outputting text from perl to printer

[SaltyDuke]

Hello

i'm running SuSE Linux Pro 8.2 and Perl 5.8.0 and am looking for a way of integrating my printer into the mess...

You see i have a program that dynamically gets information from a flat text file and then outputs it ont screen. Nothing special, i know. So, just to amaze my friends i'm looking for a way of formatting the text all pretty and out-putting the information to my printer (connected to lp port). If only they were more easily amused.

Just as i typed that i got a thought that LaTex might do the trick, but the data is to be outputted to a specific size of paper (my doctor tells me i'm allergic to A4 sheets ).

Does anyone have any pointers or even any Perl/Printer stories thy'd like to tell? Thanx a million!!

TheSaltyDuke

 

[PaulTEG]

Have done this with COBOL on a VAX with a Postscript printer many moons ago (not on Linux though)

Take your file, and put a PostScript wrapper around it, and then copy it to the lp port

PostScript is a printer programming language and for processing just text is fairly straightforward, its a nightmare drawing boxes around it though

--Paul

[memories]
rlineto(0,0);rlineto(110,110);rlineto(60,40);rlineto(40,60);stroke;
[/memories]

or something like that