Printing from the Desktop - Debian 3.1

[dagreen]

I've just installed Debian 3.1
I'm using an Epson Stylus C82 and I can't get anything to print using GNOME or KDE. E.G. in KDE if I do <start> <settings> <Printmanager> and print a test page I always get the message "Test page successfully sent to the printer Stylus C82" but nothing ever prints. I'm a new Debian/Linux user so please make your replies simple and as concise as is possible. Thanks, Don

[je_fro]

You should make sure the CUPS daemon is running.

http://www.linuxprinting.org/cups-doc.html

[tlyons]

Easy way to check on CUPS:
Type this into your web browser:

http://localhost:631/

I'm assuming that you've already "Add"ed your printer using the KDE Printing Manager's wizard, and there were no problems detecting it and finding your model in a list?

Which driver did you use? LinuxPrinting.org reccommends "gimp-print" for that model.

http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_pr...son-Stylus_C82

- T.

[tlyons]

Just checked. The matching driver is not installed by Debian by default, so install them yourself. The easiest way is to just open Konsole, type "su" to become the superuser, type your root password, and then type (or just cut 'n' paste):

aptitude install cupsys cupsys-client foomatic-filters foomatic-db-gimp-print

APT will install these, and any other neccesary packages for you, then you can go back and reconfigure your printer and select the 'gimp-print' driver.

BUT, if you don't want to use the command line, you can also use KPackage to install those 4 packages, or to check if some are already installed. KPackage is just a friendly graphical front-end for APT, and it will do exactly the same thing as the command line I typed above.

Let me know how far this gets you, and we'll keep working on it.

- T.

[dagreen]

I was originally using the driver EPSON Stylus C82 - CUPS + Gimp-Print v4.2.7
This time the KDE Printing Manager Wizard gave me three choices after installing <aptitude install cupsys cupsys-client foomatic-filters foomatic-db-gimp-print>.

1 - EPSON Stylus C82 - CUPS + Gimp-Print v4.2.7
2 - Epson Stylus C82 (Foomatic + gimp-print)
3 - Epson Styluc C82 (Foomatic + gimp-print-ijs)

Choice 1 and 3 indicates page went to the printer for printing and nothing happens. The message for choice 2 is: Unable to load the requested driver:
Unable to create the Foomatic driver [Epson-Stylus_C82,gimp-print]. Either that driver does not exist, or you don't have the required permissions to perform that operation.

Thanks for your help and recommendations ..... What's next? ... ---Don

[dagreen]

This command <aptitude install cupsys cupsys-client foomatic-filters foomatic-db-gimp-print> killed my Evolution E-mail. Any idea why? ..... Don

[dagreen]

The printer is printing using the Epson Styluc C82 (Foomatic + gimp-print-ijs) Driver. What happens is it does not EVER print the Test Page but I can print from a text editor, print an email note, or a web page. Thanks for all your help.

I am now the proud owner of a fully functional and working Linux 3.1 Debian machine. My thanks to you all.

---Don

[tlyons]

Excellent! Glad you got it going!

I don't know what went wrong with Evolution, but I seriously doubt that it is related to the installation of printer drivers. Debian's packaging system is very strictly designed to avoid any kind of collisions like that (ask anyone).

Debian's not the friendliest system for new Linux users, but it's not the most difficult distro either, and I'd recommend doing your best to stick with it. You can grow with it over the long haul, instead of grow out of it (like you might with some more newbie-friendly distros).

- T.