====== Printing FAQ ====== ===== General Questions ===== ==== In which **forum** should I ask general questions? ==== Forum: [[http://forums.openprinting.org/list.php?19|General Discussion]] ==== Is there a checklist of things I need to look for? ==== * Loopback address (127.0.0.1) must be set. * Loopback has been brought up. The loopback is standard on all computers, but it must be defined or many applications will break. It is defined in **''/etc/hosts''**. If you take a look at **''/etc/hosts''**, you should see that localhost is defined with the machine name and the loopback address. cat /etc/hosts | grep 127.0.0.1 Should output something similar to 127.0.0.1 localhost toshy inetw.net \\ You should also check that the loopback network device has been brought up. The command **''ifconfig''** should yield an entry similar to lo Link encap:Local Loopback inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0 UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1 RX packets:30 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0 TX packets:30 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:0 RX bytes:2076 (2.0 Kb) TX bytes:2076 (2.0 Kb) ==== How do I print from OpenOffice? ==== You need to add the printer to OpenOffice separately. You can do this by running the**''spadmin''** or **''oopadmin''** program. The **''oopadmin''** is found in newer versions of OpenOffice. There are two ways to setup OpenOffice. First Method: Many newer distributions have the printer setup as a separate menu choice. For example, in RedHat 9, the printer setup utility is on the OO menu -- click on the red hat in the lower left, click on OpenOffice, and there printer setup is right along side writer, calc, impress, and the rest. Second Method: Just start OpenOffice. Make a new printer, and when presented with the **''Choose a Driver''** screen, click on **''import''** and browse to the location of your printer's PPD. Use the default print commands, name the printer, set it as default, and you are ready to go! Start OpenOffice.org1.0 and go to the print screen, and select your printer. Print a test page, and you are done. ==== Why is the first page blank when I print from OpenOffice? ==== OpenOffice.org (and also other PPD-aware applications or print filters) inserts printer-specific PostScript code into the PostScript output file according to the definitions of the options in the PPD file, so that the printer prints the document in the way the user has configured it by the options in the "Properties" dialog. These inserted PostScript commands are **not** generally understood by every PostScript interpreter (every printer has its own PPD file), so GhostScript does not need to understand them. ==== How do I know if USB printing is setup on my machine? ==== If you are using any recent distribution, USB is probably already setup on your machine. You can still check it yourself. Please note that you may need root privelages for many of the commands. Here are the steps to find out if you have USB setup and enabled for printing. 1. Check your loaded **''Modules''**. 2. See if the USB **''Printer Driver''** is listed. 3. Look at the **''Kernel Log''** for usb traffic. 4. Look at the list of **''Attached Devices''**. **Modules** You can search the currently loaded modules. This method is the quickest, but won't work if your USB drivers are compiled into the kernel, the printer driver has been renamed, or the modules simply are not loaded. lsmod | grep printer # printer If you see **''printer''** as the output, then you probably have USB printing setup and working. If not, don't worry. This command will fail on many systems. **Printer Driver** You can search the list of USB drivers available on your system, and look for the **''usblp''** driver. If the USB driver has been renamed, this method may fail. cat /proc/bus/usb/drivers | grep usblp # 0- 15: usblp If the **''usblp''** device is there, then you have a USB printer driver. If not, try loading the printer driver manually modprobe printer cat /proc/bus/usb/drivers | grep usblp # 0- 15: usblp If you see an error message like cat: /proc/bus/usb/drivers: No such file or directory then you need to make sure that you have[[http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x173.html|usbfs]] mounted and enabled. See[[http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x173.html|http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x173.html]] **Kernel Log** We will use the **''tail''** command to look at the kernel log messags. If you don't know what a UNIX tail does, then man tail Run the **''tail''** command on your kernel or system log files, and then disconnect and reconnect the printer. You will see the kernel print messages about the event. I can't tell you where your system log is, or what it is called, because it varies between distributions. Log files are usually located in **''/var/log/''**. Some common names are **''sys.log''** and **''system.log''**. tail -f /var/log/sys.log Now, disconnect and reconnect the printer to see it register. Example Output Mar 19 04:32:06 localhost kernel: hub.c: USB new device connect on bus1/1/4/4, assigned device number 12 Mar 19 04:32:07 localhost kernel: printer.c: usblp0: USB Bidirectional printer dev 12 if 0 alt 1 proto 2 vid 0x050D pid 0x0002 If there is no activity, you probably don't have USB enabled at all. There is one last thing to try. **Attached Devices** You can check the list of all USB devices that are installed and recognized on your system. This method will tell you if your printer is being recognized or not, even if the printer modules is not loaded. cat /proc/bus/usb/devices | grep usblp Outputs something like I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=07(print) Sub=01 Prot=01 Driver=usblp I: If#= 0 Alt= 1 #EPs= 2 Cls=07(print) Sub=01 Prot=02 Driver=usblp I: If#= 0 Alt= 2 #EPs= 3 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=00 Prot=ff Driver=usblp if you see an error cat: /proc/bus/usb/drivers: No such file or directory then you don't have[[http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x173.html|usbfs]] mounted or enabled. See[[http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x173.html|http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x173.html]] If you have USB enabled, but the USB printer driver is not working, then you can get around this by comparing the USB devices list before and after your printer has been plugged in. cat /proc/bus/usb/devices > log1 Now (dis)connect the printer. cat /proc/bus/usb/devices > log2 Compare the two logs, they should be different. diff log1 log2 The output will vary, an example output is < T: Bus=01 Lev=03 Prnt=08 Port=03 Cnt=02 Dev#= 10 Spd=12 MxCh= 0 < D: Ver= 1.00 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 8 #Cfgs= 1 < P: Vendor=050d ProdID=0002 Rev= 1.04 < C:* #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=80 MxPwr= 98mA < I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=07(print) Sub=01 Prot=01 Driver=usblp < E: Ad=01(O) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS= 64 Ivl=0ms < I: If#= 0 Alt= 1 #EPs= 2 Cls=07(print) Sub=01 Prot=02 Driver=usblp < E: Ad=01(O) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS= 64 Ivl=0ms < E: Ad=82(I) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS= 64 Ivl=0ms < I: If#= 0 Alt= 2 #EPs= 3 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=00 Prot=ff Driver=usblp < E: Ad=01(O) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS= 64 Ivl=0ms < E: Ad=82(I) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS= 64 Ivl=0ms < E: Ad=83(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS= 4 Ivl=1ms If you see something like **''Driver=''** then the USB printer driver is not loaded on your machine. Try modprobe printer Disconnect and reconnect the printer, and check the devices list again.**''cat /proc/bus/usb/devices | grep usblp''** It should now say **''Driver=usblp''**. If nothing up to this point worked, you can try to load all the USB modules by hand, and start over. modprobe usbcore.o usb-uhci.o usb-ohci.o printer.o Most systems don't need both **''uhci''** and **''ohci''** drivers. ==== How do I find out where my USB printer is connected? ==== If you have USB printing working, then you will need a node so that programs can communicate with the device. To see if a node has already been created cd /dev find | grep usb You should have an **''lp''** entry, similar to one of these. /dev/usblp /dev/usblp0 /dev/usb/lp0 These **''lp''** entries indicate a parallel port, not a USB printer. lp0 lp1 lp2 lp3 If the USB printer node is not there, then you will need to create it.[[http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x342.html|http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x342.html]] If the printer still won't print to the device, try deleting it and recreating node. Old versions of the USB manual contained a different **''mknod''** command, and your system may have the incorrect device numbering. Use the **''rm''** command to delete the node, and **''mknod''** to recreate the node according to the [[http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x342.html|USB manual]] at [[http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x342.html|http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x342.html]] ==== How do I determine which print spooler I am using? ==== **CUPS** Browse your local machine at port 631, and if a printer web interface comes up, you have CUPS installed and running on that machine. [[http://localhost:631|http://localhost:631]][[http://127.0.0.1:631|http://127.0.0.1:631]] As root, you can find out if you have CUPS installed. which cupsd # /usr/sbin/cupsd If you look at the file **''/etc/printcap''** and the printer names do not have any lines following them, you are most likely using CUPS. The top of the file may also say it was generated by cupsd. cat /etc/printcap If you are using any other spooler, the **''/etc/printcap''** file will contain many more lines for each printer entry. p2raw|wmakerp2-raw|wannamaker_p2_raw_postscript_files|[Apple_Laserwriter16/600PS]:\  :lp=:mx#0:rm=wmakerp1.oit.duke.edu:\  :rp=text:\  :sd=your_spool_directory_path_name_for_p2raw:\  :sd=/usr/spool/lpd/p2raw  :lf=p2_raw_printer_log_file_pathname  :lf=/usr/spool/lpd/p2rawlog ==== Why does my Panasonic laser printer says **''Call Service E31''**? ==== The fuser is not able to maintain temperature. See:[[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/printerrepair/message/1310|http://groups.yahoo.com/group/printerrepair/message/1310]][[http://www.mail-archive.com/filmscanners@halftone.co.uk/msg18698.html|http://www.mail-archive.com/filmscanners@halftone.co.uk/msg18698.html]][[http://www.driverguide.com/forums/printer/pana/messages/1427.html|http://www.driverguide.com/forums/printer/pana/messages/1427.html]] ==== Why do I get the error **''No valid software licence was found''**? ==== This can be caused by running the program **''/usr/sbin/printers''** which is a proprietary application. Please obtain a license from easy software. See [[http://www.easysw.com/printpro/faq0002.html|http://www.easysw.com/printpro/faq0002.html]] ==== How do I print to a ZOT wireless print server? ==== The Zero One Technology print server is an arm processor running Linux. They are available with both centronics and usb connectors, and they work well with Linux. They are also very stable, and do not require reboots. The models known to be working are: * PU100W (usb) * PA100W (centronics parallel port) If you have tftp, the print server supports tftp'ing the MAC address to upload and download a configuration file. In this case, the MAC address is simply the "Node ID" printed on the print server. Refer to the manual on the included CD-ROM for directions. To use a web browser, you will need the print server's IP address. The print server comes with a fixed IP address. To discover what it is, you can do the following steps. 1. Download and install [[http://freshmeat.net/projects/arpmonitor/?topic_id=152%2C156|arpmonitor]] which is locate at [[http://planeta.terra.com.br/informatica/gleicon/code/index.html|http://planeta.terra.com.br/informatica/gleicon/code/index.html]] 2. Start arpmonitor, so that it will monitor the wireless network, and report activity to STDERR. This program must be run as root. arpmonitor -i eth0 -e \\ 3. Power cycle (turn off, then back on) the print server. 4. Monitor the arpmonitor output for new IP addresses. IIIRC, the print server announced itself as 192.168.4.1. 5. Change your wireless network settings so you are on the same subnet. I would recommend, as root, to bring your primary network interface down. ifconfig eth0 down Now bring up the interface on the same subnet as the router. ifconfig eth0 192.168.4.2 up \\ 6. Start a web browser, and in the URL bar, type the IP address of the printer. [[http://192.168.4.1|http://192.168.4.1]] \\ 7. Now you can configure the printer. I would recommend keeping a static IP address, but change the IP address so the printer is on the same subnet that you normally use with wireless printing. 8. **CUPS Configuration:** To configure CUPS is simple. All the steps except the URI entry should be self explanatory. Configure CUPS using the local interface [[http://localhost:631|http://localhost:631]] click on "Printers" and then "Add Printer". 9. **CUPS URI:** While several backends work, I only tested the LPD backend. For **Device** select LPD/LPR Host or Printer, and click continue. The URI you want to type in is lpd://printerip/lp1 For example, since I configure my print server to be on 192.168.254.1 lpd://192.168.254.1/lp1 ===== Printing to and from Windows ===== ==== How do I serve Windows clients from GNU/Linux? ==== Set up [[http://samba.org/|samba]] on GNU/Linux to handle the Windows clients. ==== How do I print to a non-postscript printer attached to a Windows server? ==== Setup Postscript emulation by install[[ftp://mirror.cs.wisc.edu/pub/mirrors/ghost/gnu/current/|GhostScript/GSview]] for windows. These pages will give you a general idea of how to setup postscript emulation. * [[http://mywebpages.comcast.net/heretrythis/hp3100/|Networking the HP LaserJet 3100, Making the Bastard Work]] * [[http://mywebpages.comcast.net/heretrythis/hp3100/psemu9x.html|Win 9X]] page * [[http://mywebpages.comcast.net/heretrythis/hp3100/psemunt.html|Win NT/2K/XP]] page. ==== How do I find a printer driver for an unlisted PostScript printer? ==== If you have a PostScript version 2 or 3 compatible printer, and the printer is not listed on //openprinting.org//, then most likely the printer manufacturer offers a driver on their installation disk. Locating the driver is not easy. What you are looking for is a text file with an extension **''.PPD''** or **''.ppd''** or similar. The file may be "hidden" in a zip archive, which can have an extension**''.zip''** or **''.exe''**. You can use the program **''unzip''** to unzip both of these types of archives, and search the files for a PPD. You can also try contacting the manufacturer technical support, and searching their website for a downloadable driver. If you are unable to find a PPD file from the manufacturer, try using a PPD file from a printer with similar features to yours. It is important to match resolution. Finally, a Adobe provides a number of PPD files.[[http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=44&platform=Windows|http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=44&platform=Windows]] ==== Why are printers suddenly unable to print? ==== It's possible that the Samba **''*.tdb''** files, used by Samba to store print queue info which a native NT print server would store in the "Registry", got corrupted when the power failed. The **''tdbtool''** may be able to verify that. **''tdbtool''** is a Samba developer tool and not compiled or installed by default. Either you have a *.tdb backup, created with **''tdbbackup''**, or you need to re-install all queues... ===== SAMBA ===== ==== How come SAMBA 2.9999 doesn't work? ==== Version 2.9999 is alpha software. If you want to assist SAMBA development, [[http://lists.samba.org/mailman/|report bugs to them]]. Otherwise, downgrade to a [[http://www.samba.org/|stable version]]. ==== Can I auto-download a driver to a Windows client from CUPS? ==== Yes. See [kpfeifle/LinuxKongress2002/Tutorial/IX.CUPS-Samba/IX.Samba-HOWTO-Collection-Chapter-7.html CUPS and SAMBA Howto] Tip: If you use Foomatic or Gimp-Print PPDs, check the **''*NickName''** lines in the PPDs and if they contain a comma, remove the comma (will be fixed later in Foomatic). ==== What should the URI look like? ==== It is easy to use the incorrect URI. They are case-sensitive. The URI should look like this: smb://username:password@workgroup/computername/printername/ ==== Why do I get **''Access denied''** printing from Windows to GNU/Linux? ==== Probably your samba configuration **''smb.conf''** is not allowing access. If you do not enable a guest account, then only clients with an account on your GNU/Linux machine will be able to connect and share files/services. You should also check your hosts deny and hosts allow statements in your samba configuration, to verify that other machines on your local network are permitted to connect. Finally, I believe your printer entries must specify **''public = yes''** and **''printable = yes''**. If all this appears to be in order, there is still the issue of password encryption. You must make sure that both the clients and your GNU/Linux machine are treating passwords the same (encrypted or unencrypted). ==== Why does SMB PostScript show the wrong DPI choices? ==== Anything that parses a PPD expects two formats for the internal naming of resolutions: either **''###dpi''** or **''###x###dpi''**. The Gimp-Print PPDs use a sensible but non-offical internal naming format, like 360sw, 720x360sw and 360swuni. CUPS, being more flexible than offical Postscript, parses these internal names without trouble, so the web interface works without problems. However, the PostScript Generic driver for Windows does not recognize the resolution format, fails to parse it and puts up **''300dpi''** as default in the resolution combo box because it doesn't know what else to do. Modify the Epson Stylus Color 900 PPD so that the internal names follow the standard format. I.E.: 360x360dpi instead of 360sw 720x720dpi instead of 720sw In the special options: 365x365dpi instead of 360swuni (the unidirectional option) Because the 365x365dpi is an internal name only, the combo box in the Windows and CUPS setup still shows **''360dpi Unidirectional''** as the choice. And ultimately it does not matter, because it adds the proper HWResolution command to the PS file. ==== How do I configure **''Gimp''** for printing? ==== 1. Click the **''Printer Setup''** button in the printing dialog of the GIMP 2. In the upcoming dialog choose **''PostScript Level 2''** as printer model 3. Very Imported: Remove the **''-oraw''** from the printing command 4. Choose the PPD file of your print queue **''/etc/cups/ppd/.ppd''** as the printer´s PPD file. 5. After clicking **''OK''** you will be able to choose the most important options for your printer 6. Print. ===== Invoking Summary ===== ==== How do I find out what options my printer supports? ==== Print the Invoking Summary.**''lpr -o docs /proc/cpuinfo''** ==== What is an Invoking Summary? ==== It is a list of **''-o''** options you can pass to the **''lpr''** command. You can tell your printer to print it out. ==== How do I get the Invoking Summary? ==== Do **''lpr -o docs /proc/cpuinfo''** or lpr -o docs LaTeXConfig.lyx where **''LaTeXConfig.lyx''** can be any file. Here is the template for this command: lp -P -o docs ===== LAN ===== ==== Which file controls LAN printing permissions? ==== Edit **''/etc/lpd.perms''**. ==== How do I find the port number of my networked printer? ==== If you do not know the port number or the protocol of the printer's network interface, do nmap This lists all open ports of the box. * Port 515 is the LPD port * 139 is the SMB (Samba, Windows) port. * Numbers bigger than 1023 are most probably TCP/Socket ports. We recommend you use the TCP/Socket protocol, because it requires only the * hostname * IP address * Port Number For the LPD protocol you would need the printer's internal queue name, and there is no known way to auto-detect it. For the TCP/Socket protocol simply use a CUPS URI like socket://: The most frequently used port for that is **''port 9100''**. ===== Hardware ===== ====**''cannot open /dev/lp0 - No such device or address''**? ==== Many people have found that GNU/Linux will not detect their parallel port unless they disable "Plug and Play" in their PC BIOS. See [howto/kernel.html Chapter 4] of [howto/kernel.html [[http://www.openprinting.org/howto/kernel.html|http://www.openprinting.org/howto/kernel.html]]] ==== What receipt printers works with GNU/Linux? ==== Probably the * Epson TM-88II * Samsung SRP350 is what you are looking for. Some driver modifications may be required. ==== Which printers have a straight printer path? ==== Inkjets (which with free operating systems) * Epson Stylus Photo 900 * Epson Stylus Photo 950 * Epson Stylus Pro 7xxx * Epson Stylus Pro 9xxx * Epson Sytlus Pro 10xxx ==== Which printers can print on a CD-ROM? ==== The * Stylus Photo 900 (1 black, 1 5-color cartridge) * Stylus Photo 950 (6 separate cartridges) Both come with a tray for printing CDs. This tray is a more or less Letter-sized plastic board with a hole for a CD in it. You can print on the CD the same as you would paper. ==== How do I print thick (1mm) paper/cardboard? ==== You must put the paper thickness lever into the envelope or CD position depending on the thickness of the material. On the Epson Stylus Pro large-format printers you simply proceed as with single paper sheets. ==== Why does printing **''align.ps''** outputs text? ==== The GhostScript version of align.ps is missing a necessary header, and the spooler fails to correctly recognize it as PostScript. Try [[http://www.openprinting.org/download/printing/align.ps|http://www.openprinting.org/download/printing/align.ps]]. ==== Why does the computer freeze when I connect a USB cable? ==== This is not a printing problem. It is either a hardware problem, or a kernel (software) problem. ==== How do I print to a firewire printer? ==== Check whether the printer appears as a SCSI device. cat /proc/scsi/scsi If so, you need a CUPS version with SCSI backend (the current 1.1.x has it): Check for the existence of /usr/lib/cups/filter/scsi When you have this file (with or without update of CUPS), restart the CUPS daemon and do lpinfo -v If there is a SCSI entry, this is the entry for your printer. Use this URI when setting up your print queue. If this does not help, please post on a Forum of CUPS:[[http://www.cups.org/newsgroups.php|http://www.cups.org/newsgroups.php]] ==== I don't have USB, how do I print to a USB printer? ==== The only solution is that you buy a USB controller PCI card. ==== Is it possible to print throught the PS/2 Port? ==== There are no known USB adapters for the PS/2 mouse port. There are also no low level driver in the Linux kernel which allow printing through the PS/2 port.