[SOLVED] Cannot get printer resolution higher than 300 dpi on Xubuntu, prints fine on other distros

thethinker · 12-15-2017, 01:52 PM

Running Xubuntu:

Code:

$ uname -r
4.10.0-40-generic
$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID:	Ubuntu
Description:	Ubuntu 17.04
Release:	17.04
Codename:	zesty

When I print from this machine using either the default Firefox pdf viewer or evince, my print dialog box gives me only options to 300 dpi. The lower ones are 150 dpi and 75 dpi. When I print, images look blurry. However, I print to the same printer from another machine (Mac running Pop!_OS, which is close enough to Ubuntu to have exactly the same information as above but kernel 4.10.0-42), I can't actually see what dpi it's using, but it's very clearly higher quality, probably 600 dpi. On that machine, the driver for this printer is listed as "driverless", which I don't understand but might matter.

I can't get to any options to increase the resolution over 300. Anyone have any thoughts?

agillator · 12-15-2017, 03:10 PM

Need to know what kind of printer, what driver(s) are you using, etc.

thethinker · 12-18-2017, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agillator

Need to know what kind of printer, what driver(s) are you using, etc.

Going to need a little more guidance. It's an HP LaserJet 400. I'm connecting via my network, and my Xubuntu system has autodetected it as "HP LaserJet Foomatic/laserjet (recommended)" (which is listed as the Make and Model when I do Settings -> Printers -> Right click-> Properties). lpstat lists zero printers (probably expected behavior since this is on a network), same with lsusb.

If I go into CUPS, the best I can do is the following line,

"Driver: HP LaserJet 400 M401dn, driverless, cups-filters 1.13.4 (grayscale, 2-sided printing)"

Which is the *exact* same thing Pop!_OS says when I go to CUPS on that system, where the default printing is higher resolution.

Thoughts?

thethinker · 12-18-2017, 08:46 AM

Ok, I think I solved this. It appears that it was a Firefox problem, although only on one of my two systems. I had to reset a parameter print_printer following https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb...oblems-firefox. That doens't really explain why I was getting this specific behavior, but it does appear to be printing at higher resolution.

Thanks for anyone else's attention.