Ubuntu
cups package

How to install a Brother QL-970 label printer

Asked by LEGOManiac

I've been at this for hours. Simply plugging in this USB label printer didn't work (no drivers). I went to the Brother site:

http://welcome.solutions.brother.com/bsc/public_s/id/linux/en/instruction_esp1.html

and downloaded the following files:
ql570cupswrapper-1.0.0-1.debian.i386.deb
ql570cupswrapperinch-1.0.0-1.debian.i386.deb
ql570lpr-1.0.0-1.i386.deb
qt570l110.tar.gz

The last file contains templates for Open Office, et.al.

Following the instructions on the site, I did the first two steps:
1. "sudo aa-complain cupsd" command is required before the installation.
2. "sudo mkdir /usr/share/cups/model" command is required before the installation.

So far, so good.

In step 4, I get:
sudo dpkg -i --force-all ql570lpr-1.0.0-1.i386.deb
(Reading database ...
dpkg: warning: files list file for package `ql570cupswrapper' missing, assuming package has no files currently installed.
(Reading database ... 309833 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace ql570lpr 1.0.0-1 (using ql570lpr-1.0.0-1.i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement ql570lpr ...
Setting up ql570lpr (1.0.0-1) ...

I presume the lack of this list file is not a problem??. Otherwise, it seems things went OK.

Then:
sudo dpkg -i --force-all ql570cupswrapper-1.0.0-1.debian.i386.deb
(Reading database ...
dpkg: warning: files list file for package `ql570cupswrapper' missing, assuming package has no files currently installed.
(Reading database ... 309833 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace ql570cupswrapper 1.0.0-1 (using ql570cupswrapper-1.0.0-1.debian.i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement ql570cupswrapper ...
Setting up ql570cupswrapper (1.0.0-1) ...
 * Restarting Common Unix Printing System: cupsd [ OK ]
lpadmin: Bad device-uri "brusb_ql570:/dev/usb"!
 * Restarting Common Unix Printing System: cupsd [ OK ]

Again, no list file. Seem OK so far. The bad device-uri can be changed later.

Checking that the drivers are installed:
dpkg -l | grep Brother
ii ptouch-driver 1.3-0ubuntu1 CUPS/Foomatic driver for Brother P-touch lab
ii ql570cupswrapper 1.0.0-1 Brother CUPS PTouch Printer Definitions
ii ql570lpr 1.0.0-1 Brother lpr color laser Printer Definitions

The ptouch-driver is something I installed from the Ubuntu repositories after the Brother instructions I'm following here failed.

At this point, I connect to my local CUPS server and change the device URI to usb://Brother/QL-570

Now, if I try to print a test page from Gnome->Printer Properties, I get:

CUPS server error.
There was an error during the CUPS operation: 'client-error-document-format-not-supported'.

If I try to print labels using the supplied template file in OO, I get blank labels.

Initially, by default, the printer cuts each label as it prints it. I was able to change the defaults to not cutting the labels and the printer driver accepted this. Now I get un-cut blank labels.

I'm running out of pre-printed envelopes, so I'd appreciate some help getting this working.

Thanks,

LEGOManiac

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actionparsnip
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actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#1

Why are you using force-all ? If you put all the files in the same folder and run:

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

It will install them all and deps will be fine..

Revision history for this message
LEGOManiac (bzflaglegomaniac) said : 		#2

Thanks. I'll try that. I'm using force-all because I don't fully know what I'm doing and, as mentioned in the original question, I'm following, verbatum, the instructions on the Brother.com web site without really understanding all of their instructions.

Since there are two conflicting .deb files (one for inches and one for metric) I renamed the inches one.

sudo dpkg -i *.deb
(Reading database ...
dpkg: warning: files list file for package `ql570cupswrapper' missing, assuming package has no files currently installed.
(Reading database ... 309833 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace ql570cupswrapper 1.0.0-1 (using ql570cupswrapper-1.0.0-1.debian.i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement ql570cupswrapper ...
Preparing to replace ql570lpr 1.0.0-1 (using ql570lpr-1.0.0-1.i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement ql570lpr ...
Setting up ql570cupswrapper (1.0.0-1) ...
 * Restarting Common Unix Printing System: cupsd [ OK ]
lpadmin: Bad device-uri "brusb_ql570:/dev/usb"!
 * Restarting Common Unix Printing System: cupsd [ OK ]

Setting up ql570lpr (1.0.0-1) ...

I deleted the printer from Gnome Printing-localhost, Then turned on the printer and let Ubuntu re-install it.

I still get the same error message when I try to print a test page:

CUPS server error.
 There was an error during the CUPS operation: 'client-error-document-format-not-supported'.

Revision history for this message
Best actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#3

https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/26380

May help, you ran the command and it went smooth so the driver is installed correctly :)

Also, bravo for getting the driver yourself, a LOT of users just post asking how to install the printer if it doesn't work out of the box. You have done most of the work which is highly commendable :)

Revision history for this message
LEGOManiac (bzflaglegomaniac) said : 		#4

Thanks for the praise. I had actually seen that link when I was doing my original research. The problem is, it refers to the file /etc/cups/mime.convs.

When I checked for it, I discovered my /etc/cups doesn't have such a file which led me to wonder if CUPS was installed correctly. What can I say, I was tired that night. My other printer works so of course CUPS is installed correctly but I got hung up on that idea and stopped reading the post.

Now that you've re-directed me to that post, and my head is clearer, it occurred to me that perhaps all I had to do was find that file. This time I actually read that post and found that the poster had copied their mime.convs file to it, so what the heck, I stole it. After all, it's just a text file; I can delete it if it screws something up. Sometimes it doesn't pay to be too chicken of Linux.

It works fine now.

Thanks.

Revision history for this message
LEGOManiac (bzflaglegomaniac) said : 		#5

Thanks actionparsnip, that solved my question.