A few weeks ago I could print pdf documents. Then came an update that included CUPS, and since then I can't print any pdf document. If I use Evince I get a message about Too many failed attempts and nothing is printed. If I use Adobe Reader 9 I get four pdf pages on one A4 sheet - unreadable. If I use gpdf it prints but omits things like minus signs (great for mathematical work).
Just to make it more mysterious, all applications that print out work perfectly with files that are not pdf.
Right now I am just about ready to connect the printer to a Windows machine and get on with the work.
Ubuntu 8.10 Athlon 64 HP Color Laserjet 2600n

I have several PCs.
The one I want to work, I let lag behind a little (eg 'buntu 6.06 (still good, but not updated now) and 'buntu 8.04 (excellent). Also no 64-bit distros on the workhorse either).

When a new version of my currently preferred distro comes along, I put it on a new partition, and just play with it. If I consider it stable, and functional, I'll migrate to it after a couple of months, meanwhile I have my tried, trusted and fully functional release to fall back on.

Also, you haven't given us enough information in your post for us to diagnose anything:
- Your kernel is ____?
- Your version of cups is ____ ?
- What happened when you started the pdf-printing application from a terminal ?
- Any error messages displayed in the terminal?
- What are they ?

Kernel is 2.6.27-11 generic #1
Can't find CUPS version (update caused the problems)
I can print a small document from the perminal (lpr)with no error messages, but I want to be able to pick out a set of pages from a large PDF document (400 pages) and print that.
Sorry for delay in replying - Easter holidays

I have just received a CUPS update to V. 1.3.9-2Ubuntu9

I shall try it out on the pdf files

One solution might be that you don't have Acrobat Pro installed ? That usually adds Adobe PDF as a printer option. You should switch to a Mac. You have a PDF option right out of the box.

"Switch to a Mac"? - No thanks.

kpdf (0.5.10 with KDE 3.5.10) works perfectly for me.

Alas, kpdf is not available in the Synaptic set, and the suggested method of adding the repository does not seem to work. I have Adobe Reader 9, but it prints foud PDF pages to one A4 - unreadable.

Then I guess that you are running KDE 4.x.y - which I consider too unstable to use on a daily basis (see my post #2, above).

If that is the case, kpdf seems to have been replaced by okular in KDE4.
You could try that.

I am running Ubuntu 8.10 - how that involves KDE I don't know. Okular has the same problem as Document Reader. I have found that if I uninstall Document Reader and the reinstall it, I can print pdf files quite normally for that asession, but it reverts to the problem after a reboot.