OK, I'm sorry.
I usually can find my way around pretty well around linux.
After all I've used Red Hat, Debian, Mandrake, and now Kubuntu
on my honme computer, apart from using linux extensively at work.

But when it comes to CUPS printing, my IQ just doesn't seem to
be high enough to understand WHAT IS ACTUALLY REQUIRED!!!

1. I go to linuxprinting.org. Lookup my printer,
a Canon BJ-200 an I am told to use the "bj200"

2. Clicking on "bj200" tells me the following:
Execution style: Ghostscript
* What does that mean? Does it mean that all i need is CUPS + a Cups PPD file for my printer + GhostScript ?

3. Execution details

gs -q -dBATCH -dPARANOIDSAFER -dQUIET -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=bj200 -r<Resolution> -c "<</PageSize[<PageSize>]/ImagingBBox null>>setpagedevice" -sOutputFile=- -

Does that mean that I can print a postscript file by executing

% gs -q -dBATCH -dPARANOIDSAFER -dQUIET -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=bj200 -sOutputfile=/dev/lp0 file.ps ???

4. filters.
There is a lot of talk about filters, do I need them?


5. Adding a printer with "kprinter"
0. Choos system: CUPS
1. Select Device: /dev/lp0
2. Select Printer: Canon / BJ-200

Is this enough? or is there something else that I need to do behind the scenes?

6. General CUPS documentation
"
[...]
Install the Foomatic scripts.
(If you are using a native CUPS Raster driver, or are using a PostScript printer with a PPD from your printer vendor, you probably do not need Foomatic and should skip this step).
[...]
"
My driver says "execution style: Ghostscript" . Does that mean that
I can treat my printer as a postscript printer, and I don't need to worry about foomatic scripts?

Needless to say, I haven't managed to get my printer to work. (It's working on Windows XP - *aargh*).


Please, can someone help me out to understand i I have missed a crucial step, or
if my devices are just misconfigured...

Thanks in advance

/Martin

I was reading you thread and I got a bit lost. Not because it was bad written, but it seems advanced for me . Really. I have only experiences with local printers, non-USB, and to get it to work, all I do is to open a web browser (anyone, really) and type:

http://localhost:631/

if cups is running, it will call a nice web interface to help you configuring your printer. This is the easiest way I've found to get the printer to work. Give it a shot.

Regards!

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I've tried this as well, I guess I should have
mentioned that. It doesn't work for me.

My problem is that I don't know if I have missed something.
If know that CUPS is set up correctly. (Which it seems to be) Then
I can start looking into if it may me the fact that I'm trying to print
over a USB/PAR bridge that's causing the problem. (Or something else that
doesn't necessarilly have to do with CUPS.)

By the way, piping a text file to the device ("echo 'hello' > /dev/usb/lp0") works just fine...

/M

I see. Sorry, that's the only way I usually do that. However, I found a quote from the Slackware creator that might help you:

http://members.cox.net/laitcg/new/printer.html

it's aimed at Slackware (indeed), but since Slackware is a very, very generic distribution, it should work fine for you, hopefully . Just substitute the install methods for your Ubuntu (in this case, apt-get instead of installpkg). I think you get the idea.

Sorry for not providing a more accurate answer though. Printers are not my specialty. I can help you setting up your joypad though

Have a nice day and good luck!

Thanks. I'll give it a shot.

Meanwhile, I'd still appreciate some input on the general ins and outs of cups form someone. :-)

#5 of your original post should suffice. Though I do it usually through the KDE-control-center (or wath it is called) and select there the printer-facility...