Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

rcrsn51 · Updated 2015-06-15

Things to Know:

1. There are two steps to installing a printer in CUPS - detecting the hardware device and supplying a valid driver package. Just because CUPS detected your printer does not guarantee that it will work. Picking a printer model similar to your own may or may not be successful.

2. Unlike Windows, you should start the install procedure with the printer turned ON.

3. Despite what you may have read, a PPD file by itself is rarely sufficient to install a printer in Puppy. In most cases, you need an additional driver package.

4. Some printer drivers use the /tmp folder, which must have a full set of write permissions. Right-click on the /tmp folder and select Properties. All the "Write" boxes must be checked. This is also true for /dev/null and /var/tmp. Check that /dev/random is all-readable.

5. CUPS will auto-detect some, but not all, networked printers. If yours is not detected, use the following manual install procedure:

a. Run PeasyPort and scan your network for Port 9100. Get the IP address of the printer.
b. Start the CUPS wizard and open the Add Printer page.
c. Select the protocol AppSocket/JetDirect
d. Enter the Connection URI as: socket://aaa.bbb.cc.dd:9100

6. The Puppy Firewall will block access to networked printers. If you want to run the firewall, use a custom install that gives full access to the printer's IP address . Read here.

7. After a scanning session, some HP all-in-one units need to be rebooted before printing will work again.

8. Here are some handy commands for working with CUPS:

thelash · Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 40 Location: Eltham, NZ

Hi. I have a frugal install of lupu 5.1 on an IBM T22 laptop. Previous puppies have given me no hassles, but when I open the cups server on firefox, I can get no further than the home page. Clicking on any of the operations eg add a printer gives me '500 Internal Server Error.' Taking your advice, I downloaded the cups 1.3.11 pet but when I click on this I get a failed to install message. I don't know what to try next, any guidance much appreciated.

rcrsn51 · Posted: Mon 23 Aug 2010, 08:30 Post subject:

It sounds like your install has experienced some other corruption that is affecting CUPS. I can use Firefox as the browser for CUPS with no problems and I can successfully install CUPS 1.3.11 over top of the CUPS 1.4.3. This is in Lupu 5.1 with the latest patches.

Boot off the Live CD using the "puppy pfix=ram" option and try printing again.

thelash · Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 40 Location: Eltham, NZ

Thanks - used pfix=ram and cups worked as normal. (I never considered that - haven't had a corrupted install with Puppy before.)

jpeps · Joined: 31 May 2008 Posts: 3217

In Lupu, ln -s /opt/samba/bin/smbclient /usr/bin/smbclient didn't work, but
cp did. (probably the same reason that a link to .mozilla never worked very long if at all).

Maybe a reason people are having trouble with lupu, CUPS 1.4.3 ??

rcrsn51 · Posted: Sun 29 Aug 2010, 07:45 Post subject:

Jasper · Joined: 25 Apr 2010 Posts: 1350 Location: England

Using CUPS 1.4.3 - if the "Maintenance" and "Administration" drop-down list menu items can be activated please be so kind as to explain how.

rcrsn51 · Posted: Tue 07 Sep 2010, 08:53 Post subject:

thelash · Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 40 Location: Eltham, NZ

Have upgraded to Lupu 511 on my IBM t22 laptop. Running live, I was able to successfully install my hp deskjet f2180 printer using cups 1.4.3. On making a save file, this install appeared to transfer successfully, however, after a couple of shutdowns and installation of other software including go open office 3.2, I lost printing and was back to the dreaded 'server error 500' when attempting to leave the cups home page. Installed 1.3.11 pet and ghostscript files as per this forum topic, and have got the 1.3.11 home screen up on both midori and firefox 3.6.8, but can get no further - clicking on any menu entry doesn't load anything - screen stays where it is.
Can't print, can't use cups server, haven't got a clue where to go from here.
(Tried setting up on live run then creating save file a couple more times, but always ended up losing printing.)

Any clues anyone? Is it possible to remove cups completely and start again?

rcrsn51 · Posted: Thu 09 Sep 2010, 09:37 Post subject:

I've never seen this 500 error myself, so it's difficult to comment. But here's what I would do.

1. Start a fresh frugal install and immediately make a savefile.

2. Reboot using the savefile and install the printer. Verify that it works.

3. Start adding/changing other items and test your printer each time.

Are you installing this printer locally through USB or through your network?

rcrsn51 · Posted: Thu 09 Sep 2010, 15:26 Post subject:

@thelash:

I did some googling and your problem may be due to some corrupt print jobs. Try this set of commands:

thelash · Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 40 Location: Eltham, NZ

A big thank you rcrsn51 for all your help and the time you must have spent mulling over my hassles. Tried the commands in your last post to no avail, so went to your suggestion of a fresh frugal and adding things till cups broke.
I have discovered the culprit - I have a Go Open Office 3.2 squash file which I downloaded a while ago from somewhere on the forum. Soon as I set bootup to load it, I got the 500 server error and no response from the cups home page - both 1.4.3 and 1.3.11. With this sfs removed, I've been able to set up printing in cups 1.4.3 with no hassles and have loaded all the programs etc onto my pupsave that I want. Interestingly, I've set up an old openoffice.org version 1.1.4 from way back in my puppy 2 days with no problems - this is not an sfs but is the actual files which I have on my hard drive and have linked into my save file to preserve storage space. I may yet convert it to an sfs to see if it breaks the system. I haven't a clue why my Go Open Office sfs does this - any ideas?
Thanks again for your help.

Bilby · Joined: 26 Nov 2010 Posts: 1

I'm a Puppy newbie, just installed today.

The only real problem I had was getting my HP printer to work.

Your advice regarding the HP driver worked. So thanks

Frank Cox · Joined: 01 Nov 2009 Posts: 381

I am using 431. I really do not want to change distros but if necessary I will.

Would you mind supplying the icm files for that printer, the Hp Colorjet 1215?

Thank you for all your efforts

rcrsn51 · Posted: Sun 27 Mar 2011, 15:35 Post subject:

Please see my reply in the other thread concerning the correct foo2xxx package to use with Puppy 4.3.1.