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The printer-type attribute is defined with the -T printer-type option of the lpadmin command. A printer type is the generic name for a printer. Typically it is derived from the manufacturer name. For example, the ACME Computer 356 Dot Matrix Printer might have the type 356. Assigning a ``type'' for each printer is important because the print software extracts information about printers from the terminfo database on the basis of type. This information includes a list of the printer capabilities that checks the configuration information you supply to the Print Service. (By checking the information you provide against the known capabilities of the type of printer you are configuring, the Print Service can catch inappropriate information you may have supplied.) The terminfo database also specifies the control data needed to initialize a particular printer before printing a file.
While you are not required to specify a printer type, it is good practice to do so; you enhance your system's ability to serve your users by classifying, on the basis of type, the printers available through the Print Service.
If you give a list of printer types, separate the names with commas. If you do not define a printer type, the default unknown will be used.
You can assign several types to a printer if your printer is capable of emulating more than one kind of printer. For example, if your printer can emulate an IBM Proprinter XL, an Epson FX86e, and an HP LaserJet II, the terminfo database names these types 593ibm, 593eps, and 593hp, respectively. If you specify more than one printer type, the print service will use one of them, as appropriate, for each print request.
The following example shows how to use lpadmin to associate the type 593ibm with the printer named laser.
/usr/sbin/lpadmin -p laser -T 593ibm