Regression: With switchover to CUPS DDK many page sizes got dropped

Can you please attach your /etc/cups/printers.conf, so that we know which particular driver you are using? Thanks!

This is not a problem of foomatic-db, but of HPLIP, as the PPDs for most HP printers (recommended driver HPIJS or PostScript) are supplied as part of the HPLIP package.

HP developers, please check the CUPS-DDK-based PPD generator, that for all A3/SuperB-capable printers (especially HP DeskJet 1xxx) these papaer formats are made available.

This is a regression introduced with the CUPS-DDK-based PPDs.

My /etc/cups/printers.conf doesn't contain that information, but the driver I am using is Foomatic/hpijs, hpijs 2.8.2.10 - HPLIP 2.8.2. I have these cups* and hp* packages installed:

cups-pdf 2.4.6-4ubuntu2
cupsddk 1.2.0-0ubuntu1
cupsddk-drivers 1.2.0-0ubuntu1
cupsys 1.3.7-1ubuntu3
cupsys-bsd 1.3.7-1ubuntu3
cupsys-client 1.3.7-1ubuntu3
cupsys-common 1.3.7-1ubuntu3
cupsys-driver-gutenprint 5.0.2-2ubuntu1
hpijs 2.8.2+2.8.2-0ubuntu8
hpijs-ppds 2.8.2+2.8.2-0ubuntu8
hplip 2.8.2-0ubuntu8
hplip-data 2.8.2-0ubuntu8
hplip-gui 2.8.2-0ubuntu8

I have confirmed the problem for HPLIP 2.8.7, as it comes with Intrepid.

Should be fixed in the next hplip release :).

Can you post a patch here, as we are already past Feature Freeze and so I cannot put the next release into Intrepid any more, but I would like to have this fix in Intrepid as otherwise we have a regression against Hardy. Thanks.

This hpijs.drv patch adds the following:

1. A3 to all deskjets that support SuperB.
2. Overall DefaultResolution 300dpi hint for up-stream applications.

-dave

Thank you for the patch.

These printers should also support the B4 format. Is this also in the list of supported papaer sizes?

The DefaultResolution should be set to 300 dpi, 600 dpi, or 1200 dpi depending on the device class, as some applications or filters could render embedded bitmaps in these resolutions. If the DefaultResolution is 300 dpi and the printer prints with 1200 dpi, the user can experience a bad image quality. Having a too high DefaultResolution will not lead to a degradation when printing with low resolutions but will assure that one gets full quality with high resolutions. A too high resolution could only lead to unneeded memory consumption. Therefore the best is to set the DefaultResolution by device class. See the settings of the old Foomatic PPD generator.

Before the switchover to CUPS DDK there were the following paper sizes bigger than Letter/A4 (for printers with appropriate size):

SuperB
A3
Ledger
w774h1116: (8K)
B4JIS
3425-Cover (Cover for HP DeskJet 3425)
Legal
FLSA (American Foolscap)
w612h935: (Executive (JIS))

Check also the paper sizes from A4 on and smaller for all printers:

Letter
A4
w558h774 (16K)
Executive
B5JIS
EnvISOB5
EnvC5
A5
Oufuku
5x8
EnvDL
Env10
EnvMonarch
EnvC6
Photo5x7
CDDVD120
A6TearOff
A6
PhotoTearOff
Photo
Hagaki
3x5
CDDVD80

Please provide a patch with all missing sizes added.

This bug was fixed in the package hplip - 2.8.7-0ubuntu3

---------------
hplip (2.8.7-0ubuntu3) intrepid; urgency=low

  * debian/patches/bugs-in-generated-ppds.dpatch: Fixed several bugs in the
    CUPS-DDK-generated PPD files: No A3 paper size for many inkjets (LP:
    #258881), incorrect PPD entries for custom page size (LP: #264727), no
    resolution hints for applications in the PPD file (LP: #267669).
  * debian/patches/pjl-duplex-binding.dpatch: Fixed short-edge duplex for
    non-PostScript laser printers (LP: #244295),

 -- Till Kamppeter <email address hidden> Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:20:02 +0200

This bug also shows up using the driver "Generic PCL 5c Printer Foomatic/cljet5" on a Dsc224, which supports A3. I can add the correct Papersize/region/imageable area options to /etc/cups/Dsc224.ppd by hand, and it will print A3.

-When trying to print A3 from Inkscape, selecting the correct tray by hand, and document properties are set to A3, the printer complains "Incorrect paper, expected: A4".

-Funny enough, if I print A3 from Inkscape using "Default" tray, the printer is no longer complaining, but prints instead two A4 pages. One with half the A3 page on it, one blank.

I don't know what is causing this, but I suspect the printer or CUPS.

A workaround for me has been printing to cups-pdf from inkscape, then printing the resulting PDF by hand with: " lp -d Dsc224 -o PageSize=A3 -o PageRegion=A3 -o ColorMode=Contone Printed_from_inkscape.pdf "

This behaviour may or may not be related, but the fact that it is possible to print A3 perfectly by hand makes me think something more is wrong with CUPS or inkscape...