Printer not printing

Have you installed "cups", Common Unix Printing something - i dunno what the S is for. Go up to the top taskbar and click on

System - Administration - Synaptic Package Manager is near the end

it asks for your normal user password, not your Superuser/Root one. Use either search tool to look for "cups". note that everthing you already have installed is marked with a green splodge. To install something right-click on it and select "install" when your ready click on the "Apply" button. While yu're here click on the "Mark all Updates" button and then click on "Apply" again unless it's greyed out. If its greyed out then you already have updated to the latest versions of everything in the repositories.

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

Sorry - had a look at all the cups but practically all of them were installed. Downloaded new things as you suggested and which included some cups updates but still the perishing printer will not print!

Although the PLIP showed the job as completed another window came up which stated the printer may not be connected - I haven't changed anything with the connection (Vista and Ubuntu on same computer). It's at this stage I usually feel like chucking everything out of the window but I must persevere!

Thanks for your quick reply - any other suggestions please!

Alan

All i can suggest for the moment is copying file across into the Vista partition and printing them from there! It is one of the huge advantages of dual-boots during the learning process. Sorry i don't know enough about printers to be able to help you but hopefully someone else will pop in later and give a good answer.

Apols and regards from
Tom :)

You might find this useful;
http://www.openprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=HP-LaserJet_1018

"OpenPrinting database - Printer: HP LaserJet 1018
Home : Database : Printers : HP : LaserJet 1018

HP LaserJet 1018
BW laser printer, max. 600x600 dpi, works Mostly
Recommended driver: foo2zjs (Home page)
Generic instructions for: CUPS, LPD, LPRng, PPR, PDQ, no spooler

Add a similar printer

Edited Notes

This printer is supported by the foo2zjs free software printer driver.

The printer is faster than the LaserJet 1000 and has a USB connection. It has only 2 MB of RAM and 32 kB of ROM.

The firmware of the printer must be uploaded after turning it on. You can use a hotplug/udev script which comes with foo2zjs, or do it manually: "cat /usr/share/foo2zjs/firmware/sihp1018.dl > /dev/usb/lp0". "

Don't give up yet! It basically says it should work.
HTH

Thanks for latest replies.

I have downloaded the foo2zjs add-on (or whatever is the right term for
it!) but not certain/have difficulty anyway in all installing operations.

Read with interest that the firmware has to be installed evry time - but
just don't understand the final paragraph of the message.

Which will confirm (as I originally mentioned) I am not altogether
computer literate!!

Alan

Oh, i thought Derg was saying to install the firmware immediatley after switching the printer on sometime - ie before your computer can send it any other commands. Firmware will only need updating once but i would be wary because i'm not sure what this would mean for printing from Windows. My guess is that the firmware upgrade will still work with Windows too. OpenSource developers tend to avoid being mean, it's not as tho market forces were at work :) There will be a firmware driver that dedicates your machine to Windows somewhere, probably on the manufacturers website.

To run the install command just go up to the top taskbar and click on

Applications - Accessories - Terminal

and into the terminal/command window/console type the suggested command (i would use copy & pate using the mouse ;)

cat /usr/share/foo2zjs/firmware/sihp1018.dl > /dev/usb/lp0

Good luck with this
Regards from
Tom :)

PS if this does solve the problem then please click the button at the bottom of Derg's answer :)

For your install problems please post an additional question but i suspect it's just becuase you haven't found the package managers yet. Go up to the top taskbar and click on

Applications - Add/Remove Applications

This is probably the easiest one to user for you to start with. All the programs you already have will have a tick beside them. Any new ones you want to add just need to be ticked and then click on "Apply Changes" button at the bottom. Note that this package manager has quick search tool and also on the left hand side it has a basic menu system to help guide to towards something roughly right.

I much prefer Synaptic Package Manager though it's a bit more technical to find it go up to the top taskbar and click on

System - Administration - Synaptic Package Manager

again it has a similar search tool but it also has a button search and allows you to add all updates for all packages quite easily too. There are a number of other things that i find useful about it.

All three package managers use the same databases and the same repositories. In fact the 2 i have shown (the gui ones) both use the one that you can use directly from the command line but all 3 present their data slightly differently.

Hope that helps
Regards from
Tom :)

Hallo

OK I've pasted that cat/user into the terminal box and sorry to be a bit
dim - but then what?

Alan

Tom wrote:
> Your question #61824 on cups in ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/cups/+question/61824
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> Tom proposed the following answer:
> Oh, i thought Derg was saying to install the firmware immediatley after
> switching the printer on sometime - ie before your computer can send it
> any other commands. Firmware will only need updating once but i would
> be wary because i'm not sure what this would mean for printing from
> Windows. My guess is that the firmware upgrade will still work with
> Windows too. OpenSource developers tend to avoid being mean, it's not
> as tho market forces were at work :) There will be a firmware driver
> that dedicates your machine to Windows somewhere, probably on the
> manufacturers website.
>
> To run the install command just go up to the top taskbar and click on
>
> Applications - Accessories - Terminal
>
> and into the terminal/command window/console type the suggested command
> (i would use copy & pate using the mouse ;)
>
> cat /usr/share/foo2zjs/firmware/sihp1018.dl > /dev/usb/lp0
>
> Good luck with this
> Regards from
> Tom :)
>
> PS if this does solve the problem then please click the button at the
> bottom of Derg's answer :)
>
>

Well as i am more used to Windows type ways i would say shutdown the computer and switch off the printer and then reboot it all and see if you can print now :)

Hallo Tom

Sorry - still nothing.

Thanks for your time anyway.

Alan

Tom wrote:
> Your question #61824 on apt in ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apt/+question/61824
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> Tom proposed the following answer:
> Well as i am more used to Windows type ways i would say shutdown the
> computer and switch off the printer and then reboot it all and see if
> you can print now :)
>
>

I had a similar problem see Q No: 60860 and have had is solved. Please refer to Q No: 60860. You need to install the printer after you download and install hplip. My jobs still go to the print queue and don't print sometimes - what I do now is to switch off the printer and then switch it back on. This seems to do the trick and the jobs already sent to the printer are printed.

However there must be some better way out of this. For the moment I will get going with the on/off switching of the printer.

Hope this helps.
srikumar

Hallo

Thank you for your interest - it certainly does sound as if our problems
are/were the same!

There is a massive volume of information in your replies (and mine is
building up that way as well!) and quite honestly I don't understand
much of it at all being a beginner in ubuntu. People talk in computerese
and it is a foreign language to me.

If you can list out in simple language each individual step i have to
take to get my 1018 to work I would be very grateful - but don't worry
if it's too much for you. I can still print through Vista but it's a
nuisance transferring my print jobs into it.

thanks so far...................

Alan

srikumar wrote:
> Your question #61824 on apt in ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apt/+question/61824
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> srikumar proposed the following answer:
> I had a similar problem see Q No: 60860 and have had is solved. Please
> refer to Q No: 60860. You need to install the printer after you download
> and install hplip. My jobs still go to the print queue and don't print
> sometimes - what I do now is to switch off the printer and then switch
> it back on. This seems to do the trick and the jobs already sent to the
> printer are printed.
>
> However there must be some better way out of this. For the moment I will
> get going with the on/off switching of the printer.
>
> Hope this helps.
> srikumar
>
>

srikumar wrote:
> Your question #61824 on apt in ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apt/+question/61824
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> srikumar proposed the following answer:
> I had a similar problem see Q No: 60860 and have had is solved. Please
> refer to Q No: 60860. You need to install the printer after you download
> and install hplip. My jobs still go to the print queue and don't print
> sometimes - what I do now is to switch off the printer and then switch
> it back on. This seems to do the trick and the jobs already sent to the
> printer are printed.
>
> However there must be some better way out of this. For the moment I will
> get going with the on/off switching of the printer.
>
> Hope this helps.
> srikumar
>
>

https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/60860

I know I'm not very bright when it comes to handling computers but it seems that the last answer is advising me to install HPLIP which i've done some days ago. the net result is that although this tells me that jobs are being printed my printer has other ideas and refuses to move in that direction.

To repeat, i just don't understand some of the many instructions given to me so I've had to ignore those - sorry.

the printer is still not working on Ubuntu so I'll just have to use Vista i guess - pity?

Well if you have setup a dual-boot with Vista and Ubuntu then it would certainly be easier to keep using Vista for printing. In Ubuntu you can save documents and things you want onto the Vista partition so that you can take your time learning Ubuntu. It does take time to learn a new Operating System and most of us were forced to spend years getting used to Windows yet still feel that a lot of the time it's like beating your head against a brick-wall. In just a few weeks with Ubuntu i learned enough to do almost everything i want and nearly as much as i know in Windows already. Please don't let one 'blocker' totally defeat you and prevent you from using Ubuntu. Within a couple of weeks of getting used to Ubuntu for what you can do with it you'll soon find that you can do more and more and will soon be able to fix this problem yourself easily.

Don't expect miracles of yourself nor of the totally different OS. Please don't be discouraged or defeated.

Goo luck and regards from
Tom :)

Well if you have setup a dual-boot with Vista and Ubuntu then it would certainly be easier to keep using Vista for printing. In Ubuntu you can save documents and things you want onto the Vista partition so that you can take your time learning Ubuntu. It does take time to learn a new Operating System and most of us were forced to spend years getting used to Windows yet still feel that a lot of the time it's like beating your head against a brick-wall. In just a few weeks with Ubuntu i learned enough to do almost everything i want and nearly as much as i know in Windows already. Please don't let one 'blocker' totally defeat you and prevent you from using Ubuntu. Within a couple of weeks of getting used to Ubuntu for what you can do with it you'll soon find that you can do more and more and will soon be able to fix this problem yourself easily.

Don't expect miracles of yourself nor of the totally different OS. Please don't be discouraged or defeated.

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

Thank you for this very encouraging message - you weren't Evelyn Home in a previous life were you?

Will take your advice and sit back and gradually assimilate Ubuntu and try and enjoy it!

Lol, thanks for that.  I don't know of Evelyn Home  but will take it as a complement unless i find out otherwise in some google search or something.

It's always good to have a work-around and take your time.  The constant rush to upgrade and abandon decent stuff seems wasteful and stressful.

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)