kbytes/sec.
ftp>

And the page prints. Yes, I actually did this to collect the output
above.

quit (to leave the FTP program).

On this particular printer, it would have also have worked if the sample
file was PostScript, PCL, or PDF.

No driver was used to create the file or to print it.

I see you try to use the printing command,

No, no printing command. All the indented lines are output from the
print server.

but it doesn't mean anything, and as I said in order to print
something to PAPER

It did print, on paper.

the printer must have Printer Driver installed in order to print.

You seem very confused about all this, and I'm sorry if I haven't been
clear enough. In fairness, Windows makes a lot of things more difficult
than they need to be, and it is confusing. Let me try to clear up a few
things:

A "printer driver" is a program that converts application output into a
format the printer can understand.

If a file is created that the printer can understand directly, no driver
is needed.

Any of a number of methods can be used to deliver a file to the printer.
Usually this is by parallel, USB, or Ethernet.


A shorter example that is hopefully easier to understand:

An HP LaserJet 4250 printer is attached to a Windows XP computer with a
standard parallel cable.

A command shell (cmd) is started and the edit command is used to create
a text file called sample.txt:

C:\>edit sample.txt

The file has these contents:

This was created and printed without a driver at all!
^L

The last line is a formfeed character, entered with Ctrl-P Ctrl-L.

The copy command is used to send the file directly to the printer via
the parallel port:

C:\>copy /b sample.ps lpt1:

The page prints. No driver was used or needed. Note that this same
procedure works in MS-DOS, which doesn't even have printer drivers. It
will also work with most printers.

 

[Joel]

In more detail, and even on Windows:

Run Notepad.
Type in a few lines of text:

"Printers can print files in their native PDLs without drivers.
This page is proof of that."

Save the file as sample.txt. This is a plain ASCII file.
Close Notepad.
Start a command shell (cmd).
FTP the file to the printer. For this example, we have a JetDirect
print server at 192.168.1.50:

ftp 192.168.1.50

Connected to laser.
230 FTP Server Ready
User (lasernone)):

Press Enter for no user name.

331 Enter password.
Password:

Press Enter for no password.

230-Hewlett-Packard FTP Print Server Version 3.0.

Directory: Description:
--------------------------
PORT hp LaserJet 4250

To print a file use the command put <filename> [portx]
or 'cd' to a desired port and use put <filename>.

230 User logged in.
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.

ftp>

put sample.txt

200 Port command successful.
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection.
226-Ready
226-Processing job.
226 Transfer complete.
ftp: 91 bytes sent in 0.00Seconds 91000.00Kbytes/sec.
ftp>

And the page prints. Yes, I actually did this to collect the output
above.

quit (to leave the FTP program).

On this particular printer, it would have also have worked if the sample
file was PostScript, PCL, or PDF.

No driver was used to create the file or to print it.

I see you try to use the printing command,

No, no printing command. All the indented lines are output from the
print server.

Do you know the meaning of "Printing" and "Command"?

Printing = spraying ink to paper

Command = telling the printer to spray ink to paper.

And it doesn't matter where you send (command) the Output or how you send
it. You can send it through NotePad, Word, Server, Browser, Graphic Editor
and on and on

It did print, on paper.


You seem very confused about all this, and I'm sorry if I haven't been
clear enough. In fairness, Windows makes a lot of things more difficult
than they need to be, and it is confusing. Let me try to clear up a few
things:

It doesn't matter how difficult Windows may do, just to look at it from
the simplest point.

- All you need to do is installing a correct working Printer DRIVER then it
will make every thiing as sinmplest as hitting the PRINT command.

Also, most if not all LASER printers have built-in the option to PRINT
TEST some ASCII characters without connecting printer to computer. But if
you want to print from computer then AGAIN it will need Printer Driver.

A "printer driver" is a program that converts application output into a
format the printer can understand.

If a file is created that the printer can understand directly, no driver
is needed.

Any of a number of methods can be used to deliver a file to the printer.
Usually this is by parallel, USB, or Ethernet.

Whatever the Printer Driver is, even I kinda disagree with you about
converting, or I would say communicating which is much simpler than spending
time converting one format to other, and there will be more chance to have
more converting bug.

A shorter example that is hopefully easier to understand:

An HP LaserJet 4250 printer is attached to a Windows XP computer with a
standard parallel cable.

A command shell (cmd) is started and the edit command is used to create
a text file called sample.txt:

C:\>edit sample.txt

The file has these contents:

This was created and printed without a driver at all!
^L

The last line is a formfeed character, entered with Ctrl-P Ctrl-L.

The copy command is used to send the file directly to the printer via
the parallel port:

C:\>copy /b sample.ps lpt1:

The page prints. No driver was used or needed. Note that this same
procedure works in MS-DOS, which doesn't even have printer drivers. It
will also work with most printers.

Whatever you try to do, it's all the same.

- You send the command from anywhere, any application doesn't matter

- The command will communicate with the computer

- The system (OS) will communicate with the Printer Driver

- The Printer Driver will communicate with the Printer

.... then you have a porn photo printed on paper. Or none of the RUN, DOS
Prompt etc. command can print without printer driver.

 

[Joel]

That does not matter, from the user's point of view. There's no printer
driver on his own system.

Then there won't be NO PRINT.

You asked for a proof that systems without driver may work - and I
proofed it. All what you do name as using a printer driver might be
merged within a single device, within the casing of a single so called
printer. Would this make any difference to you? It does not matter
whether this is within a single device, a single building (the copy shop
from the building before) or split to multiple devices: Every printer
needs some kind of translation in order to know what to do with certain
bits in order to make certain dots out of them.

I doubt that you are able to give a working description what a driver is
and what not - but I'm very sure there are tons of configurations where
no driver is need on the user's computer, while there are networking and
printer options that may take certain files and create a printout from
them, maybe within external printer drivers, maybe without, but that
does not matter at all.

It doesn't matter if the Printer Driver is Internal or Exteral, the point
that computer won't print without printer driver.

or SCSI or serial or centronix or or or.
Typical here would be a simple LAN cable, while WLAN is yet another
option, even Bluetooth may work, as well as "usb stick" network.


Much of this can be done without anything what you consider to be a
driver.

Many printers are able to print directly from certain exchange formats.

Where's the "driver" when you take your SD card from your camera, plug
it into your printer and select to print .jpg number 12?

Please define "driver" - and I hope that your definition is more precise
than "any appropriate source or exchange format".

- Martin

The DRIVER is part of the SYSTEM, Digital Camera, GPS, Laptop and on and
on are COMPUTERS themselves.

Do you understand that Digital Camera is COMPUTER? Do you understand that
Cellphone, Palm, Laptop etc. can be GPS? even the REMOTE control can be
basic a specific computer too.

 

[Warren Block]

It doesn't matter how difficult Windows may do, just to look at it from
the simplest point.

- All you need to do is installing a correct working Printer DRIVER then it
will make every thiing as sinmplest as hitting the PRINT command.

[I've chopped out all the baseless ranting to pass the savings on to YOU!]

Twice now, I've provided methods that anyone can duplicate in order to
create and print files without drivers. I even did them on Windows, and
don't think the scars from that won't last. This is called "proof".

You have claimed that a driver is always required to print. Maybe this
is just a translation problem from your native language into English.

If it's not a language problem, please provide some equivalent proof
that you are correct. Otherwise, I'm going to have to charge for the
full half hour.


Special Free Bonus #1:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Print_driver


Special Free Bonus #2:

Driverless printing in FreeBSD
LaserJet 4250 at 192.168.1.50

echo '%\!PS \
/Helvetica findfont 20 scalefont setfont \
32 32 moveto \
(This prints without a driver! Ha ha ha!) show \
showpage' | nc 192.168.1.50 9100

 

[jrg]

It doesn't matter how difficult Windows may do, just to look at it from
the simplest point.

- All you need to do is installing a correct working Printer DRIVER then it
will make every thiing as sinmplest as hitting the PRINT command.

[I've chopped out all the baseless ranting to pass the savings on to YOU!]

Twice now, I've provided methods that anyone can duplicate in order to
create and print files without drivers. I even did them on Windows, and
don't think the scars from that won't last. This is called "proof".

You have claimed that a driver is always required to print. Maybe this
is just a translation problem from your native language into English.

If it's not a language problem, please provide some equivalent proof
that you are correct. Otherwise, I'm going to have to charge for the
full half hour.


Special Free Bonus #1:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Print_driver


Special Free Bonus #2:

Driverless printing in FreeBSD
LaserJet 4250 at 192.168.1.50

echo '%\!PS \
/Helvetica findfont 20 scalefont setfont \
32 32 moveto \
(This prints without a driver! Ha ha ha!) show \
showpage' | nc 192.168.1.50 9100

I would invoke Danth's Law here - any seconds??

 

[Martin Trautmann]

The DRIVER is part of the SYSTEM, Digital Camera, GPS, Laptop and on and
on are COMPUTERS themselves.

Do you understand that Digital Camera is COMPUTER? Do you understand that
Cellphone, Palm, Laptop etc. can be GPS? even the REMOTE control can be
basic a specific computer too.

So I give up. You are right and everyone else here trying to discuss
with you is wrong.

It does not help the person who asked before - the answer for whim is
different than the answer to you....

- Martin

 

[Martin Trautmann]

Are there any network printers that don't need drivers?

If the printer does understand e.g. postscript, PCL 5e and PCL 6, you can do
without any special printing driver and use some generic device.

Using the printing driver may add better functions, such as duplex print
or diagnostics. Thus at least one computer should have the driver
installed, while all other networked computers may do so without.

Some more formats are listed on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page_description_language - and some
printers do understand e.g.
..jpg as well to print this directly.

- Martin

 

[Joel]

It doesn't matter how difficult Windows may do, just to look at it from
the simplest point.

- All you need to do is installing a correct working Printer DRIVER then it
will make every thiing as sinmplest as hitting the PRINT command.

[I've chopped out all the baseless ranting to pass the savings on to YOU!]

Twice now, I've provided methods that anyone can duplicate in order to
create and print files without drivers. I even did them on Windows, and
don't think the scars from that won't last. This is called "proof".

You have claimed that a driver is always required to print. Maybe this
is just a translation problem from your native language into English.

If it's not a language problem, please provide some equivalent proof
that you are correct. Otherwise, I'm going to have to charge for the
full half hour.

As I have mentioned that most if not all Windows applications like
NotePad, Word, WordPerfect etc. should give you the option to "PRINT TO
FILE" so you can print to file without Printer Driver and even without
PRINTER.

But if you want to print to paper then the system must have Printer &
Printer DRIVER installed.

 

[Joel]

So I give up. You are right and everyone else here trying to discuss
with you is wrong.

It does not help the person who asked before - the answer for whim is
different than the answer to you....

- Martin

Well, I agree it doesn't help the OP as he didn't ask about Digital
Camera, but I am sure it helps you to realize that Digital Camera, Cellphone
etc. are computer, and some model may have some specific printer driver
installed for specific printer.

You know what! my DSLR cameras not only can print but they can also
transfering data remotely (wireless) as well as they can trigger multiple
wireless flashes too. They also allow me to upgrade to newer firmware from
memory card, and my computer can see the camera as Extrenal Drive too.