Kubuntu Dapper doesn't find printer drivers

ErrorBound · 06-07-2006, 12:02 PM

I've updraded from Kubuntu Breezy to Dapper and now I'm trying to set up my printer again. It is a HP Laserjet 1012 connected directly to USB. I'm logged in as root and trying to add a new printer in System Settings -> Printers. Using the add wizard, my printer is detected correctly. (some other random printers are detected on parallel ports as well, although i'm definetely not using parallel ports for anything, if in fact I have any at all.) I go through the wizard, which lists 4 possible printer drivers, however none of them can be found when I try them. If I try printing a test page I get 9 blank pages instead. This puzzles me because when I was using Breezy, the same printer was no problem to set up.

Also, trying to add the printer using http://localhost:631/ asks for a username and password for CUPS. Neither my login nor the root login will allow access.

Thanks,

ErrorBound · 06-08-2006, 05:41 PM

Could a moderator move this thread to the Ubuntu specific forum please?

ErrorBound · 06-09-2006, 12:09 PM

I have found a solution to this problem. Apparently CUPS got "broken" in going from 1.1 to 1.2. This is resolved by doing

Code:

sudo foomatic-cleanupdrivers

then reinstalling the printer.

I hope this may be of use to ease someone's suffering.

blair · 06-09-2006, 03:48 PM

See the tail end of this post here:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d.php?t=331050

I spent literally months f*-king around with Ubuntu trying to get it to print. The post referenced above details my sorry saga. Finally gave up and moved on to other distros. Found Mepis to work flawlessly. Did an A-B comparison, found numerous differences in config settings but identical processes, daemons, versions of executables, etc. Conclusion: Its all in the config settings. So in theory if these config settings work on Mepis, they should work on Ubuntu. BINGO BABY !!!

My bottom line advice for Ubuntu users is: If you want out of the box printing, you are hunting up the wrong distro. Try Mepis instead. If you insist on using Ubuntu - Kubuntu - Xubuntu, save yourself some torture and just pull actually useful config files off Mepis.

Warning: There is a risk that a s/w upgrade could toast your config files. I recommend archiving a copy of the Mepis /etc/cups folder and treating it as a data file to keep backed up. In the event printing mysteriously breaks, try reapplying the Mepis config files and see if printing is restored.

good luck.

short_handle · 06-30-2006, 02:42 PM

There seems to some real problems with printer setup in Dapper and a number of solutions that work for some but not others. I'll just detail what it finally took to install my HP Deskjet as a local USB printer.

Code:

sudo foomatic-cleanupdrivers
sudo adduser cupsys shadow
sudo dpkg-reconfigure cupsys

Select the proper printer interface. For the rest, the defaults worked for me.
You should be part of the lpadmin group -- if not, add yourself.
(The printer should be turned on of course.)
At this point the KDE tools still can't find more than four HP printer drivers, so open a browser window at http://localhost:631/. The password problem should now be fixed.

Click on Administration and the printer should be listed.
Click to add the correct printer.
Click Set As Default.

I'd still like to know how to get the KDE tools to see all the printer drivers if anyone has a solution.

Sputnikc · 08-23-2006, 02:34 PM

This posting has been very usefull for me to get printing going in Kubuntu dapper in no-time.
Thanks a lot.

I hope the same method will work to get printing working again in debian etch..
after a upgrade suddenly the drivers didn't work anymore.
allways very weird signs on a lot of pages.

Well i'll try it tomorrow.

Robb · 08-30-2006, 02:43 AM

I new if I searched long enough, I'd find a solution for my printer problems
tks

WWolfe · 09-04-2006, 07:15 PM

Hi, thanks for your shared comments. This fixed it for me. I had the same problem when adding a printer, even in Admin mode. I'm using Kubuntu 6.06 Dapper.

Unable to load the requested driver: Unable to create the Foomatic driver [name of driver]. Either that driver does not exist, or you don't have the required permissions to perform that operation.

Just the one line in a Konsole window fixed mine :- sudo foomatic-cleanupdrivers
then back to the System Settings->Printing Manager to add the printer.

abejarano · 01-16-2007, 05:21 PM

Finally something that worked for the complete tyro! My Laserjet 2100 is connected to the parallel printer port. I thought this was lpt1 but it didn't set up successfully as such. My printer model was listed under "other printer" and it worked when I made that selection and went through the rest of it after following your suggestions. Following your suggestions removed all problems with any driver installing. BTW only 4 printer drivers were listed under HP, but the other hundred-odd were listed under Hewlett Packard.

Thanks again,
Anthony Bejarano

stenquist · 08-11-2007, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErrorBound

I have found a solution to this problem. Apparently CUPS got "broken" in going from 1.1 to 1.2. This is resolved by doing

Code:

sudo foomatic-cleanupdrivers

then reinstalling the printer.

I hope this may be of use to ease someone's suffering.

Thank you! I had the "Unable to create the Foomatic driver" when trying to reinstall my HP895C printer after a Kububtu upgrade, and the
>sudo foomatic-cleanupdrivers
did it. Printer works fine now THANKS!

Carl S.

KeithFisher · 09-19-2007, 02:23 PM

I've experienced this issue too.

Opening a terminal window and pasting:

sudo foomatic-cleanupdrivers

into it resolved the issue.