...making Linux just a little more fun!
[ In reference to "The Monthly Troubleshooter: Installing a Printer" in LG#130 ]
Ian Chapman [ian.chapman at alft.com]
Hi,
Talking about Linux Epson stylus 660 problems. It has worked and I printed an Open office letter to my sister okay. But I was having problems with gnome type and other apps. This printer was fine under win 98 and since I have updated the HW I decided to get with modern software too. Only hick my printer may or may not work.
One of the frustrations is too many cooks and no chief. Lots of willing helper but not exactly plug and play. I have junked foomatic and ghostscript and just have cups and gutenprint and Ubuntu. All the detailed stuff about sending this that and the other to the printer is a waste of time. The printer is stuck in the middle of a job despite canning all jobs form both gnome and the Firefox type interface. Even switching off/on the printer seems to keep the job active somewhere. I exited a terminal window that I was using to send escputil stuff and the printer started up. It's really strange. Previously the gnome and Firefox interface could not detect the printer or parallel port. The color ink led was on and I even changed the ink cartridge to no avail. There was nothing wrong with the original.
Using the Firefox interface I have a choice of several drivers and no idea what to use. My printer prints the commands that it receives and does not do what the software is telling it. I am not really able to stop printing and have a clean start. Any ideas would be a great help as would be a reset button for both SW and HW.
Regards Ian.
-- Ian Chapman ALFT Inc 302 Legget Drive Kanata K2K-1Y5 Canada 613-287-0470 (227)
Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]
Hi, Ian -
You're probably unaware of this, but you sent your message in HTML format. This doubled the size of your message without any benefit in return, and will create extra work for our Mailbag editor.
Please change your mailer's settings to stop it from doing this. For more info, please see <http://expita.com/nomime.html>.
On Mon, Nov 26, 2007 at 11:22:20AM -0500, Ian Chapman wrote:
> Hi, > > Talking about Linux Epson stylus 660 problems. It has worked > and I printed an Open office letter to my sister okay. But I was having > problems with gnome type and other apps. This printer was fine under win > 98 and since I have updated the HW I decided to get with modern software > too. Only hick my printer may or may not work. > > One of the frustrations is too many cooks and no chief. Lots of > willing helper but not exactly plug and play.
I agree - but I suspect that we mean different things. From what I see here, you are allowing too many different cooks in your kitchen - and this is where the problem is coming from. Rather than taking random bits of advice from here, there, and everywhere, why not try following one set of instructions from a (hopefully coherent and reputable) single source? That way, if they're wrong, you'll have learned something along the way and you'll have better judgement in selecting a better source. Picking one each from columns A, B, and C teaches you nothing and gives you no opportunity to improve the process.
E.g., take the instructions from the article you're citing. You clearly have not followed the advice in there - which I happen to have written - since you're just guessing at which driver you should use. I gave specific instructions and even URLs for figuring that out. So, what is the point and the nature of your complaint? I fail to see it.
If you go back and follow the specific instructions in that article and they fail to work, feel free to come back and say something; I, for one, would be glad of the error report - and grateful enough to help you with resolving the problem.
> I have junked foomatic and > ghostscript and just have cups and gutenprint and Ubuntu. All the > detailed stuff about sending this that and the other to the printer is a > waste of time.
I'm afraid that you're not qualified to judge that, but thanks for your opinion.
> The printer is stuck in the middle of a job despite > canning all jobs form both gnome and the Firefox type interface. Even > switching off/on the printer seems to keep the job active somewhere.
Trying random things will create random results, yes. 
> Using the Firefox interface I have a choice of several drivers > and no idea what to use.
Perhaps following the instructions - e.g.,
[...] be sure to take a look at http://linuxprinting.org/suggested.html and to search their database (http://linuxprinting.org/printer_list.cgi?make=Anyone) for a specific printer's rating, before making your final decision.would make good sense. The second link even has specifics on what drivers to use with a given printer.
> My printer prints the commands that it receives > and does not do what the software is telling it. I am not really able to > stop printing and have a clean start. Any ideas would be a great help as > would be a reset button for both SW and HW.
Given your explanation, above, I'd look for multiple print servers running at the same time, and perhaps check '/var/spool' to see if there's anything untoward or unexpected is living there.
-- * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *
Ian Chapman [ian.chapman at alft.com]
Many thanks Ben for the fast reply. I will certainly look more carefully into what you said. On the other hand I only want to print not spend all night getting a printer education. Regards Ian in plain text.
Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]
On Mon, Nov 26, 2007 at 03:27:13PM -0500, Ian Chapman wrote:
> > Many thanks Ben for the fast reply. I will certainly look more carefully > into what you said. On the other hand I only want to print not spend all > night getting a printer education. Regards Ian in plain text.
You're welcome, Ian in plain text. [grin]
Unfortunately, the whole "plug-and-pray" thing isn't as reliable as Micr0s0ft would have you believe. True, there are a number of peripherals that work fine with their products - but that's also true under Linux. The difference is, things that don't work under Linux can usually be made to work with a bit of research. Under Wind0ws, if it doesn't work, you're simply screwed no matter how much research you do. Given that this is usually happening after you've already paid lots of money for both the OS and the driver (or, as is the case for most of the world, after stealing both and exposing yourself to legal sanctions as well as being morally in the wrong), that's not a dynamic that I find tolerable in my world. Spending a little time learning to make things work carries neither a legal nor a moral burden - so that's the path I choose.
I don't have a problem with those who choose to use something else, but getting a free OS, free programs, and free support and then complaining about everything not being perfect - as opposed to, say, lending a hand in getting it to be better - seems to me like failing to acknowledge a debt. You might want to think about that.
-- * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *
Ian Chapman [ichapman at videotron.ca]
Hi Ben, Ian in plain text I hope. I had to add myself to the group lp and now I can print the text file
head -60 /home/stanley82/Artwork/PCB_elements.fp/Trig_HS.fp > /dev/lp0which is a really good start. I did it a couple of times.
Going into System administration printing add printer (gnome cups ad) and something is detected on the parallel port but it does not know what. I can tell it to use the parallel port and select Epson color stylus 660 but I do not know where to find the driver (escp2-660 I believe) and i since the printer was not detected it may not be a good thing to press on.
So I have got as far as...
At this point, the basic printer test (i.e., dumping text to the device) should be working fine. Install your choice of queue manager (e.g., CUPS, 'lpr', 'lprng', etc.) and the appropriate filters/drivers/definition files for your printer (Gnome-Print, 'hp-ppd', 'linuxprinting.org-ppds', etc.). You're ready to go! ...and I'm stuck. My packet manager tells me ...
Gutenprint - Top Quality Printer Drivers A very high quality package of printer drivers for Ghostscript and CUPS, mainly for Epson inkjet printers, but also for inkjets from Canon and HP, dye sublimation photo printers, and PCL laser printers.So I would be really pleased to receive another push in the back.(Converted from a rpm package by alien version 8.65.)
Best Regards Ian.
Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]
On Mon, Nov 26, 2007 at 10:03:00PM -0500, Ian Chapman wrote:
> Hi Ben, Ian in plain text I hope. I had to add myself to the group lp and > now I can print the text file > head -60 /home/stanley82/Artwork/PCB_elements.fp/Trig_HS.fp > /dev/lp0 > which is a really good start. I did it a couple of times. > > Going into System administration printing add printer (gnome cups ad) > and something is detected on the parallel port but it does not know what. > I can tell it to use the parallel port and select Epson color stylus 660 > but I do not know where to find the driver (escp2-660 I believe) and i > since the printer was not detected it may not be a good thing to press on.
A printer driver just defines a set of codes that are sent to the printer to get it to perform specific actions. If you pick the wrong one, nothing bad will happen: the printer simply will not do what it's supposed to do, at which point you can try another driver.
The URLs I recommended list the specific driver needed for a given printer. I.e., the Epson 660 listing (http://linuxprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=Epson-Stylus_Color_660) gives the following info:
Epson Stylus Color 660
Color inkjet printer, max. 1440x720 dpi, works Perfectly
Recommended driver: gutenprint (Home page, driver for: x86 32 bit, x86 64 bit, How to install)
Generic instructions for: CUPS, LPD, LPRng, PPR, PDQ, no spooler
There's more info there, and a number of relevant links. Meanwhile, it
looks like 'gutenprint' is the recommended driver.
> My packet manager tells me ... > Gutenprint - Top Quality Printer Drivers > A very high quality package of printer drivers for Ghostscript and > CUPS, mainly for Epson inkjet printers, but also for inkjets from > Canon and HP, dye sublimation photo printers, and PCL laser printers. > > (Converted from a rpm package by alien version 8.65.) > > So I would be really pleased to receive another push in the back.
Install that package, and use the recommended driver in your CUPS configuration. I find their web interface quite easy to use.
-- * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *
Ian Chapman [ichapman at videotron.ca]
[[[ Alas, Ian isn't in plain text in the original, but I've cleaned it up for publication. -- Kat ]]]
On Tue, 2007-27-11 at 16:00 -0500, Ben Okopnik wrote:
> On Mon, Nov 26, 2007 at 10:03:00PM -0500, Ian Chapman wrote: > > Hi Ben, Ian in plain text I hope. I had to add myself to the group lp and > > now I can print the text file > > head -60 /home/stanley82/Artwork/PCB_elements.fp/Trig_HS.fp > /dev/lp0 > > which is a really good start. I did it a couple of times. > > > > Going into System administration printing add printer (gnome cups ad) > > and something is detected on the parallel port but it does not know what. > > I can tell it to use the parallel port and select Epson color stylus 660 > > but I do not know where to find the driver (escp2-660 I believe) and i > > since the printer was not detected it may not be a good thing to press on. > > A printer driver just defines a set of codes that are sent to the > printer to get it to perform specific actions. If you pick the wrong > one, nothing bad will happen: the printer simply will not do what it's > supposed to do, at which point you can try another driver. > > The URLs I recommended list the specific driver needed for a given > printer. I.e., the Epson 660 listing > (http://linuxprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=Epson-Stylus_Color_660) > gives the following info: > > `` > Epson Stylus Color 660 > Color inkjet printer, max. 1440x720 dpi, works Perfectly > Recommended driver: gutenprint (Home page, driver for: x86 32 bit, x86 64 bit, How to install) > Generic instructions for: CUPS, LPD, LPRng, PPR, PDQ, no spooler
Hi Ben, thanks again. I've been through most of this stuff. I junked all my printers and made a new one using the web interface as the gnome interface asks me to find a driver and I do not know were to look. Printing a test page results in lots of top left only on other wise empty pages. It was fine using your head
(head -60 /home/stanley82/Artwork/PCB_elements.fp/Trig_HS.fp > /dev/lp0 )from a terminal window. Now the printer is stuck in the middle of a long long test page. Going into gnome printer properties these are the drivers which do not look at all like what I was expecting.
PCL 4 PCL 5 PCL 5c PCL 5e PCL 6/PCL XL ;I'm using this one
ZjStreamI am using this connection
IPP Printer or printer on cUPS server (IPP)available for experiment Windows, Unix and TCP socket
Many thanks for your patience
plane text Ian.
Karl-Heinz Herrmann [kh1 at khherrmann.de]
On Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:00:22 -0500 Ian Chapman <ichapman@videotron.ca> wrote:
> On Tue, 2007-27-11 at 16:00 -0500, Ben Okopnik wrote: > > > On Mon, Nov 26, 2007 at 10:03:00PM -0500, Ian Chapman wrote: > > > Hi Ben, Ian in plain text I hope. I had to add myself to the > > > group lp and now I can print the text file > > > head -60 /home/stanley82/Artwork/PCB_elements.fp/Trig_HS.fp > > > > /dev/lp0 which is a really good start. I did it a couple of > > > > times.
Thats printing a text file only -- which is good to test if kernel drivers, cables etc. are ok. Once this is established it wont help much further.
> ) from a terminal window. Now the printer is stuck in the middle of a > long long test page. Going into gnome printer properties these are
start a terminal/console and check with "ps aux" which process looks like its doing the data pushing to lp0. If you can't see the full commandlines try "ps auxww" -- might have lp0 in the line, might look as simple as a "cat" command. Then you can at least stop the data transmission to the printer.
> the drivers which do not look at all like what I was expecting. > > PCL 4 > PCL 5 > PCL 5c > PCL 5e > PCL 6/PCL XL ;I'm using this one > ZjStream
As far as I know PCL is HPish while Epson uses a quite different printing language (ESCP? ). So checkout where your epson drivers are....
Here a "locate gutenprint" says:
/usr/lib/gutenprint/5.0.0.99.1/modules/print-escp2.lawhich would probably drive your epson just nicely.
from skimming through all the old (and mostly not necessary) included old mail I do not really see that you actually tried to configure your cups system by using the *CUPS CONFIG WEBPAGE*
It might or might not work with gnome/kde/XYZ frontends. But please try to go through the webpage:
this talks directly to cups and you can add new printers. Dont choose a "detected new printer" if that failed earlier, but just go to "add printer", interface like "lpt1" and then choose the manufacturer (epson) then I get a huge list of printers including the Stylus color 660.
If that really still has no option for your Stylus ---
http://openprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=Epson-Stylus_Color_660
actually says "gutenprint" without any further details WHICH gutenprint driver.....
checking available ubuntu packages.... $ apt-cache search gutenprint cupsys-driver-gutenprint - printer drivers for CUPS foomatic-db - OpenPrinting printer support - database foomatic-db-engine - OpenPrinting printer support - programs gimp-print - print plugin for the GIMP gutenprint-doc - users' guide for Gutenprint and CUPS libgutenprint-dev - development files for the Gutenprint printer driver library libgutenprint-doc - documentation for the Gutenprint printer driver library libgutenprint2 - runtime for the Gutenprint printer driver library libgutenprintui2-1 - runtime for the Gutenprint printer driver user interface library libgutenprintui2-dev - development files for the Gutenprint printer driver user interface library cupsys-driver-gimpprint - printer drivers for CUPS escputil - maintenance utility for Epson Stylus printers foomatic-db-gimp-print - OpenPrinting printer support - database for Gimp-Print printer drivers foomatic-db-gutenprint - OpenPrinting printer support - database for Gutenprint printer drivers ijsgimpprint - printer drivers for CUPS ijsgutenprint - inkjet server - Ghostscript driver for Gutenprintdoesnt help me that much. that escputil might be interesting. But since cupsys-driver-gutenprint is installed here I would try the foomatic-db-engine and foomatic-db if these improve your printer choices -- if not I would suggest using the download button on the http-page further up (assuming 32bit PC) http://openprinting.org/download/printdriver/RPMS/i486/gutenprint-5.0.1-1lsb3.1.i486.rpm
read the install instructions (probably use alien to convert the package).
alien -t gutenprint-5.0.1-1lsb3.1.i486.rpm tar -tvzf gutenprint-5.0.1.tgz | grep Epson | wchas more than 500 ppd files for Epson printer including one for Epson Color Stylus 660
./opt/gutenprint/ppds/Epson/Epson-Stylus_Color_660-gutenprint.5.0-en.ppd.gz ./opt/gutenprint/ppds/Epson/Epson-Stylus_Color_660-gutenprint.5.0.sim-en.ppd.gzsee if these ppds help if you install them according to the install instructions...
K.-H.
Karl-Heinz Herrmann [kh1 at khherrmann.de]
On Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:12:33 -0500 Ian Chapman <ichapman@videotron.ca> wrote:
> REPEAT THIS TIME USING lpt1 in place of Epson parallel port and it was
DO NOT use the the "preconfigured" "LPT1 (Epson)".
Use Add-printer, give its names, tell the webpage it's on parallel 1 -- nothing else.
Then this ILL ask with a pure manufacturer list, choose epson, the list of availabpe printers in the "model" windo is on the next page then.
K.-H.
Karl-Heinz Herrmann [kh1 at khherrmann.de]
Oh -- sorry didn't read far enough.. .-/
On Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:12:33 -0500 Ian Chapman <ichapman@videotron.ca> wrote:
so congrats to have gotten through that particular tricky spot in the interface.
> Head clean does not work I'll look into that later so many thanks for > all the help from yourself and Ben. Regards Ian.
have a look at that escputil pack -- might contain cleaning routines etc.
And remembering my last inkjet from a few years back -- an early espon stylus -- you can use button-combination on the printer to trigger cleainng.
K.-H.
Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]
Hi, Ian -
I have added TAG back to the list of recipients again; please make certain that you're CCing TAG on an all these exchanges in the future. The only way that we get "paid" for doing this is by publishing the discussions in the Linux Gazette, where the rest of the community gets to benefit from them. Several of us do offer private support and tutoring, but those are not free.
On Thu, Nov 29, 2007 at 09:27:10PM -0500, Ian Chapman wrote:
> Hi Ben, > Ian again in plain text. I had an e-mail for your co-frere Karl.
I'm assuming you mean Karl-Heinz.
> My > problem was that I was selecting the parallel port for epson. This gives > me a choice of six or so IBMish drivers. When I selected LPT #1 I only > had to follow my nose. I guess this is a cups feature non-desire?
Well, since you were printing to /dev/lp0 (as I recall), then - yes, "LPT1:" would be the equivalent. However, your nose should not be required - the choices from that point forward should be obvious. "Epson" for a manufacturer, and "Stylus 660 + gutenprint"... doesn't seem like it could get much simpler than that.
-- * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *
Ian Chapman [ichapman at videotron.ca]
[[[ This one was in plain text, though. Thank you, Ian! -- Kat ]]]
On Fri, 2007-30-11 at 09:10 -0500, Ben Okopnik wrote:
> Hi, Ian - > > I have added TAG back to the list of recipients again; please make > certain that you're CCing TAG on an all these exchanges in the future. > The only way that we get "paid" for doing this is by publishing the > discussions in the Linux Gazette, where the rest of the community gets > to benefit from them. Several of us do offer private support and > tutoring, but those are not free. > > On Thu, Nov 29, 2007 at 09:27:10PM -0500, Ian Chapman wrote: > > Hi Ben, > > Ian again in plain text. I had an e-mail for your co-frere Karl. > > I'm assuming you mean Karl-Heinz.
Correct
> > > My > > problem was that I was selecting the parallel port for epson. This gives > > me a choice of six or so IBMish drivers. When I selected LPT #1 I only > > had to follow my nose. I guess this is a cups feature non-desire? > > Well, since you were printing to /dev/lp0 (as I recall), then - yes, > "LPT1:" would be the equivalent. However, your nose should not be > required - the choices from that point forward should be obvious. > "Epson" for a manufacturer, and "Stylus 660 + gutenprint"... doesn't > seem like it could get much simpler than that.
I went wrong on the first sniff Parallel Epson triggered me not LPT #1. Once in Parallel Epson it's wrong. The only way out is to junk and re-start printer installation. There is no BACK one step that I could see. Once LPT #1 it like you said is obvious. I also read that Epson financed gutenprint and/or cups to do some driver work. It struck me at the time as great that they would have a special branch for Epson. What is a parallel Epson port for? Why does Karl suggest that this branch leads you to IBMish drivers?
Karl-Heinz Herrmann [kh1 at khherrmann.de]
On Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:57:18 -0500 Ian Chapman <ichapman@videotron.ca> wrote:
> What > is a parallel Epson port for? Why does Karl suggest that this branch > leads you to IBMish drivers?
I'm not quite sure what that branch is meant to do.... from the available driver selection it probably should read:
ANCIENT GENERIC DRIVERS (EPSON MATRIX, PCL capable printers)And I can't recall saying IBMish.... PCL is HPs standard language.
Occasionally cups actually told me on the start page that I've a new printer and installing that DID work out well. But more often than not it can't detect them properly and doesn't show actual new ones or wrong ones. Going through the "interface, manufacturer, model" on the other hand works most of the time very well.
k.-H.