Informix Error -811: Cannot open printer for output.

Reasons / Common Causes

-811 fires when the interactive tool can't open the device named in the DBPRINT environment variable — per the official guidance, checking that variable's setting is the documented first step.

1. DBPRINT set to a device/path that doesn't exist or isn't accessible, per the official guidance — the direct, common cause.
2. DBPRINT unset or set to an empty value, leaving no valid target device at all.
3. Insufficient permission to open the device named in DBPRINT, for the connecting OS user.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Check the setting of DBPRINT, per the official guidance:

   echo "$DBPRINT"
   

2. Confirm the named device/path actually exists and is accessible, correcting DBPRINT if not.
3. Rerun the program, per the official guidance, once DBPRINT is corrected.

Examples

Checking DBPRINT

$ echo "$DBPRINT"
/dev/nonexistent_printer
$ ls -l /dev/nonexistent_printer
ls: /dev/nonexistent_printer: No such file or directory

Confirms DBPRINT points at a device that doesn't exist — correct it and rerun.

Diagnostic Checks

1. Check DBPRINT's current value, and confirm the device/path it names actually exists and is accessible.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -812 — "Cannot open pipe for output." A related output-destination error, for a pipe to a program/command rather than a printer device.

Check DBPRINT's setting first, per the official guidance — confirm the named device actually exists and is accessible.