HP Printer won't print under Ub 8.10

Please, do specify a bit more what your problem is.

Do you mean that you can now boot normally Ubuntu and printers work fine, or that you need to boot first Win-XP and then reboot into Ubuntu for them to work?

From what programs are you trying to print in Ubuntu? Did you try several different programs like Evince, OpenOffice, e-mail client (like Evolution)... ? Did you try to print a test page from Ubuntu printer manager without booting Win-XP first?

I need to boot first into Wxp print a test page and then re-boot to Ub810 to get the printer working normally. The print job was from Open Office.

When I boot into Ub810 first the printers do not print. It goes into a print queue. When I view the print queue it is empty. Even the test page goes to a print queue.

The device url is : hp:/usb/HP_LaserJet_1020?serial=JL011EQ

It is connected to CUPS Server localhost - perhaps this is the problem, it is actually connected to my desktop computer thro a USB.
Do I need to change anything here.

That sounds really weird to me...

How did you install your printers in Ubuntu? Did you use printer manager? Did you select the PPD file that (probably) comes within the CD that the manufacturer ships the printer with?

I would suggest to try the following:

1) disconnect your printers from your system and boot Ubuntu.

2) run System => Admin => Printers, and remove both printers.

3) restart and boot again into Ubuntu.

4) after logging in to your normal account, plug one of those printers to the USB port and just wait... It's highly likely that your printer will be automatically installed just by doing this. Try to print a test page to make sure that's indeed correctly installed.

5) If 4) works, repeat it with the other printer.

If that doesn't work, you should probably use the PPD files for your printers drivers. I could give you instructions on this in the (undesirable) case you need them.

Good luck,

--Bixejo

tried as instructed with both printers, neither works - the test page print jobs went off as jobs 57 and 58 - i don't know where. There in nothing in the print queue. Perhaps there are a total of 58 jobs lined up at some server.

What is localhost - is this the server. I am just using a desktop and am not connected to a server nor are the printers shared - the printer configuration indicates under policies that the printer is
enabled
accepting jobs ( Not published , See server settings)
shared

The Device URL is : hp:/usb/HP_LaserJet_1020?serial=JL011EQ

Where is the print server and how do I change the Server settings.

Or is there some other way.

can I use the printer installation CD's to install them under Ub810

Thanks

localhost is your own computer, so no problem.

Let's see... if you could at least try to print a test page, this means that your printers were (apparently) installed after plugging them, since they were removed by you in step 2), right?

If so, you could try to get into your system setup to check whether USB ports are disabled by default (you will probably see during system startup a brief message saying something like "Press F2 to run system setup", or perhaps some other key like F1, ESC, etc.)

When you see your docs in the print queue, do you see some error/warning message associated to that job? You could make right button click on that job and see its properties. You could check whether you should restart that job or whatever else option you may find there.

As for the installation CD, you could investigate on that disk to see whether there exists a file with whatever name ended in ".PPD" (without quotes). You could use that file: in System => Admin => Printers, see the properties of the corresponding printer and then use the option "Change driver". You will be asked for your printer model or provide a .PPD file. Use the one you found in your installation CD.

If all this fails, I'm afraid I cannot tell you much more.

Good luck,

--Bixejo

after removing both printers as instructed and rebooting the system I connected them one by one. The system picked up both printers and these are shown in the printers tab under system>admin.

The problem is that all print jobs are going into some queue somewhere, now the total is 81 print jobs - but the print jobs queue under each printer doers not indicate any jobs.

I shall now try on the .PPD files on the installation disks.
thanks

I have checked the printer installation CD but could not find any .PPD files.

I have downloaded a file named "hplip-2.8.12.run" from the HP web site which is supposed to contain the ubuntu linux drivers. How do I run this file

thanks

To run that file you should open a terminal, go into the directory where you saved that file and then type the following command:

sh hplip-2.8.12.run

It's possible that you should run that command as super-user, so you should try the following instead:

sudo sh hplip-2.8.12.run

Also, in some other forum I've seen that some people that got the same problem you're getting right now, could solve it just by changing the USB ports where the printers were connected. Look carefully at the startup screen to check whether you see some error message related to USB ports. Perhaps your problems are going over there.

Maybe you could try to remove again the printers, reboot and plug them again into different USB ports, in the case of hplip-2.8.12.run driver does not make the trick.

Good luck,

--Bixejo

I forgot something:

Another thing you could try is to change the driver. In System => Admin => Printers, you may open the printer and then click on the "Model" button. You may see right now something like "HP LaserJet 1020 Foomatic/hpijs". Within this printer model you shall find some different controllers, so you could try...

Good luck,

--Bixejo

How to install hplip package

First please check if you hp printer is supported by hplip http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/supported_devices/index.html

Then please open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install hplip

give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter.

Then to setup hplip type:

sudo hp-setup

Hope this helps

The command sudo sh hplip-2.8.12.run would not run in the terminal although the icon (/home/srikumar/Desktop/hplip-2.8.12.run) sits on my desktop.

I checked on the hplip printer support and got the following results:-
Printer HP 1020 hplip 2.7.10
Printer HP P1005 hplip 2.8.2

after that the following commands were run as suggested
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install hplip
the screen dump indicated that the version available is hplip 2.6.27-7

so it seems like the hplip 2.8.12 which sits on my desktop must be installed.

any suggestions ?
thanks

bixejo
I tried the change driver sequence
but there are no options just a single driver for HP P1005 (recommended)

so still to try and install "hplip-2.8.12.run"
the web site gives the same command but it doers not work
the message is "cannot open ...."

any suggestions?
Thanks
srikumar

Before running the command "sudo sh hplip-2.8.12.run" you should get into the directory where that file is in. If you just open a terminal, it probably will get into your home directory, which is not your Desktop directory., After opening your terminal, type

ls

to see the content of your home directory. You will probably see your Desktop directory there with that very name (or possibly some other depending on your local language settings.) Once you have identified that directory, type

cd Desktop

(assuming "Desktop" as your desktop directory name) to get into it. Type "ls" again to verify that the file hplip-2.8.12.run is indeed there. If so (it should be), then you can do the sudo sh etc.

--Bixejo

It solved the problem somewhat since a part of the drivers were installed and the rest were error messages.

Now my HP 1020 printer is working normally - Thanks - That's half the problem solved - for which I am grateful.

The HP P1005 prints very faintly in spite of being in normal (not in draft) mode, even the test page is vey faint although WXp printing is normal . I guess i need to re-read all the instructions very carefully and get the hplip package installed.

thanks
srikumar

Great to hear that your problems are being solved.

Have a look at that printer settings in System => Admin => Printers. In properties check whether the "Job properties" tab (or perhaps "Printer properties") has a default value other than the one you wish.

--Bixejo

I am still back to to the original problem - unable to print in Ub 810 unless i first boot into WXp print out something (test page) on both printers and then re-boot to Ub 810.

I have checked the PPD files in the HP sub directory (usr/shared/.....) on my system and find that there are no PPD files there. How do i install or copy the PPD files.

Any sugesstions ?
Thank you

Try to download them from your manufacturer's web site. If you that's not possible, I'm afraid you reached my knowledge limits.

I'm sorry,

--Bixejo

To make the long story short - I have downloaded "hplip-3.9.2" and installed as instructed and both my printer are working. Thanks Bixejo & Macobra - community based support is really great.

I am now well on the way to becoming free of Windows.

Thank you and God Bless you all.
srikumar