Hi comprookie2000, Peacedog (and Phantomgr if you see this)

The thing is when I first installed SuSE 9,0 without configuring cups, I did not dare configure anything and yet Open Office printed fine. The printer was not set to kprinter but to Generic, and I assume (although I don't know because I knew nothing about it then, that it was actually confured as LPRNG). It was only when I tried to get my (mozilla) email and browser to print as well that I began to follow advice (not from this site) to configure via YaST. That messed everything up. I am wondering whether the first advice I got on this site - in newbie - from phantomgr, is perhaps a way to solve the problem. The reason is that some test pages which occasionally start OK, often cease after one or two inches of print. This is what he originally wrote:

Sounds like you are using CUPS as the printer daemon. This works as a daemon that sits on udp port 631. The configuration for CUPS is based in the directory /etc/cups and has both a server and client configuration.

It maybe that each time you start/shutdown the machine, the daemon is being started/shutdown. Try opening up a terminal and testing with the following:

bash> su
enter password: <this would be the root password>
bash> /etc/init.d/cups stop (shuts down the daemon)
bash> /etc/init.d/cups start (starts the daemon)

The cupsd.conf file configures the cups daemon while the cups.conf file configures the client.

What do you think? What I didn't understand at the time was how to find out how to test it. Should I just insert one command into the kernel, then see if it works, and if not, put int the next line instead, and see if it works. The other reason why I did not get around to testing it then is because I then had problems with my CUPS password, something I have now solved.

Any ideas, anyone?

You stated earlier that you were finally able to get the drivers installed. When you are in the cups configuration, are you able to print the test ok?

Some apps, have their own printer configuration tool, so if the cups test page prints alright, then it'll be a matter of entering the proper print command for the individual apps.
good luck.

I think the problem may be with configuration files not drivers. I had same issue with my printer a long time ago and I had to edit 2 files to make it work. I dont remember which files ill try to give you answer tomorrow, gotta look into my howto.

Ok try this

change to root:

su -m

change into this directory
# cd /etc/cups

Remove hash mark (#) to enable that feature in the following files

file 1 called: mime.types
feature in that file to enable: "application/octet- stream application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -"

file 2 called: mime.types
feature in that file to enable: "application/octet-stream"

Dont forget to restart cups with the command:
# service cups restart

See if that works
Cheers!

sorry first file is called mime.convs second file is called mime.types

Quick reply to Peacedog

Thanks for the query. The answer is no, I did not get a correct test page. It was gobbledegook as usual.

Last night I tried phantomgpr's suggestion of stopping CUPS to see what would happen. Well, all that happened is that I could not use localhost at all.

However, when I then selected generic and tried a testpage from OO, the printer printed half a colour testpage, then it aborted the testpage and started printing rubbish again.

I think my confusion is because I don't really understand what localhost631, KDE Cups confiration tool found in the CUPS dailog, and YaST hardware (printer) configurations each do and how they differ from each other. (I have spent hours and hours poring over the manuals but because I don't understand most of them they just make me more confused.)

I am wondering whether it is possible that the one will cancel out the other. Perhaps another way of expressing this is for example:
If one configures via localhost, should one leave YaST and the CUPS configuration tool alone?

The other thing is: My machine is a standalone, yet there is seldom a standalone instruction. So shouId I therefore follow instructions for a client?

In the meantime I plan to restart CUPS today and follow up Xris718's idea.

Thanks for your help. I am gradually learning different things, even if I haven't reached a solution yet! Hope to hear from you again.

273chris

All they do is what you do at localhost,just middlemen in the process.Sorry about the printing problems,could I suggest a HP3650 printer,save you alot of trouble,the drivers for your printer seem to be the problem,not you setup.Have someone try the printer in windows to make sure the printer is ok.

Hi Xris718
Unfortunately I have to tell you I am just a simple home user trying to escape from MS, and know very little about Linux.
However, I really appreciate your input. Thank you very much for the suggestion.

First question:
I got as far as trying to take away the # symbol. How does one take it away?

Second question
You write:
Remove hash mark (#) to enable that feature in the following files

When you write 'to enable that feaure in the following files'

How does one actually call the following files, and how dos one create file1 etc. Is it just a case of inserting the line between citation marks, or is it
/etc/cups/mime.convs/application/octet- stream application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -?
for the first one, and the second one in a similar fashion?

file 1 called: mime.convs
feature in that file to enable: "application/octet- stream application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -"

file 2 called: mime.types
feature in that file to enable: "application/octet-stream"

Dont forget to restart cups with the command:
# service cups restart

Third question:
Just to be 100% sure: Should I assume that the above message 'Don't forget to restart cups with the command ....'
means that before I even take away the #symbol I must have stopped CUPS?

I would be grateful for the clarifications

Hope to hear from you soon

273chris

Hi Comprookie2000

Thanks for your reply

The printer was printing fine after I first installed SuSE Linux 9.0, but would only print from Open Office. I didn't have to configure anything.

I then tried to get Mozilla to print out as well (email and browser) and that is when the problems started. A mnth or so after the problems started I got hold of Epson and they ran me through a test on the printer and it printed fine.

Mozilla support did tell me that there was a clash between Mozilla 1.4 and SuSE Linux 9,0, but that is now a secondary problem, since I at least want OO to print out again as it used to,before I get a later version of Mozilla.

I have also reinstalled 9,0 (and tried 9,1) twice and tested them both with and without the CUPS update packages, but it makes no difference.

I am sure you are probaby right about the drivers and I have made a note about the HP 3650. However, if humanly possible I hope not to have to buy a new printer right now.

Ciao for the moment

273chris

Ok its like this. There are 2 files you need to edit. That means you have to either use "pico" or "vi" as your choice of editor. "pico" is more suitable for users who are new to the linux world and "vi" is for more of advanced users. I believe "vi" comes in as a default file editor (i recommend you learn the basics of it). "pico" you have to install i think from rpm .. heres the link:
Make sure you install the right one that corresponds to your operating system:

http://www.rpmfind.net/linux/rpm2htm...mit=Search+...

once you installed pico all you have to do is become root

$ su -m
# cd /etc/cups
# ls
# pico mime.convs

NOTE: (#) also known as hash is also known as a comment in a file. If any file you see in unix that starts with that pound sign that means that line is commented out also means its not read its there only for your information thats all. Its nothing more, if you delete that (#) sign then that line starts to have meaning in that file. Moving on:

Find a line that says just without quotes:
"# application/octet- stream application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -"

and delete (#) sign so it will look like this now also without qoutes:
"application/octet- stream application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -"

Save the file and exit out.

Now do same for second file
# pico mime.types
Navigate to the line that looks like the following without qoutes:
"#application/octet-stream"

and remove the (#) sign once again it should look like this now:
"application/octet-stream"

Save the file and exit out

And lastly it doesnt matter if your cups deamon is running while your editing the files because now we are going to restart it so it will re-read the config files one more time:

# service cups restart

Note: if you installed pico but when you execute the command and you get error message saying no such file or directory then that means you dont have your path set up. Basically that pico binary file that you need resides in this directory "/usr/bin" do "ls" in that directory and you will see alot of binary files executables and one of them is pico. Anyways if that happens then just do this:

Thats a (.) in the front meaning execute that file from that directory

./usr/bin/pico filename

instead of this:

pico filename

---------------------------------
Good Luck dude.

Howdy phantomgpr, Comprookie2000, Peacedog and Xris718!

Thank you all of you for your helpfulness and suggestions, despite all the throes and woes in this thread - two pages! Through your help
I have at last crawled back to where I was three and a half months ago - I have actually printed a perfect colour page from Open Office, twice!

All the suggestions you made have taught me something, not always on the same day, and often after a while when I had thought and struggled with their meaning. Everything was important - even small things like what # and . mean at the beginning of a line. Small but absolutely crucial to know. If one is not a techie it takes a long time to understand for oneself what various instructions do, Tonight I put together some of your advice and lo, the content and the sequence of steps I took was right. I really deserved to succeed, having struggled for 3 and a half months with this problem! But you deserve a medal for your perserverance and patience!

Now I cannot yet print from my Mozilla internet browser or Mozilla email browser, but I hope that will not be as big an issue as regaining the capacity to print from an OO document. I was told some moons ago by Mozilla.org that SuSE Linux 9,0 and the Mozillla on the SuSE Linux CDs are not compatible, and Mozilla.org suggested a later Mozilla like 1.7.2. So that is what I will try tomorrow - to uninstall my Mozilla version and download a later one and then try and print with that. We'll see what happens - so apart from other little things I want to find out about I may soon be back asking around about that ....

For the sake of any other people who are just non-techie home users like me, here are the steps I took tonight which led to success, at least with Open Office documents. Of course most people have different machines, different distributions of Linux, different hardware, requiring different drivers etc etc. However, in case there is another poor soul struggling out there who might be helped, here goes..

What led to the steps I took today came about because it more and more had begun to dawn on me that YaST and KDE had never really appeared to help me solve my printing problem on my machine. I was beginning to think that perhaps configurations on YaST and KDE were clashing with configurations on localhost631. The suspicion was strong because often the printer would begin to print for anything between one and 7 lines and then abort, almost as if two instructions were cancelling each other out. It was phantomgpr who first got me thinking in this direction.This feeling became more acute today when I noticed that at least YaST did not have the same wide range of drivers that I could install using localhost 631, the latter I understand to be the drivers you got me to download. So instead of going ahead and trying the latest advice which was interesting both in itself and for its purpose, I decided on a series of moves using a lot of what I had learned up to now, plus unconfiguring printers in YaST, KDE and OO as far as possible.

THE SEQUENCE OF STEPS I TOOK
(I think the sequence is quite important since I have made some of these steps before but without the desired effect):
For those who have not read this thread from the beginning I have a Pentium 3 computer and an Epson Color Stylus 740 printer, and am running SuSE Linux 9,0 only, i.e. no MS.

1With the above suspicion that I should avoid YaST printer configuration I therefore went into YaST as root and deleted the printer configured there. I did the same in Open Office by going into System>Configuration>Printing. Two of them remained and would not be deleted - 'Generic' and 'kprinter'. I left them there. It also later turned out it did not matter that these particular two remained there.

For anyone who has similar problems as I have had the next steps I took are the following:
2 Log in to a kernel window as root, i.e. after the hash # enter the letters su, press return then write in the password for root when requested. Press return.
3 Check that CUPS is running, by typing the following that comes after the # prompt, thus:
# netstat | more
press return
If CUPS is running, you will see something like
tcp 0 0.0.0.00:631 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN
and also
udp 0 0.0.0.0.:631 0.0.0.0:*
(you must see both)
If one or other CUPS lines are not there, type into a new kernel window (as root) so that you get:
# /etc/init.d/cups stop
press return
and then
# /etc/init.d/cups start
and press return (this starts the CUPS daemon).
Check that CUPS is now running.

4 If you cannot get access to the address 'localhost631' on your internet browser window [NB. NOT on google or other search engine]
(in my case my internet browser is Mozilla) then leave the internet browser page open but go to a kernel window (as root) that is uncluttered and which has a fresh # prompt.
Type in so you get:
# lppasswd -g sys -a root
press return
and put in a new password (this will be your 'CUPS' password that allows you access to 'localhost631' on your internet browser).

5 Go back to your browser window and enter the address: localhost631
press return. You should find that the site opens and a menu of printing headings come up.
Choose 'Administration' and when the little login box comes up enter your username (i.e: root)
and your CUPS password that you entered when you were in the kernel window as root.

6 While still in localhost631 go to 'Jobs' and delete any outstanding incomplete or paused jobs listed there.

7 While still in localhost631 go to 'Printers' and delete any printers there, until it tells you something like 'no printers'.
Start from scratch and select 'Add printer'.
Give the printer a unique name so you will later recognise it as the one you are configuring now, e.g. 'Epsonprinter631'
This is important, so that the name will remind you where you configured it, (i.e. in localhost631 and not in KDE or YaST or OO).

Next, select a device from the list, e.g. Parallel Port #1 or whatever appears to be right.

Next, select 'Epson' from the list of printer drivers.
Next, for the driver model for Epson Color Stylus 740, select : Foomatic/stcolor/en

That is the one that worked in my case.

8 Open the document you want to print out (in my case it was an Open Office (OO) document, (saved in MS Word 97 format, although I doubt that matters).
Select 'Print'
A dialog box comes up, with a scrolldown list of printers. In my case 3 came up on the scroll.
Since I have never succeeded in getting anything right through the KDE wizard or dialog window I avoided selecting kprinter which tends to bring up the CUPS/KDE dialog box. I also avoided 'Generic printer' because I saw the newly added printer I had just added using 'localhost631', fresh on the list. It was there as large as life - 'Epsonprinter631'.

I pressed the button and didn't hold my breath, because I have learned not to bother! But it worked. Perfectly. Twice. I hope it does tomorrow too.

I would not have done it without the help from the members! A thousand thanks to all who helped and I hope to see you again soon.

273chris

Hi again!

Unfortunately, it didn't hold!

This time it printed half a full page of correct material, then stayed on the same place without printing for about 30 seconds, and then aborted. Thereafter, when trying again, it did not print the correct material at all, but printed rubbish.

Tomorrow I will go through the whole procedure again trying a different driver, and then try Xris718's suggestion.

regards

273chris

Xris718

I get to the part where I have gone into pico mime.convs
and pressed ctrl W (for Where is) and entered the following as you said:
# application/octet- stream application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -

The reply comes that the above line is not found. This is irrespective of whether I have a # sign in front or not.

When I use a kernel and list thus "/usr/bin" do "ls"
then among a long list just two separate words come up on the list - 'pico' and then underneath 'piconv'
There is no pico plus a filename.

So my question is (while in the /usr/bin list!) do I just put a . in front of pico, and then add the filename thus:

.pico application/octet- stream application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -

or do I put in .pico mimeconvs there?

Thanks!

273chris

Hi everyone!

Well, surprises are always nice when they are nice!

After booting up again tonight I tried tp print out an OO document (I had just checked that CUPS was running) and decided on impulse to select 'kprinter' ( which I am told is a standalone printing system) instead of the other 5 printers each configured with different drivers on localhost631.

It printed the same page perfectly four times, then on the fourth attempt it got stuck half way through the paper, and then printed rubbish.
I rebooted and it printed OK again.

So it would appear that I can now sometimes use the printer but it is unreliable, and requires a reboot fairly often.

I would be grateful for the continued assistance.

273chris

Try this, if you haven't already

$ su
password
# pkgtool

look for what I think was called lprng (if you have it) - the line printer system is what I think the description should be, I read on these boards somewhere that it doesn't get along with CUPS. Sorry for the vagueness, I'm new to Linux.