Linux HP printer puzzle

Problems and successes with specific brands/models of printers
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julia2009
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun 05 Apr 2009, 07:07

Linux HP printer puzzle

#1 Post by julia2009 »

I'm a linux newbie, and having difficulties with printer instalation.

I have 2 printers , one HP all-in-one F370 and a hp1020 laser. I tried everything, all drivers delivered with my CentOS, drivers from HP, compiled some, generated some PPD, but no luck. Most of the time, printer sits quietly, although my led usb cable blinks (signaling data going through), or the F370 led panel starts blinking chaotically and an 'E' appears on the printer's led display.

I'm desperate, I'm willing to change my distro if necessary, but I cant' buy a new printer.
Any idea is wellcome.

Btw, I tried to use a windoze as a print server, worked for HP1020, also if I swich the usb cable from the Win to the Lin, after printing one page with the Win machine, the printer worked !!! ... until the next restart. But that goes only for 1020. For 370 there is no driver on the linux side, for me to use with the samba connection. The all-in-one F370 is very important for me to work with.

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rcrsn51
Posts: 13096
Joined: Tue 05 Sep 2006, 13:50
Location: Stratford, Ontario

#2 Post by rcrsn51 »

Regarding your HP1020: When these machines power up, they need to download some firmware from their host computer. Apparently, they were designed this way as a cost-saving measure. That's why your printer works if you initially start it from Windows. It is possible to do the same from Linux. Read down this thread a bit to find a discussion about these printers.

Regarding your Deskjet F370: According to OpenPrinting.org, your printer is supported by the HPIJS driver. Puppy has this driver. Go to Menu > Setup > Puppy Package Manager. Select the System group and download the hpijs-2.8.2-static-1.pet.

What version of Puppy are you using? If it's 4.2, you need to apply a patch to get an HPIJS printer working. Go here and see Step 9.

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