On Tue, 2004-03-09 at 08:30, WizarDave wrote:
I think Peets posted
The user has one of those USB connected HP Officejets (PCS 2179). As far as I'm concerned she could better be using Windows - this is the classic printer someone with a small office would use (fax, scanner, copier, colour printer). Ken replied Are you using the hpoj driver as well as the ptal stuff? If you are you need to make sure that the ptal processes are started at boot. This stumped me on my last install, just one of those things that fell through the crackes.
Howdy all, first time poster here... Recent WinDoze convert who tried Caldera Linux a few years back and am very happy with the progress Linux has made... Just as background, my first computer was a Timex Sinclair with 2k memory and cassette drive back around 1980. Was a computer repair tech and dBase programmer when the IBM PC came out. I also started and remotely maintained several web sites, 1995-2002 using various web hosting companies all on Linux boxes, my last being a dedicated redhat server through RackShack.
So, I am no computer dummy... But admittedly, Linux desktop is kicking my butt in a couple of areas. You've brought up one of those areas... TIA for any and all help figuring out my printing problem.
My Lexmark had quit before I got SuSE 9.0 pro in December, so I've been without printer since install... I needed a printer the other day, so went to WalMart (I live in a small town 90 miles away from a real computer store) found out they had some cheap HP printer and a psc1210. Wrote both those numbers down, came home, got online http://www.linuxprinting.org/ and checked to see if either would work with Linux. According to http://www.linuxprinting.org/printer_list.cgi?make=HP the psc works "mostly". http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=HP-PSC_1210 I have not updated everything that page talks about yet. I also checked SuSE.com hardware database http://cdb.suse.de/ showProduct.php?LANG=en_UK&searchtype=simple&product_id=25169&arch_id=&dist_id= which says "These printers work almost perfectly - funny enhanced resolution modes may be missing, or the color is a bit off, but nothing that would make the printouts not useful." OK, sounds like I can print and correct the problems mentioned on SuSE's site by updating the stuff mentioned on linuxprinting.org's site...
Here's what I am experiencing. Installing with YAST, the printer is recognized and installed with multiple printing ques that all seem to work. I can print >>> one time <<< when using KDE. Uninstalling and reinstalling the printer would allow me to print one more time. This could be very time consuming... 8^)
I tried various methods of turning off the printer or disconnecting it, but it never printed more than one time without uninstall then reinstalling. I tried various flavors of installing the printer including LPR instead of CUPS.
Thinking the problem could be KDE, I installed GNOME (and kinda like it...). Before installing I had done my one print and the printer was showing up in KDE with an exclamation point and somewhere it said printer was not accepting any additional print jobs. After installing and logging into GNOME, printer worked fine. I printed out everything I needed without problem. Then I wanted to print out another page and I got no errors anywhere, but also no printout.
Someone mentioned something about Windows... I have not booted up from my Windows hard drive since January, well before I bought this printer...
Someone else mentioned something about PTAL. I cannot find anything with YAST or in SuSE Help about PTAL...
What now gurus? Here's questions I have in my head... What is PTAL and how do I use itand what will it do for my situation? Where is the printer job watcher in GNOME? Why is KDE only letting me print 1 time? Why does uninstall/reinstall let me print 1 more time? Is there some command line way of "resetting" my printer? Why was I able to print out a bunch in GNOME? Why wasn't there an exclamation point in GNOME when it quit printing? What printer, scanner combo should I have bought? (I will also want faxing capabilities which I could maybe do with a modem installed on the phone line? (I currently have DSL) ...???...???...
Another day I will post some other questions about Linux... 8^)
God Bless, WizarDave
Hi I very successfully run an HP OfficeJet 6110, scanning, printing etc. A very useful couple of sites to look at are run by HP who are very into Linux. http://hpoj.sourceforge.net & http://hpinkjet.sourceforge.net They have lots of installation info, drivers etc for the majority of HP printers etc. Laurence