For example, the Slackware boot and root disk pair in the install subdirectory of the Slackware distribution. These are better because they have your own kernel on them, so you don't run the risk of missing devices and file systems. No you haven't. You are obviously new to Unix and need to read a good book to find out how things work. You should be able to dump a file directly to the printer.
Loopback support is compiled into most distribution kernels.
Check that the interface is configured with the ifconfig command. By Internet convention, the network number is 127.0.0.0, and the local host address is 127.0.0.1. If everything is configured correctly, you should be able to telnet to your own machine and get a login prompt. 6.14 Timestamps on files on MS-DOS partitions are set incorrectly. It miscounts a time zone offset, confusing seconds with minutes or something like that.