How To Install Printer thru Network Hard Drive
 

I am trying to setup up an HP Officejet G85xi printer through an Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive, so that the printer can be shared over the network without requiring that an attached computer be turned on to print. There is a place on the back of the Network Hard Drive to plug in the printer with USB. Then the printer is available over the network via SMB at the following location: //WORKGROUP/IOMEGADRIVE/Printer1

When I add a new Network printer, Ubuntu sees the printer on the network and I am able to install the printer driver. However, when I go to print, nothing happens.

Previously, when I tried to install the G85xi locally with USB, the Ubuntu printer driver installed but did not work. If the printer is installed in HPLIP then it works. And then, after the printer is installed locally on a computer with USB through HPLIP, it can be shared as a network printer and I am able to print from other computers simply by adding the Network printer without going through HPLIP on the client computers.

There does not seem to be a way to install an SMB shared printer in HPLIP on the client computers and it seems that HPLIP only supports printers connected directly to the network. Is there any way to get this working directly through the Network Hard Drive so that the computer next to the printer does not have to be turned on in order to print?

I don't have any experience with this printer or Iomega device, so this will be generic advice.

From here: http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web.../hp_setup.html
it seems to me that the HPLIP software will not directly support SMB shares. The screenshot clearly identifies network attached as direct attached or jet attached. So that appears to be out.

from here: http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web.../cups/net.html
it explains with screenshots how to configure CUPS to use the device. However, it also appears dependant on the HPLIP drivers being installed because the first step is to locate the "unique" HP network string. You can try what they say and just use the IP of the IOmega device and see what happens. I doubt it will work, but worth a shot. If it returns the connection string then proceed with the installation.

Failing all that, my only other advice is to ensure that when you have CUPS auto install the SMB share, you try and modify the driver it is using to be the same as the locally install HPLIP driver per their instructions above. It may just be though that the HP printer depends on their software interpreting whatever information first.

Another idea, though you will have to hunt around to see if this is even possible, is to map the printer as an SMB share via cups, then share that printer out via an IP address from your machine, and then use that shared printer to send to HPLIP.