PyKota's FAQ :

  # $Id$
  
  * Is print accounting ever exact ?
  
    No. Print accounting is **never** exact, because it depends
    on external factors like the presence of paper in the printer,
    the quantity of remaining ink in the print cartridge, paper
    jams, etc... All these things are very difficult to account
    for correctly, and no print accounting package deals with
    these artefacts correctly in all situations.
    We are however confident that PyKota is one of the more
    exact print accounting software, because by default it
    asks the printers for how many pages they have really printed.
    
  * Can PyKota account for ink usage ?  
  
    No. Actually PyKota doesn't account for ink usage, but this
    may come in a future release. PyKota only accounts for pages
    printed and/or money spent.  If ink accounting is a necessity
    for you, PrintBill is recommended instead of PyKota. PrintBill
    allows you to bill differently per color, and to bill depending
    on the percent of the ink covered part of the pages.
    
  * How can I make PyKota work with my non-postscript printer under 
    CUPS ?  
  
    From version 1.16alpha7, PyKota includes a CUPS backend which
    allows you to use any type of printer and any driver.
    
  * How can I diagnose the problem when something goes wrong ?  
  
    Put "LogLevel debug2" in cupsd.conf (usually in /etc/cups/).
    Then put "logger: system" and "debug: yes" in 
    /etc/pykota/pykota.conf.
    Finally restart CUPS.
    CUPS' error_log file will now contain many informations which
    will help diagnose your problem. Also your syslog's output for 
    the LPR facility (usually /var/log/lpr.log) will contain 
    PyKota's debug messages, notably all database related queries
    and their result, be your database PostgreSQL or OpenLDAP.
    With these two files the problem can usually be diagnosed within
    minutes. Send them to the mailing list and wait for an answer.
    
  * Some, not all, print jobs are never accounted for, why ?
  
    From version 1.16alpha7, you can now use the cupspykota
    CUPS backend, which ensures that all print jobs will be
    accounted for. The use of the old pykota filter is deprecated
    with CUPS. It remains the filter of choice for LPRng though.
    
  * When printing from Windows, the jobs are never accounted for,
    but from *nix they are. Could you explain the reason for this ?
    
    First refer to the point above. If this doesn't solve your
    problem, try to set your print driver to PostScript mode
    and check the "maximum compatibility" box in its configuration,
    instead of "maximum speed". Often HP printers come with both
    a PCL and a PostScript driver under Windows. Don't install the 
    PCL one.
    
  * My question isn't answered there, can you help ?  
  
    Sure. Ask your question to the mailing list. If this is a
    frequently asked question, or if your problem is on the contrary
    very specific, it will probably be added to this document.
    
    You can also ask questions by IRC :
    
        /server irc.freenode.net
        /join #pykota