printer tools in KDE

storywizard · 12-28-2006, 04:40 PM

Hello, I have recently switched from Suse to Kubuntu, love it so far, I just have one issue with the KDE Priner tools. When I try to get them to do anything I get this cryptic error message on my screen:

The executable escputil cannot be found in your PATH environment variable. Make sure gimp-print is installed and that escputil is in your PATH.

I have Gimp installed

I have tried this in root as well as normal user mode....

so what do I do now?

Storywizard

David the H. · 12-28-2006, 04:52 PM

Have you installed the gutenprint and escputil packages? Gutenprint is the new name for what was called gimp-print, because it's really a collection of printer drivers, and not a gimp-only thing anymore. And escputil is a maintenance utility for Epson printers; head cleaning and ink-level monitoring and such.

storywizard · 12-28-2006, 05:00 PM

Hello,

I am sure I have installed Gutenprint, right now the Epson printer is using CUPS. The escputil I have not seen, but will check it out...Thanks!

storywizard · 12-29-2006, 11:05 AM

good morning,

I must have the escputil utility because the tools screen comes up, in the error message it is saying something about this: executable escputil cannot be found in your PATH environment variable

ah well, thanks for the help so far...

Stephen

tredegar · 12-29-2006, 11:31 AM

Try this:

Code:

sudo slocate -u        (this updates the locate database)
locate escputil        (this tells you where the utility is)
echo $PATH             (and this tells you what your PATH is)

So, is escputil in your PATH? Probably not, so you can either add its path to your PATH environment variable, or maybe make a link to it from somewhere that is in your PATH.
I didn't have any of this trouble (but I have an HP printer), and just set up my printer through K-> SystemSettings -> Printers.

storywizard · 12-29-2006, 07:10 PM

OK, I don't know what the 'PATH' is...I will try those commands, but modifying the path I will need some help on...

Thanks...

Stephen

David the H. · 12-29-2006, 10:12 PM

Your PATH is an environment variable, a set of information settings that your computer shell can access. In this case it's the list of directories that your system will search in when you enter a command name to run. If you type "firefox" into the command line, then if the program executable named 'firefox' is somewhere in your PATH, it will run. Otherwise you have to direct your computer to the exact location.

/usr/bin almost always needs to be in your path, since that's the main directory for executable files on *nix systems. Others are optional, depending on your needs.
/usr/local/bin is the most commonly used directory that's not listed in the PATH by default on some distros.

To set an environment variable you use the 'export' command:

'export PATH="</a/colon/separated:/list/of:/directories:/to/search>"'

Note that this will only set the PATH for the current bash session, and your changes will disappear when you close the console. To make it permanent you have to add the command to your /etc/profile and/or /etc/bashrc files.

Often though, say when you only have one or two executable files to worry about, it's easier and more secure to simply create a symlink to it in /usr/bin or another PATH folder than to add it to your PATH.

'ln -s /new/directory/filename /usr/bin/'

Bash will then find the link in /usr/bin and follow it to it's real location.

To see a full list of your current environment variable settings, simply type 'env' at the command prompt. The bash man page has explanations for many of them as well as info on shell variables in general.