Can I automatically "start" a printer?

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disciple
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Joined: Sun 21 May 2006, 01:46
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Can I automatically "start" a printer?

#1 Post by disciple »

Every now and then when someone tries to print something, nothing happens because the printer is "stopped". The printer certainly doesn't know anything about being stopped, but CUPS says it is, so the job just gets queued.
It is possible that the printer gets "stopped" when someone tries to print with the printer physically turned off, but this doesn't happen very often, so I think there is something else "stopping" it.

Is it possible to somehow "start" a printer automatically when someone prints to it?
Do you know a good gtkdialog program? Please post a link here

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Aitch
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#2 Post by Aitch »

double post while editing, sorry
Last edited by Aitch on Fri 30 May 2008, 17:21, edited 1 time in total.

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Aitch
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#3 Post by Aitch »

Hi disciple

first try

lpc start <printer name >

if local, or

http://<pc with cups>:631

in a browser, if network

cups normally assigns port 631 AFAIK

You could maybe add

/etc/init.d/cups restart

somewhere[?] if all else fails

it will depend on how the printer is connected, as it could also be a dropped usb port, if a usb printer

HTH

Aitch

disciple
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Joined: Sun 21 May 2006, 01:46
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

#4 Post by disciple »

I can "start" it no problem, but I want it to be automatically "started" when someone prints to it.
I've got some rather computer illiterate people around here who get very wound up about it :(
Do you know a good gtkdialog program? Please post a link here

Classic Puppy quotes

ROOT FOREVER
GTK2 FOREVER

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Aitch
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Location: Chatham, Kent, UK

#5 Post by Aitch »

Hi disciple

Can't see anything on puppyforum, but found this

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/periph ... urned.html

which seems to suggest Udev is usually used to autostart devices, but its not in puppy only as an add on

Sorry I can't be any further help, as I don't know if its USB/line/local/remote
or what make model printer is to search any further

see my search post here

Aitch

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rcrsn51
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#6 Post by rcrsn51 »

Here is a script that can start a printer without opening the CUPS web interface. Perhaps you can automatically run the script when Puppy boots to ensure that the printer is ready. Of course, it would need to be called after CUPS is started.

wget "http://localhost:631/admin/?op=start-pr ... name=xxxxx"

where "xxxxx" is the exact CUPS name of the printer

CUPS will reply by sending an html file to /root confirming the operation. You could add a line to the script that deletes it.

disciple
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Joined: Sun 21 May 2006, 01:46
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

#7 Post by disciple »

Do you know a good gtkdialog program? Please post a link here

Classic Puppy quotes

ROOT FOREVER
GTK2 FOREVER

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