Prints First Page Garbled - Slako 6.3 - CUPS Bug?

Problems and successes with specific brands/models of printers
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zandoval
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Joined: Tue 10 May 2005, 15:41
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Prints First Page Garbled - Slako 6.3 - CUPS Bug?

#1 Post by zandoval »

OK... New install Slako 6.3.

For HP p1606dn have used Generic PCL 5e Printer - CUPS+Gutenprint v5.2.9

My first print job prints flawlessly but on the next print job the first page is large garbeled symbols with the rest of the pages coming out perfect.

I have noticed that after the first job the Printer Status shows "Rendering Complete". If I see this then I can turn the printer of and on again and it will print the next job without the first page garbled.

I have tried other drivers, foomatic-filters, foo2zjs, hplip, hplip-lite and got things really out of whack. Went back to where I started and got everything running again except for having to turn my printer off and on between jobs.

Resetting Cups, and stopping and restarting Cups will eliminate the Status Rendering Completed note but not fix the first page problem.

Also, if I wait a good amount of time , an hour or so, the "Rendering Completed" status indicator disappears and the printer will print normally without having to be turned off and on.

Any Ideas... I've been working and searching for a fix... Could this be a Core or Cups bug? There are more than a few posts for this problem in Mint, Ubuntu, Arch and others. What is resetting or completing when I turn the device off and on again?
Last edited by zandoval on Fri 10 Jun 2016, 04:20, edited 1 time in total.
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april

#2 Post by april »

I thought to go to HP's site and just have a look . Scanning around for your model it sent me off to another site for a driver and then it just became a garbled mess anyway .

Wont help you now but I would never buy a HP printer simply because they don't give a shit about Linux users. Still not enough of them to bother about.

My guess is its a driver problem and when you get the right one the problem will go away . Seems like you will have to live with your choice or spend a month or more chasing it down.

There are those here that know about cups , I do not so maybe they will jump in with the activity . Cheers

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bigpup
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#3 Post by bigpup »

Printer setup information here:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=59015

Look for specific info about HP printers and the driver packages.
The things they do not tell you, are usually the clue to solving the problem.
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rcrsn51
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#4 Post by rcrsn51 »

Despite what you may have read, HP has excellent support for Linux, and the vast majority of their consumer models work fine in Puppy.

But some of their recent laser models can be difficult. The HPLIP site shows that the Laserjet Pro p1606dn needs an additional driver plugin. These are a problem with Puppy and you would need a big-boy Linux like Ubuntu.

The foo2zjs driver claims to have partial support for this model and you can get it in Puppy with the foo2xxx driver package.

But you have found that the generic PCL Gutenprint driver works fine, except for the scrambled second print job.

Because you can make it work by hard-restarting the printer, this sounds more like a hardware than software problem.

Have you tried a different Puppy version like Tahrpup? There may be a small difference in its CUPS that works better.

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greengeek
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#5 Post by greengeek »

I don't know if it applies to your particular model but have a look at this page:
http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/publ ... -c02786263

In the section labelled "Features of the EWS" if you look at the 11th bullet point it says the following:
Print to an HP product without having to install the product print driver
Your printer model has a network port so therefore will have the EWS (embedded web server). If it supports the non-driver printing method referred to above then you should be able to use a web browser to enter the IP address of the printer and view the EWS. Have a look and see if there is a tab or subsection there that allows you to navigate to the file you wish to print. If so maybe that will allow you to get some documents printed without going through your driver.

Doesn't work for all print file formats - and is not available on all models. I am trying to find a list showing which models support this function, but no joy yet.

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zandoval
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#6 Post by zandoval »

Thank Ya All...

I was wondering why I did not get many replies or suggestions for a fix of this problem with Slacko 6.3 but it would appear that it is more difficult than it would seem...

The HP P1606dn is one of those printers that requires an additional proprietary plugin when using the HPLIP Cups-Gutenprint driver. This additional plugin cannot be installed to any HP printer without the full HPLIP program and can really chew up some space (400Mg+) just for one little driver. It would appear that the additional plugin (in CUPS 1.5.4) clears some type of registry at the printer so that it is ready for the next job. So what is this registry? Don't know... Its proprietary. All HP printers that do not require this plugin will work fine with HPLIP-Lite or the Foomatic or the Generic drivers.

In Slacko 6.3 using CUPS 1.5.4 the P1606dn the Generic PCL 5e v5.2.9 works fine but requires you to turn the printer off and on between jobs. (clearing the printer)

A possible solution could be removing CUPS 1.5.4 and installing CUPS 1.4.8 to use the Generic PCL 5e - CUPS+Gutenprint v5.2.10-pre2 (THAT PRE-2 AT THE END IS PROBABLY VERY SIGNIFICANT).

I ended up with tears and tail between legs giving up on Slacko 6.3 to install Tahrpup 6.0.5 because I really need my P1606dn printer. Tahrpup 6.0.5 uses CUPS 1.4.8 and has that PCL 5e with the -pre2 at the end and that’s the one that works.

Note that even in Tahrpup I still get that "Rendering Completed" status indicator, but the printer will still print the next job without errors.

It could be another problem all together but I strongly suspect its the plugin that’s the problem...
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rcrsn51
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#7 Post by rcrsn51 »

I'm glad to hear that you got your printer working with Tahrpup, but we need to clarify some items.
HPLIP Cups-Gutenprint driver
These are two different things. HPLIP is HP's own driver package. You can get it for Puppy from the How to Install your Printer in Puppy page. It will most likely NOT work because of the needed plugin.

Gutenprint is the driver package that is built into Puppy. It supports many makes/models. I am actually surprised that generic PCL works with your p1606dn. If so, why does HP require a special plugin?
Note that even in Tahrpup I still get that "Rendering Completed" status indicator,
That message is a good thing. It just means that CUPS successfully translated the print job into a form compatible with the printer.
THAT PRE-2 AT THE END IS PROBABLY VERY SIGNIFICANT
At this point, we don't know. It might be the different Gutenprint or the different CUPS.

If you really like Slacko, try Slacko 593. It has an older version of CUPS, so it would be a good test.

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zandoval
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#8 Post by zandoval »

Over the years I have been more than surprised with the Generic PCL printer drivers. Especially USB type HP...

The old PCL 900 driver has gotten some of my old Epson and Lexmark computers going along with my old Inkjet HPs...

But most of my driver successes have been through simple discussion and trail and error right here in this forum... THANKS...

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rcrsn51
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#9 Post by rcrsn51 »

Here is something to try:

1. Revert to Slacko 630.
2. Get the foo2xxx package from How to Install your Printer in Puppy.
3. Install your p1606dn.

If the garbled page remains, then you know that the problem is with the CUPS version.

If it disappears, then the problem is with the Gutenprint driver, which is known to sometimes break between versions.

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