figured it out.  i needed "printcap = lpstat".  there is this website that 
takes you step by step how to setup a print server on linux that works with 
cups and samba.  was written for novices...=)

http://www.buberel.org/linux/cups-samba.php

thanks for all of yall's help,
-- christopher

On Thursday 15 May 2003 03:51 pm, Joel Hammer wrote:
> Well, I think you will have to go on something besides noise in the printer
> to trouble shoot this thing.
>
> I don't know a thing about cups. I gave up on it because it was too
> complicated for me. lprng works fine.
>
> The print process in samba is very simple. The windows client sends the
> preformatted or filtered job to the spool directory on the samba server
> (the path parameter.) Then samba invokes the server printing command. With
> cups, the commands are hidden from you, which doesn't make this problem any
> easier, it seems.
>
> SO, I would try this.
>
> Make printing = lprng
> Make your printing command = echo "the print job is %s" > /tmp/signal
>
> Then try to print the job with the cups command, whatever that is.
>
>
> When you say you send a test page, this is a problem. A "test page" if
> generated by the printer installation program may be sent to a special
> queue, not the queue you send your other jobs to.  Yes,  I know, this
> is crazy but....
>      On my lexmark the test page, a complicated binary file
>      just for this printer,  went to a raw queue, whereas the
>      real print jobs got sent to a postscript queue. Go figure.
>
> Joel
>
> On Thu, May 15, 2003 at 02:52:38PM -0500, christopher j bottaro wrote:
> > > There is a path parameter in your share definition. That is where the
> > > print job is sent from the client.
> > > You could make:
> > >      printing command = echo "tried to print %s" > /tmp/signal
> > > And see what is in signal.
> > >
> > > %s will not show the whole path name, just the print job name, since
> > > the path name in the share is assumed.
> > >
> > > Joel
> >
> > ok, when i try to print a windows test page, sometimes (not all the time)
> > the printer makes noise, but nothing comes out, and something is made in
> > /var/spool/cups, but not in /var/spool/samba.  if the printer doesn't
> > makes noise and is silent, something is still made in /var/spool/cups,
> > but not /var/spool/samba.
> >
> > > If you are using cups, why not tell samba about it?
> > > In smb.conf, try
> > >
> > > printing = cups
> > > printcap name = cups
> > > load printers = yes
> >
> > my "printing" is already set to cups, but i changed "printcap name" like
> > you said, but no good results...=/
> >
> > > with problem 1 you might like to try making writeable = yes    and
> > > perhaps if you're not concerned about security put public = yes as
> > > well....  the other too i've no idea sorry.  only the first one as i've
> > > just tried to do it as well..  ;)
> >
> > i tried making it writeable, but it didn't do anything...=/
> >
> > thanks again for the help,
> > -- christopher

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