Fresh 6.2 install / printer diagnostics needed

[Harry Putnam <reader newsguy com>]

Fresh install not upgrade
Running Redhat 6.2
lpr-0.50-4
printer is epson 900

Summary: A  printer setup that worked under 6.1 has quit working.  How to
diagnose the problem?

Details: On a fresh 6.2 install: After usint printtool to make a
printer setup (same as previous 6.1 install) Using lpr command like:
`lpr .bashrc' returns nothing printernot makes noise, but checking `lpq'
shows `no entries'.

Tailing /var/log/messages I see:

May  1 05:42:27 reader kernel: parport0: PC-style at 0x378 (0x778) [SPP,ECP,ECPPS2] 
May  1 05:42:27 reader kernel: parport0: no IEEE-1284 device present. 
May  1 05:42:27 reader kernel: lp0: using parport0 (polling). 


Using lsmod, I see:

Module                  Size  Used by
lp                      5960   0 (autoclean)
parport_pc              7400   1 (autoclean)
parport                 7516   1 (autoclean) [lp parport_pc]
tulip                  31072   0 (autoclean) (unused)
ne2k-pci                4684   1 (autoclean)
8390                    6136   0 (autoclean) [ne2k-pci]
opl3                   11496   0 (unused)
sound                  59448   0 [opl3]
soundlow                 420   0 [sound]
soundcore               2724   3 [sound]


If I remember from previous print setup and discussion on cartman, the
line:
Apr 27 02:09:39 reader kernel: parport0: no IEEE-1284 device present.

Isn't particularly meaningfull because the parallel port may not be
bidirectional.

Can anyone tell from the above details, what might be  happening here?
Or suggest  move steps to analyze things better.