Hi

I have a linux laptop running Mandriva Linux 2009.0. This laptop runs some specialist software to print car licence plates.

I am using an Oki C5800 printer for this, and had to compile a driver for it using foo2hiperc.

The driver compiled fine and I can run test prints from the printer no problem at all.

To be able to print the number plates I need to select custom paper size for the manual feed tray. In the Print Queue I can do this no problem.

However, the software uses the CUPS software to choose and set up the printer, when I set it up The option of custom paper size isn't there, all other available paper sizes are that are in the print queue, but not the custom one.

Other printers and drivers I have used previously all have the option for custom paper size within the CUPS software, just not this one.

Any ideas on how I can get the custom size to be available?

Linux Mandrake 2009.0
foo2hiperc print driver
CUPS 1.3.10

I would look at the ppd file (located in the /etc/cups-ppd/ directory). There are paper sizes defined there, and it should be possible to edit this to provide for another.

For example
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/...sizes-to-a-ppd

I have looked at the PPD file and modified as necessary, When I set up a custom paper size the printer errors with "unknown"

If I modify the paper size for A4 for example, the printer still prints to A4 dimensions as it seems to be using the settings held within the printer itself rather than the PPD settings. I have tried offsets and everything but nothing seems to work.

I don't understand why the print queue has custom as a selectable option but in CUPS it doesn't.

Can you set the custom paper size on the printer itself?

yes, but I don't have the option to choose custom when sending the print job, It only prints if I select one of the standard default paper sizes. in CUPS custom does not appear as a selectable option

With KDE (Qt-based applications), I note that what's offered does depend on the PPD for a particular printer....perhaps what you observe is a limitation of the application itself?

FWIW, printer-specific options (defined in the printer's PPD file) can be queried using

Yeah when I modify the PPD file the print queue on Mandriva gives me the correct options, custom settings etc. However the CUPS application doesn't not seem to recognise the custom settings. It's very weird as CUPS is part of Linux

It is the printing subsystem for most modern Linux environments. When you select the custom page size and attempt to print, where is the error reported?

Try using another application (eg GUI editor or graphics app) to test printing with the custom page size. Any different?

The common printer dialog box was developed around the same time as version 2009.0 but I am not sure what Mandriva used back then. The dialog box is part of the desktop and not the cups daemon.

This could be the reason there are differences.

As a workaround could you save the print output to file which is a PostScript document and print successfully from the command line using lpr and its page size options?

I assume your application is not supported by a more current distribution?