printers(4)							   File Formats 						       printers(4)

NAME

       printers - user-configurable printer alias database

SYNOPSIS

       $HOME/.printers

DESCRIPTION

       The  $HOME/.printers  file  is  a  simplified  version  of  the	system	/etc/printers.conf  file.  See	printers.conf(4). Users create the
       $HOME/.printers file in their home directory. This optional file is customizable by the user.

       The $HOME/.printers file performs the following functions:

	   1.	  Sets personal aliases for all print commands.

	   2.	  Sets the interest list for the lpget, lpstat, and cancel commands. See lpget(1M), lpstat(1) and cancel(1).

	   3.	  Sets the default printer for the lp, lpr, lpq, and lprm commands. See lp(1), lpr(1B), lpq(1B), and lprm(1B).

   Entries
       Use a line or full screen editor to create or modify the $HOME/.printers file.

       Each entry in $HOME/.printers describes one destination. Entries are one line consisting of two fields separated by either BLANKs  or  TABs
       and terminated by a NEWLINE. Format for an entry in $HOME/.printers varies according to the purpose of the entry.

       Empty lines can be included for readability. Entries can continue on to multiple lines by adding a backslash (`') as the last character in
       the line. The $HOME/.printers file can include comments. Comments have a pound sign (`#') as the first character in the line, and are  ter-
       minated by a NEWLINE.

   Setting Personal Aliases
       Specify	the  alias  or	aliases  in the first field. Separate multiple aliases by a pipe sign (`|'). Specify the destination in the second
       field. A destination names a printer or class of printers, See lpadmin(1M). Specify the destination using atomic, URI-style  (scheme://end-
       point),	or  POSIX-style  (server:destination) names. See printers.conf(4) for information regarding the naming conventions for destination
       names.

   Setting the Interest List for lpget, lpstat and cancel
       Specify _all in the first field. Specify the list of destinations for the interest list in the second field. Separate each destinations	by
       a  comma  (`,').  Specify  destinations	using atomic, URI-style (scheme://endpoint), or POSIX-style (server:destination) names. See print-
       ers.conf(4) for information regarding the naming conventions for destination names. This list of destinations can refer to an alias defined
       in $HOME/.printers.

   Setting the Default Destination
       Specify	_default  in  the  first field. Specify the default destination in the second field. Specify the default destination using atomic,
       URI-style (scheme://endpoint), or POSIX-style (server:destination) names. See printers.conf(4) for information regarding the naming conven-
       tions for destination names. The default destination can refer to an alias defined in $HOME/.printers.

   Locating Destination Information
       The  print  client  commands locate destination information based on the "printers" database entry in the /etc/nsswitch.conf file. See nss-
       witch.conf(4).

   Locating the Personal Default Destination
       The default destination is located differently depending on the command.

       The lp command locates the default destination in the following order:

	   1.	  lp command's -d destination option.

	   2.	  LPDEST environment variable.

	   3.	  PRINTER environment variable.

	   4.	  _default destination in $HOME/.printers.

	   5.	  _default destination in /etc/printers.conf.

       The lpr, lpq, and lprm commands locate the default destination in the following order:

	   1.	  lpr command's -P destination option.

	   2.	  PRINTER environment variable.

	   3.	  LPDEST environment variable.

	   4.	  _default destination in $HOME/.printers.

	   5.	  _default destination in /etc/printers.conf.

   Locating the Interest List for lpget, lpstat, and cancel
       The lpget, lpstat, and cancel commands locate the interest list in the following order:

	   1.	  _all list in $HOME/.printers.

	   2.	  _all list in /etc/printers.conf.

EXAMPLES

       Example 1 Setting the Interest List

       The following entry sets the interest list to destinations ps, secure, and dog at server west and finance_ps:

	 _all	   ps,secure,west:dog,lpd://server/printers/queue

       Example 2 Setting Aliases to a Printer

       The following entry sets the aliases ps, lp, and lw to sparc_printer:

	 ps|lp|lw  sparc_printer

       Example 3 Setting an Alias as a Default Destination

       The following entry sets the alias pcl to hplj and sets it as the default destination:

	 pcl|_default	hplj

       Example 4 Setting an Alias to a Server Destination

       The following entry sets the alias secure to destination catalpa at server tabloid:

	 secure    tabloid:catalpa

       Example 5 Setting an Alias to a Site Destination

       The following entry sets the alias insecure to destination legal_ps using IPP:

	 insecure  ipp://server/printers/legal_ps

FILES

       /etc/printers.conf      System printer configuration database

       $HOME/.printers	       User-configurable printer database

       ou=printers	       LDAP version of /etc/printers.conf

       printers.conf.byname    NIS version of /etc/printers.conf

       printers.org_dir        NIS+ version of /etc/printers.conf

ATTRIBUTES

       See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:

       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
       |      ATTRIBUTE TYPE	     |	    ATTRIBUTE VALUE	   |
       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
       |Availability		     |SUNWpcu			   |
       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
       |Interface Stability	     |Stable			   |
       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+

SEE ALSO

       cancel(1), lp(1), lpq(1B), lpr(1B), lprm(1B), lpstat(1), lpadmin(1M), lpget(1M), nsswitch.conf(4), printers.conf(4),  attributes(5),  stan-
       dards(5)

       System Administration Guide: Basic Administration

NOTES

       $HOME/.printers is referenced by the printing commands before further name resolution is made in /etc/printers.conf or the name service. If
       the alias references a destination defined in /etc/printers.conf, it is possible that the destination is defined differently  on  different
       systems. This could cause output to be sent to an unintended destination if the user is logged in to a different system.

SunOS 5.11							    5 Jun 2006							       printers(4)