I have my printer working now. Here's what happened and what I did:
apt-get upgrade resulted in a newer version of printtool being installed
(this is curious because there's only one version in unstable)
I removed printtool and tried to configure apsfilter. Didn't work, got a
message from cron that I was missing a filter to print text files.
Installed ap2ps, then reconfigured /etc/printcap file using
apsfilterconfig. Changed resolution from 720 to 360 for my epson
stylus600 (default resolutions). Now apsfilter would print a test page.
Great! Fired up staroffice and tried to print a page, no luck.. printer
kept spitting out blank pages.
Installed xpp after reading printing how-to. It installed CUPS and
related print packages, but couldn't get it to work. Removed xpp.
Disgusted.. ate a peach.
Checked the debian-users list hoping there was an answer to this
question. No luck, but there were other postings. Read one about
MagicFilter..
Installed magicfilter and used magicfilterconfig --force option to
create new /etc/printcap file. This time staroffice would print and..
So far it's working..
--
"The major advances in civilization are processes that all but wreck
the societies in which they occur."
--Albert North Whitehead
