Compile in USB Printer Support
Start by following the directions for compiling in the USB backport, doing make menuconfig and selecting the required USB drivers.
For this printer, you will also need to select the USB Printer Support option, when making the kernel config.
You want to make this a module -- hit space twice, or when (*) becomes a (M), so that you can turn this printer on as neccessary. You can make it part of the kernel, but that means the printer must be on upon boot.
Finish setting up and compiling this kernel. Put the kernel is the place your booter expects it.
Rebooting with the Printer Driver
This printer needs to be on, while you boot for Linux to see it. If it's not, Linux won't recongize it when it is turned on or goes out of low power mode.
If you compiled the USB printer driver as a module, you can turn on the printer at any time, and just reload the usbprinter.o module.
You can reload this module by:
su - # Become root
/sbin/rmmod printer.o
/sbin/insmod printer.o
Finally, you need to add /dev/usb/usblp0 to /dev:
cd /dev
mkdir usb
mknod usb/usblp0 c 180 0
Note: If you have previously had a USB Printer (or other device) or if you have a newer Linux distro, this step may have already been done for you.
Setting up the Printer
Install these packages (or the equivlent debs):
1. mpage-2.4-7.ppc.rpm
2. lpr-0.36-2.ppc.rpm
3. rhs-printfilters-1.51-2.ppc.rpm
4. printtool-3.40-3.ppc.rpm
To setup the actual printer, you need to run printtool. You need to run this program as root.
Printtool will likely complain about you not having certian types of networking not installed (such as samba). This isn't important, unless you plan to share this printer on that type of network.
Click Add. This will bring up another dialog, allowing you to configure a printer.
Change the Printer Device to /dev/usb/usblp0.
Click Input Filter [Select]. The current version of rhs-printfilters doesn't support the Lexmark 310s directly, but has a generic postscript Laser Printer filter that should work.
Click OK and OK again. This will bring you back to the main dialog.
Go to Tests. Try the print postscript test. This should print out a nice tiger from your printer.
Now, any application can acess your printer (it will show up with the lp queve).
You can also add additional printer queves, for different resolutions or different settings.
