Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS) v1.3.11
Posted: Sun 22 Mar 2009, 16:50
--- Common Unix Printing System (CUPS) ---
----- The purpose of this thread is to provide specific printing support for NOP413 -----
---------- and general support for standard Puppy 4.x ----------
First and foremost, I'd like to stress that CUPS is not the only suspect
when you cannot perform the seemingly simple task of printing. To print
in Linux, you need to get ALL inter-related components to work together.
The Linux printing system can be broken down into various sub-systems.
Amongst them are the spooler, the printer driver, the printer firmware
and the document filters. If one of these doesn't work, the whole thing fails.
As of today, CUPS have become the defacto spooler system on most
Linux distro. CUPS can be considered as the central printing system that
glues together all the rest of the print sub-system. Unfortunately for
CUPS, since it is at the center of printing attention, any problems or
faults with external components are being diagnosed as CUPS faults
by the casual users.
I'd like to point out that its not CUPS that's a mess. It's the Linux Printing
System that is in a "mess". Depending on who you are, Linux printing can
either be called "Modular - Freedom of Choice" or "Disjointed - Hell of a
Choice". I wished that printing in Linux is at the very least to be like
(the more than 13 years old) windows 95 where it works as long as I
have a compatible printer driver.
Initially for me, it was mind boggling as how to get the various Linux
printing components to work in unity. The solution presented here is the
result of the various components that I've looked into so far.
1. CUPS software version 1.3.11 : status = working for Puppy
-This pet package is intended to be installed onto Puppy 4.1.x and
above but should also work on Puppy 3.01/4.0 (YMMV) ++
- It makes minor modifications to existing udev rules to allocate /dev
nodes to lpt and usb printers in a consistent manner (applicable only
to Puppy 4.1.2 and below which requires it)
- CUPS printer drivers are limited but they are known to work
right out-of-the-box
Update April 6, 2009:
- CUPS 1.3.9 pet have been tested to work on Puppy 3.01 - Puppy 4.20
- Puppy 2.17 specific CUPS 1.3.9 is now available
Update April 24, 2009:
- CUPS 1.3.10 stable pet is quietly available for the "wanderers"
- Currently in (slow) progress of making test runs with several
puppy versions.
Update Sept 10, 2009:
- CUPS 1.3.11 stable pet is quietly available for the "wanderers".
- Puppy 2.17 specific cups-1.3.9 withdrawn
2. GUTENPRINT version 5.x : status = working for Puppy
- This pet package is provided by ttuuxxx and were tested to work right
out-of-the-box which is a bonus
3. HPLIP version 3.9.x : status = working for Puppy
- Note: To consolidate the efforts of all who are involved with CUPS
printing subsystem (directly/indirectly), I am leveraging on the
capability of lluamco as the current packager for hplip/lite packages
to provide up-to-date pet packages whenever there's a need for it.
- Kindly take a look at hplip/lite pet packages and the supporting
libraries offered by lluamco here
4. PNM2PPA 1.12 : status = working for Puppy
- Reported to be working by rcrsn51 (thank you)
- Archived file provided by rcrsn51
- Requires the patched foomatic-rip script
5. SPLIX 2.0.0 : status = working for Puppy
- Reported to be working by Zyxmon (thank you)
- Available as standalone binaries or with Samsung color profiles.
6. FOO2ZJS : status = working for Puppy
- The latest package was built from 22 Sep 2009 update release
with built-in support for "hp-firmware-hotplug" mechanism.
7. The list of printer drivers that is currently known to work with latest
CUPS (v1.3.9 - 1.4.0 ) on Puppy 4.1 / 4.2 / 4.3 / NOP413 :
a. CUPS provided drivers
b. Gutenprint drivers
c. Hplip drivers
d. Splix drivers
e. Pnm2ppa
f. Foo2zjs
g. Canon CAPT & CNIJ
h. Minolta PPro 12/13/14xxW
There's probably several other issues that may still prevent printing
to work on your system. Let me know what works and what breaks. This
will help to eventually make printing on Puppy a straightforward process.
This thread is not meant to be a printing helpdesk and I do not have
the resources to find out if a particular printer model driver works
or breaks. However, I'll try to assist puppy users with what I can.
When reporting issues related to CUPS, please provide some
specific details. If you intend to post cups error log, please make it
into an attachment (zip/tgz).
"Still trekking the path towards hassle-free printing on Puppy Linux but we'll get there ... "
._.
----- The purpose of this thread is to provide specific printing support for NOP413 -----
---------- and general support for standard Puppy 4.x ----------
First and foremost, I'd like to stress that CUPS is not the only suspect
when you cannot perform the seemingly simple task of printing. To print
in Linux, you need to get ALL inter-related components to work together.
The Linux printing system can be broken down into various sub-systems.
Amongst them are the spooler, the printer driver, the printer firmware
and the document filters. If one of these doesn't work, the whole thing fails.
As of today, CUPS have become the defacto spooler system on most
Linux distro. CUPS can be considered as the central printing system that
glues together all the rest of the print sub-system. Unfortunately for
CUPS, since it is at the center of printing attention, any problems or
faults with external components are being diagnosed as CUPS faults
by the casual users.
I'd like to point out that its not CUPS that's a mess. It's the Linux Printing
System that is in a "mess". Depending on who you are, Linux printing can
either be called "Modular - Freedom of Choice" or "Disjointed - Hell of a
Choice". I wished that printing in Linux is at the very least to be like
(the more than 13 years old) windows 95 where it works as long as I
have a compatible printer driver.
Initially for me, it was mind boggling as how to get the various Linux
printing components to work in unity. The solution presented here is the
result of the various components that I've looked into so far.
1. CUPS software version 1.3.11 : status = working for Puppy
-This pet package is intended to be installed onto Puppy 4.1.x and
above but should also work on Puppy 3.01/4.0 (YMMV) ++
- It makes minor modifications to existing udev rules to allocate /dev
nodes to lpt and usb printers in a consistent manner (applicable only
to Puppy 4.1.2 and below which requires it)
- CUPS printer drivers are limited but they are known to work
right out-of-the-box
Update April 6, 2009:
- CUPS 1.3.9 pet have been tested to work on Puppy 3.01 - Puppy 4.20
- Puppy 2.17 specific CUPS 1.3.9 is now available
Update April 24, 2009:
- CUPS 1.3.10 stable pet is quietly available for the "wanderers"
- Currently in (slow) progress of making test runs with several
puppy versions.
Update Sept 10, 2009:
- CUPS 1.3.11 stable pet is quietly available for the "wanderers".
- Puppy 2.17 specific cups-1.3.9 withdrawn
2. GUTENPRINT version 5.x : status = working for Puppy
- This pet package is provided by ttuuxxx and were tested to work right
out-of-the-box which is a bonus
3. HPLIP version 3.9.x : status = working for Puppy
- Note: To consolidate the efforts of all who are involved with CUPS
printing subsystem (directly/indirectly), I am leveraging on the
capability of lluamco as the current packager for hplip/lite packages
to provide up-to-date pet packages whenever there's a need for it.
- Kindly take a look at hplip/lite pet packages and the supporting
libraries offered by lluamco here
4. PNM2PPA 1.12 : status = working for Puppy
- Reported to be working by rcrsn51 (thank you)
- Archived file provided by rcrsn51
- Requires the patched foomatic-rip script
5. SPLIX 2.0.0 : status = working for Puppy
- Reported to be working by Zyxmon (thank you)
- Available as standalone binaries or with Samsung color profiles.
6. FOO2ZJS : status = working for Puppy
- The latest package was built from 22 Sep 2009 update release
with built-in support for "hp-firmware-hotplug" mechanism.
7. The list of printer drivers that is currently known to work with latest
CUPS (v1.3.9 - 1.4.0 ) on Puppy 4.1 / 4.2 / 4.3 / NOP413 :
a. CUPS provided drivers
b. Gutenprint drivers
c. Hplip drivers
d. Splix drivers
e. Pnm2ppa
f. Foo2zjs
g. Canon CAPT & CNIJ
h. Minolta PPro 12/13/14xxW
There's probably several other issues that may still prevent printing
to work on your system. Let me know what works and what breaks. This
will help to eventually make printing on Puppy a straightforward process.
This thread is not meant to be a printing helpdesk and I do not have
the resources to find out if a particular printer model driver works
or breaks. However, I'll try to assist puppy users with what I can.
When reporting issues related to CUPS, please provide some
specific details. If you intend to post cups error log, please make it
into an attachment (zip/tgz).
"Still trekking the path towards hassle-free printing on Puppy Linux but we'll get there ... "
._.