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Though I probably have a long way to go, I have learned a lot about SuSE Linux since first trying in 1999. I currently have configured 8.0 at home with Mozilla and Open Office. Even printing seemed to work ok in Open Office which amazed me. While printing did work without any trouble, I was very disappointed in the quality and then I realized that something very important seems to be missing from Linux printing. In Windows printing, the printer options give me choices for print quality and even paper type. For printing pictures on photo paper, I can select the photo paper type and best quality. Am I missing something or is this completely missing in Linux? How can I print a good quality photo on photo paper? Damon Register
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On Mon, 2003-10-27 at 18:29, Damon Register wrote:
Though I probably have a long way to go, I have learned a lot about SuSE Linux since first trying in 1999. I currently have configured 8.0 at home with Mozilla and Open Office. Even printing seemed to work ok in Open Office which amazed me. While printing did work without any trouble, I was very disappointed in the quality and then I realized that something very important seems to be missing from Linux printing. In Windows printing, the printer options give me choices for print quality and even paper type. For printing pictures on photo paper, I can select the photo paper type and best quality. Am I missing something or is this completely missing in Linux? How can I print a good quality photo on photo paper?
You can use gtklp as the print interface. Instead of using lp or lpr to print, you use gtklp. It pops up a dialogue where you can set all kinds of stuff. It is on the SuSE CD's -- Andre Truter Software Engineer Registered Linux user #185282 ICQ #40935899 AIM: trusoftzaf http://www.trusoft.za.net ~ If you are in control, you are going too slow - Mario Andretti ~ Disclaimer and Confidentiality Warning This message is intended for the addressee only. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, you are notified that any distribution, use of or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received the communication in error, please notify the sender immediately. The views and opinions expressed in this message are those of the individual sender of this message and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of ATIO. Consequently, ATIO does not accept responsibility for such views and opinions and this message should not be read as representing the views and opinions of ATIO without subsequent written confirmation. Each page attached hereto must also be read in conjunction with this disclaimer.
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Andre Truter wrote:
You can use gtklp as the print interface. Instead of using lp or lpr to print, you use gtklp. It pops up a dialogue where you can set all kinds of stuff.
It is on the SuSE CD's
Sounds great but I don't see it on my 8.0 CDs. Damon Register
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On Mon, 2003-10-27 at 20:39, Damon Register wrote:
Andre Truter wrote:
You can use gtklp as the print interface. Instead of using lp or lpr to print, you use gtklp. It pops up a dialogue where you can set all kinds of stuff.
It is on the SuSE CD's
Sounds great but I don't see it on my 8.0 CDs.
Here is the site: http://gtklp.sourceforge.net/ And here are some rpms. It seems like it was only added to SuSE 8.1 and later. http://fr2.rpmfind.net/linux/rpm2html/search.php?query=gtklp&system=&arch= HTH -- Andre Truter Software Engineer Registered Linux user #185282 ICQ #40935899 AIM: trusoftzaf http://www.trusoft.za.net ~ If you are in control, you are going too slow - Mario Andretti ~ Disclaimer and Confidentiality Warning This message is intended for the addressee only. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, you are notified that any distribution, use of or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received the communication in error, please notify the sender immediately. The views and opinions expressed in this message are those of the individual sender of this message and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of ATIO. Consequently, ATIO does not accept responsibility for such views and opinions and this message should not be read as representing the views and opinions of ATIO without subsequent written confirmation. Each page attached hereto must also be read in conjunction with this disclaimer.
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On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 15:55:50 +0200 Andre Truter <andre.truter@intekom.co.za> wrote:
You can use gtklp as the print interface. Instead of using lp or lpr to print, you use gtklp. It pops up a dialogue where you can set all kinds of stuff.
Kprinter, the KDR print dialog also does that. To use it with non-KDE apps, you can use the command "kprinter --stdin". There is also another one called xpp. Charles -- "I'd crawl over an acre of 'Visual This++' and 'Integrated Development That' to get to gcc, Emacs, and gdb. Thank you." (By Vance Petree, Virginia Power)
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On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 03:29, Damon Register wrote:
Though I probably have a long way to go, I have learned a lot about SuSE Linux since first trying in 1999. I currently have configured 8.0 at home with Mozilla and Open Office. Even printing seemed to work ok in Open Office which amazed me. While printing did work without any trouble, I was very disappointed in the quality and then I realized that something very important seems to be missing from Linux printing. In Windows printing, the printer options give me choices for print quality and even paper type. For printing pictures on photo paper, I can select the photo paper type and best quality. Am I missing something or is this completely missing in Linux? How can I print a good quality photo on photo paper?
Damon Register
Well I think the answer lies with which printer you are using. As you don't indicate which model you are having trouble with, I can't help you very much. At home I have a HP Deskjet 930C and an old Kyocera FS-680. At work there is a HP Deskjet 1220C, Magicolor2 CX, Kyocera FS1800 and a Kyocera 4300 copier. All these printers work as good as or better under Linux than they do under windows. The two HP printers using CUPS have a number of paper and print options. The HP 1220C does produce quite high quality pictures on photo paper. I have not used the 930C with photo paper but the option is there and I believe it would produce reasonable pictures. I think it is a case of experimenting with the various drivers available with CUPS to find the most suited for a given job. The other thing to remember is that the majority of the drivers are not supplied by the manufactures, but are produced by volunteers. Some companies like HP do help in the production of drivers but others like Cannon don't. Actually I would never use a Cannon product if they even paid me. That said, the best place to look for information on printers is http://www.linuxprinting.org/ On this site you will find a huge amount of information on printers, the drivers available, and print spoolers (CUPS, LPRNG, etc). To find information on your printer and the drivers available http://www.linuxprinting.org/printer_list.cgi To select a new printer I suggest looking here before buying. http://www.linuxprinting.org/suggested.html -- Regards, Graham Smith ---------------------------------------------------------
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Graham Smith wrote:
indicate which model you are having trouble with, I can't help you very much.
sorry, I should have been more clear. I guess I was wondering if the issue was more general
At home I have a HP Deskjet 930C and an old Kyocera FS-680. At work there is a
I have a HP 932C and HP Laserjet 1100
The two HP printers using CUPS have a number of paper and print options. The
with mine the options are very limited. What am I missing?
I think it is a case of experimenting with the various drivers available with CUPS to find the most suited for a given job.
some give more options? I didn't know what to pick so for the 932C I selected the one labeled foomatic + gimp (I think). By the way, what the heck is foomatic?
http://www.linuxprinting.org/ On this site you will find a huge amount of
thanks for the info. I will check it out
To select a new printer I suggest looking here before buying.
I hope I won't have to do that for a while. My HP 932C seems to be working ok Damon Register
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On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 05:09, Damon Register wrote:
I have a HP 932C and HP Laserjet 1100
some give more options? I didn't know what to pick so for the 932C I selected the one labeled foomatic + gimp (I think). By the way, what the heck is foomatic?
See http://www.linuxprinting.org/foomatic.html for full details. Foomatic was introduced into SuSE 8.2. It is used to generate the PPD's (driver files) used by the different printers. I notice that you are currently using SuSE 8.0, there have been a lot of changes in CUPS and the drivers since then. If you are wanting photo quality output from your printer it may be a good idea to upgrade to SuSE 9.0 instead of trying to get the latest drivers working with your version. As I said ealier you may have to experiment with the different drivers to find one suitable for a particular task. -- Regards, Graham Smith ---------------------------------------------------------
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Graham Smith wrote:
output from your printer it may be a good idea to upgrade to SuSE 9.0 instead of trying to get the latest drivers working with your version.
so there are some big improvements in the printing in 9.0? If so, that would be great. I have already ordered 9.0 from Amazon Maybe I will have to hold off trying to make it work Damon Register
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And just to give you an example, by selecting to print this email. I get a box (much like windows), where I can select properties. There I can select driver settings, through which I can set the print quality from draft (300dpi) to best (2400dpi) and this is a cheap lexmark printer. On Monday 27 October 2003 17:11, Graham Smith wrote:
On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 05:09, Damon Register wrote:
I have a HP 932C and HP Laserjet 1100
some give more options? I didn't know what to pick so for the 932C I selected the one labeled foomatic + gimp (I think). By the way, what the heck is foomatic?
See http://www.linuxprinting.org/foomatic.html for full details. Foomatic was introduced into SuSE 8.2. It is used to generate the PPD's (driver files) used by the different printers.
I notice that you are currently using SuSE 8.0, there have been a lot of changes in CUPS and the drivers since then. If you are wanting photo quality output from your printer it may be a good idea to upgrade to SuSE 9.0 instead of trying to get the latest drivers working with your version.
As I said ealier you may have to experiment with the different drivers to find one suitable for a particular task.
-- Regards,
Graham Smith ---------------------------------------------------------
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Örn Hansen wrote:
And just to give you an example, by selecting to print this email. I get a box (much like windows), where I can select properties. There I can select
I don't get that with Mozilla 1.5. There the print window shows only PostScript/default with very limited options
driver settings, through which I can set the print quality from draft (300dpi) to best (2400dpi) and this is a cheap lexmark printer.
That raises another question that has been bugging me. I have installed printers in CUPS with three different drivers so I could try each. My printer is an HP 932C. I installed color1 with the gimp-print driver, color2 with hpijs and color3 with hpdj. In other apps such as Open Office, I can print and get a print dialog with limited options including the resolutions as you mentioned. The thing that confuses me is that this does not seem consistent with resolutions I see for a particular driver when I look at a printer with kups or gtklp. Can anyone explain this? With my printer color1 that uses the gimp-print driver, I look at the setup with gtklp and under the PPD tab I see for the quality the choices are 150, 300 and 600 but no 2400. Damon Register
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* Damon Register <damon_register@comcast.net> [10-28-03 19:18]:
with hpdj. In other apps such as Open Office, I can print and get a print dialog with limited options including the resolutions as you mentioned. The thing that confuses me is that this does not seem consistent with resolutions I see for a particular driver when I look at a printer with kups or gtklp. Can anyone explain this? With my printer color1 that uses the gimp-print driver, I look at the setup with gtklp and under the PPD tab I see for the quality the choices are 150, 300 and 600 but no 2400.
I do not believe that >600 is available for _any_ HP. 2400 _is_ available for some epsons and lexmarks and 1440 is available for some canons. BUT, I believe that HP provides the ppd files for their printers. I had a 970 (which supported automatic 2-sided printing) and was quite pleased with the quality of photos, but like my epson 925 better (but only print photos @ 1440x720). -- Patrick Shanahan Registered Linux User #207535 http://wahoo.no-ip.org @ http://counter.li.org
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* Patrick Shanahan <WideGlide@SpeedyMail.Org> [10-28-03 19:40]:
I do not believe that >600 is available for _any_ HP. 2400 _is_
^^^^^ that should read 2880. -- Patrick Shanahan Registered Linux User #207535 http://wahoo.no-ip.org @ http://counter.li.org
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On Wednesday 29 October 2003 01:12, Damon Register wrote:
I don't get that with Mozilla 1.5. There the print window shows only PostScript/default with very limited options
True, but you can click on properties there, and change the 'print command' to get more options, although it requires you to know the options to set for the lpr command.
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On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 19:12:48 -0500 Damon Register <damon_register@comcast.net> wrote:
I don't get that with Mozilla 1.5. There the print window shows only PostScript/default with very limited options
In the print dialog box go to properties and set to print command to: kprinter --stdin if you are using KDE, if not you can achieve the same results by using gtklp or xpp with the appropriate command.
My printer is an HP 932C. I installed color1 with the gimp-print driver, color2 with hpijs and color3 with hpdj.
The recommended driver for your printer according to Linuxprinting.org is the hpijs. http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=HP-DeskJet_932C
The thing that confuses me is that this does not seem consistent with resolutions I see for a particular driver when I look at a printer with kups or gtklp. Can anyone explain this?
The available resolutions are defined in the ppd files. It all depend which one you are using.
With my printer color1 that uses the gimp-print driver, I look at the setup with gtklp and under the PPD tab I see for the quality the choices are 150, 300 and 600 but no 2400.
Most likely because Gimp-print does not have full support for your printer yet. So, in essence you are using a generic HP Inkjet ppd file which limits it to 600 dpi. Of course one can always edit the ppd file and add/change/delete stuff. I actually hate choosing resolution and paper type all the time. What I do is to define several print queues with different quality and paper type and give them meaningful names. YMMV Charles -- We are using Linux daily to UP our productivity - so UP yours! (Adapted from Pat Paulsen by Joe Sloan)
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Charles Philip Chan wrote:
In the print dialog box go to properties and set to print command to:
kprinter --stdin This is really cool. I just tried it. Thanks
The recommended driver for your printer according to Linuxprinting.org is the hpijs. I should have looked more closely. Thanks again
http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=HP-DeskJet_932C I was just reading that page and some links, then a question came to mind. How do I determine the version of hpijs that I have on SuSE 8.0 so I can see if that site has a later one?
The available resolutions are defined in the ppd files. It all depend which one you are using. And these are the ones I see when I use something like gtklp?
Most likely because Gimp-print does not have full support for your printer yet. So, in essence you are using a generic HP Inkjet ppd file I noticed somewhere it said generic.
I actually hate choosing resolution and paper type all the time. What I do is to define several print queues with different quality and paper That's what I am going to do once I learn enough about this.
Thanks for your help. I think I have a little better understanding. Now I have to work on Open Office printing. Damon Register
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On 10/30/2003 12:52 AM, Damon Register wrote:
Now I have to work on Open Office printing.
Damon Register
Define kprinter --stdin as your OO printer as well. It works quite well. -- Joe Morris New Tribes Mission Email Address: Joe_Morris@ntm.org Web Address: http://www.mydestiny.net/~joe_morris Registered Linux user 231871 God said, I AM that I AM. I say, by the grace of God, I am what I am.
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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 08:52:39 -0800 Damon Register <damon.w.register@lmco.com> wrote:
This is really cool. I just tried it. Thanks
You are welcome.
How do I determine the version of hpijs that I have on SuSE 8.0 so I can see if that site has a later one?
Look at the name of the ijs on your harddrive, the numbers in the name should give you some hints. The great thing about ijs drivers is that they can be upgraded without upgrade without compiling anythung else.
And these are the ones I see when I use something like gtklp?
Yes. The ppd's defines the printer capabilities.
Now I have to work on Open Office printing.
Answered by Joe Morris. Charles - -- Your job is being a professor and researcher: That's one hell of a good excuse for some of the brain-damages of minix. (Linus Torvalds to Andrew Tanenbaum) -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.2 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQE/oD113epPyyKbwPYRAma5AKDZXEEnWIngpfse9FQd9NYi6zJG0wCfc2g2 rPJz70rlBbEN5s0M+35FIg8= =zUGl -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
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On 10/28/2003 02:09 AM, Damon Register wrote:
I have a HP 932C and HP Laserjet 1100
One thing you might want to try is getting the Postscript HP Windows driver, uncompressing it, and using the ppd file in it. It is the only driver that has allowed me to print correctly, with it looks like all the options, to a HP 2200 at work. It might help. -- Joe Morris New Tribes Mission Email Address: Joe_Morris@ntm.org Web Address: http://www.mydestiny.net/~joe_morris Registered Linux user 231871 God said, I AM that I AM. I say, by the grace of God, I am what I am.
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On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 08:29:41 -0800 Damon Register <damon.w.register@lmco.com> wrote:
How can I print a good quality photo on photo paper?
(1) Use a good driver. Always use the Gimp-print drivers if you printer is supported (mainly Epson, Canon, and HP). The Gimp-print drivers are known to be superior to their Windows counterpart. (2) You can choose the paper, quality, dithering method, etc, by printing with kprinter, gtklp, xpp, etc. (3) Alternately, if you have Gimp-print installed, you can use it directly in the Gimp. Charles -- LILO, you've got me on my knees! (from David Black, dblack@pilot.njin.net, with apologies to Derek and the Dominos, and Werner Almsberger)
participants (8)
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Andre Truter
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Charles Philip Chan
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Damon Register
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Damon Register
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Graham Smith
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Joe Morris (NTM)
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Patrick Shanahan
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Örn Hansen