Printer lockup

[Alex Radsky <radsky ncia net>]

My HP printer locks up and doesn't print if I have to shut down  a print
job prematurely, and it stays locked even after I shut  the computer
down and reboot.   I have to go to '  /var/spool/lpd/lp '  and clear the
data out, which can be a PITA before the printer can be used again.  Is
there a way to clear the data quickly, say with an alias, or perhaps
eliminate the problem in the first place?