How to Install Brother Printers and Scanners

Problems and successes with specific brands/models of printers
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rcrsn51
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#136 Post by rcrsn51 »

I cannot comment on the state of your network, but here is what I tested.

1. From my regular computer, I disconnected eth0.
2. I logged into my wireless router.
3.This got me an IP on my LAN, as usual.
4. I ran arp-scan --localnet
5. Even though I was now connected through wlan0 instead of eth0, it saw all the devices on the LAN, including a shared printer.

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#137 Post by starhawk »

Should I want to, what steps would I take to delete the printer and reinstall entirely, including removing/reinstalling the DEBs...?

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#138 Post by rcrsn51 »

You can delete the printer using CUPS. The two debs do not register in the PPM, so you would need to delete their files manually. But their content has ZERO side effects on a stable system.

IIRC, Carolina Vanguard has integrated Frisbee. If you are trying to disable it and use SNS instead, good luck to you.

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#139 Post by starhawk »

Reinstalled the printer and the DEBs. No luck.

Caro Vanguard comes with SNS, Dougal's Network Setup, and Frisbee. Frisbee is enabled by default. I can't stand the interface. I've been using SNS on this system, in a nearly identical install, for about a year now. It's been fine.

Further suggestions, before I go bald?

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#140 Post by rcrsn51 »

Before messing with IP4CUPS, set up the printer using the standard socket://aaa.bbb.cc.dd.

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#141 Post by starhawk »

Did that too. Same result.

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#142 Post by rcrsn51 »

You know what my next suggestion will be. I made it when you had trouble with the scanner setup and you said it was too much work.

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#143 Post by starhawk »

Don't have a cable long enough unless I drag out the USB 'active' cable that's actually too long -- and very strange besides. Not to mention I don't actually trust it.

So after the cable connection, what would be the next step? ;)

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#144 Post by starhawk »

Alright... tell me, if it works over USB but not over WLAN, how does that help? Particularly given that Mom and I bought the printer specifically to be a whole-house network printer... ;)

If I understand it a little better... maybe I can be convinced :P to drag out the 'active' cable (it has a stupid power-hogging signal booster in it) to see if the dang thing works...

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#145 Post by rcrsn51 »

starhawk wrote:Alright... tell me, if it works over USB but not over WLAN, how does that help?
It guarantees that you have the driver installed correctly. It then narrows the problem down to a networking issue.

You can buy a USB printer cable for $1. Why complicate the issue with a non-standard cable?

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#146 Post by starhawk »

I have plenty of standard cables that won't go the distance... literally. They're not long enough.

...and actually, come to think of it, that 'active' cable won't work. It's an extension... male 'a' to female 'a'. Printer takes a male 'b'.

Oh well, back to square one.

EDIT: oh, and I actually don't have the money to buy even a $1 cable right now. Not kidding, sadly.

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#147 Post by starhawk »

Hey, rc, I might be able to do this after all...

Mom used to have a Canon multifunction printer / scanner / copier / fax / Broadway stage (seriously, that thing is very big and very heavy) in here, about where that dang Brother is now. She insisted on it being USB connected to her computer at the time for reasons I neither recall nor care to. There's a bunch of boxes and crap left over from that era on the floor here (yay cluttertastic living spaces... not!) and I dug around and found what has to be about the world's longest USB printer cable. I'm not saying it works... I'm saying it may be long enough... if not, I've got a little extension cord that may help out as well. (Thankfully not an 'active' one -- IIRC, it came with a Kodak card reader that I gave away a few weeks ago. Kept the cord tho.)

Tell me how to do this and I'll see what I can arrange here.

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#148 Post by starhawk »

Seriously... I know how to put the cable in, of course, but I'm a little confused after that. Do I alter the current printer install (to what?)? or do I install a new printer?

Further, there are two identically-named drivers that show up natively in CUPS, and there's a third option of manually installing from /opt/brother/.../[...].ppd -- and I don't know which to try first, second, and third.

...so a little guidance here would be deeply appreciated.

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#149 Post by rcrsn51 »

This is a standard USB install - plug in the printer and let CUPS auto-detect it. If you are seeing two printers, it may be that CUPS detects it both as the direct USB device and as the networked device (if its WiFi is still turned on).

I don't remember how CUPS 1.3 handles this, but you should be able to tell one from the other.

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#150 Post by starhawk »

I'm seeing two /drivers/ tho. Identically named.

I can put a screenshot up if that would help.

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#151 Post by rcrsn51 »

By "drivers", do you mean printer models in the Model list? Pick one. If it doesn't work, delete the printer and pick the other.

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#152 Post by starhawk »

I'm referring to what you see in the attached.
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Printer Drivers.png
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#153 Post by starhawk »

I'll be here when you have time to reply ;)

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#154 Post by rcrsn51 »

Why do you need a reply? I told you what to do above.

This duplication of models names should not be a surprise. It was also present when you previously set up the printer using IP4CUPS. It comes from the Debian driver packages, which put their PPD files in two different locations.

BTW, why is your Brother section so empty? All standard Puppies come with the Gutenprint driver which supports a large collection of Brother models.

By insisting on using Carolina, you are making this situation more frustrating for everyone. This really isn't a Brother printer problem - it's a Carolina problem. They have their own forum section.

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#155 Post by starhawk »

I'll reevaluate my choice to move away from X-Slacko once X-Slacko moves out of beta territory again. I'm watching over there ;)

As for the printer and prior statements, I actually wasn't sure.

Back in a bit, time to reboot the router for smoother Internets... oh joy...

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