HPLIP

Duplex printing can't be set

Asked by Ian Park

I'm running Linux Mint 12 (64-bit). I installed hplip v3.12.9 after receiving nudges that it was available, to replace the previously installed v3.12.6. The printer is connected to our home wired network, so we can use it from several computers.

I tried to set the default options for my printer, an OfficeJet 8100 Pro, to A4 paper, double sided printing, in the HP Device Manager, but when I looked at the "Duplexer installed" option it was greyed out, showing the duplexer as not installed. My wife can print double-sided documents from her Windows PC.

How can I persuade the HP Device Manager that the duplexer *is* installed, please?

Thanks in advance for your help

Ian

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HPLIP Edit question
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Solved by:
Sanjay Kumar
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Ian Park (i-d-c-park) said : 		#1

As a rider to my previous post, when I ran

hp-check -t

from a terminal, the output indicated that all was OK, *except* for

Current contents of '/var/lib/hp/hplip.state' file:
Plugins are not installed. Could not access file: No such file or directory

The directory /var/lib/hp exists (owned by root) but it's empty.

This may be the cause of the problem, but I'm afraid I don't know how to fix it!

Thanks

Ian

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Best Sanjay Kumar (sanjay-kumar14) said : 		#2

Hi,

You need to enable the Duplexer from cups interface (http://localhost:631 )

1) Open http://localhost:631 in the browser.
2) Go to printers and then select the printer.
3) Default options -> Options Installed -> Duplexer -> installed.
4) Now try printing from any application.

If above steps dont work then please change default value of Installable option for duplexer in /etc/cups/ppd/<PPD_NAME_OF _THE PRINTER> and then save the file and print from any application.

Thanks,
Sanjay

Revision history for this message
Ian Park (i-d-c-park) said : 		#3

Thanks very much for that, Sanjay; CUPS and the HP Device Manager now admit to the duplexer being installed, and I can successfully select the option to print double-sided when I printed a document.

Moving on to the next step: I *think* I've successfully set the default to double-sided printing; in order to do this in HP Device Manager I had to select A4 auto-duplex paper in the Print Settings|General section, *then* select double sided printing long edge. However in the Print Settings|Basic section , the Duplex option refuses to change from the default of single sided - when I select "Two sided (long edge" for the Duplex option and click on "Default", it promptly flips back to "Single sided".

In CUPS, it was similar: I had to select A4AutoDuplex as the Media Type before I could set the default for double sided printing to Long Edge (Standard).

Thanks again for your help

Ian

Revision history for this message
Ian Park (i-d-c-park) said : 		#4

Thanks Sanjay Kumar, that solved my question.