OB Bonsai CUPS/drak printing

[Taco.22]

Hi,

I am building a system on Openbox bonsai, and before I go and load it to the gunwales with drakprint, can I set it up to use CUPS to connect to my printer?  I've done some reading but I'm feeling a bit at sea.  Do I need to go find PPDs for my printer, and as a network thing that means that I need to set it up through my browser, doesn't it?  Although does that then mean that my printer needs an IP address?  Or should I just stick with drakprint.  I just don't need all the extra crud that gets installed with it.  Can I delete those extras like HP Device Manager and so without borking the system?
   

[melodie]

Hi,

I am building a system on Openbox bonsai, and before I go and load it to the gunwales with drakprint, can I set it up to use CUPS to connect to my printer?  I've done some reading but I'm feeling a bit at sea.  Do I need to go find PPDs for my printer, and as a network thing that means that I need to set it up through my browser, doesn't it?  Although does that then mean that my printer needs an IP address?  Or should I just stick with drakprint.  I just don't need all the extra crud that gets installed with it.  Can I delete those extras like HP Device Manager and so without borking the system?
   

Hi,

Could you start with providing the brand and model of your printer ? You may not need to install all printer packages to configure it...
btw : there are a few words in your post that I don't understand : gunwales ?

About "extra crud", that depends. A printer can't work without a few extra depends, such as a spooler, a db engine... So to reduce the number of packages, the method is to start with installing the ones you need and not more : it will pull in all that is necessary, but not more.

[Taco.22]

Hi,

The printer in question is just an old Epson Sylus 6oo, but could be replaced at any time.  It was just that the last time I installed drakprinter it came in at about 120megs or so.  It's things like all the HP and Lexmark stuff that I don't need.  I wasn't sure if there is a way to selectively install the software I need, or to install and weed out unwanted bits.

Gunwales - (fr)plat-bord   I hope I got that right.  In English pronounced as gunnels -  topsides of a boat - to be up to the gunwales is to be very full.  Sorry, I should be more aware of colloquialisms.



 

[melodie]

Epson Stylus Color 600 or Stylux Photo RX600 ?

Looking here first:
http://www.openprinting.org/printers?action=search

to get the base information, then in Synaptic.

[melodie]

Hi, you shouldn't need to install a full metapackage with 120 mo to configure one printer.

Color 600:

Epson Stylus Color 600   
       
   Color inkjet printer, max. 1440x720 dpi, works Perfectly      
   Recommended Driver: gutenprint (Home page, Driver packages: x86 32 bit: 5.0.1 (RPM for LSB 3.1), 5.0.1 (DEB for LSB 3.1), 5.2.6 (RPM for LSB 3.2), 5.2.6 (DEB for LSB 3.2), x86 64 bit: 5.0.1 (RPM for LSB 3.1), 5.0.1 (DEB for LSB 3.1), 5.2.6 (RPM for LSB 3.2), 5.2.6 (DEB for LSB 3.2) (How to install))   
   Generic Instructions: CUPS, LPD, LPRng, PPR, PDQ, no spooler

Photo RX600 seems to be the same for what needed packages is concerned:

   Epson Stylus Photo RX600   
       
   Color inkjet printer, max. 5760x1440 dpi, works Partially      
   Recommended Driver: gutenprint (Home page, Driver packages: x86 32 bit: 5.0.1 (RPM for LSB 3.1), 5.0.1 (DEB for LSB 3.1), 5.2.6 (RPM for LSB 3.2), 5.2.6 (DEB for LSB 3.2), x86 64 bit: 5.0.1 (RPM for LSB 3.1), 5.0.1 (DEB for LSB 3.1), 5.2.6 (RPM for LSB 3.2), 5.2.6 (DEB for LSB 3.2) (How to install))   
   Generic Instructions: CUPS, LPD, LPRng, PPR, PDQ, no spooler

Try installing "task-printing-epson", and please come back with the list it pulls in. This way I might help you if I think something is missing. As here I already have a bunch of packages installed, I may not see what it can pull in (I use and HP, so some of the packages such as "cups" and "cups-common" are already there).

Once all installed, look if you get a section "Printer" in the PCC, and if not, you might have to configure it from the web browser, with the url "localhost:631". Either cups will see your printer at once, or you may have to choose "manual configuration" (as a second choice : give it a chance to detect it automatically, first).

PS: you can install mtink too:

Status monitor and configuration tool for Epson inkjet printP
Mtink is a status monitor which allow to get the remaining ink quantity,
printing of test patterns, changing and cleaning cartridges.

[Taco.22]

Hi,

I've got Bonsai running in VBox, and installed "task-printing-epson".  Here is a list of what installed - about 32mb.

Sorry about the graphic - I can't get clipboards to share.  Maybe another topic!
I had already installed CUPS when I installed cups-pdf., about 23mb.  Unfortunately no printer setup appears in Control Center.  Printerdrake installs 170mb when selected, with no delete options, including the Gimp!  Mind you I'm already up to 56mb and I don't yet have a Control Center listing.
I tried CUPS through a browser, but I keep getting "forbidden".
Actually it's "task-printing" that installs most of the software, including the Gimp, at about 73mbs. 
The upshot is that I thought there might be a lightweight printer package install that could then be customized.  However it seems so much is tied together that a big install and deleting bits may have to be the go.  It really needs to have a gui - setting a printer up through a browser is really going to scare the average punter.
Actually, scrap what I just wrote - I just tried to remove "hplip" and it wanted to remove Printerdrake and just about everything else.  How did everything wind up so interdependent.  And how in the heck can the Gimp be considered part of the printing package?!       

[melodie]

Hi,

When you get forbidden in the web browser, you should first remove all cookies that are on localhost, as well as empty the cache, then retry : then you should get a window prompting you for user and password. there, you must type "root" for user (nothing else works) and the root password.

If you don't get this window prompting, try to get to the admin section, there you should get the window prompt for root password. If this is a version for you, you may want to install this minimum. If the version is for giving it away to people, then you may want to install all printing stuff (the big meta package). Gimp: it may be tied up because of one of the packages, such as "gimp-pdf" or something like that. If you don't need gimp, try removing it and look at what it pulls out.

[melodie]

Sorry about the graphic - I can't get clipboards to share.  Maybe another topic!

To share, I would click to "apply", then click on "show detaills", then from there is it possible to copy the list. (Sometimes you need to use the key shortcuts to select, then use the mouse while holding the keys that select, to scroll up or down.

Like this : put the cursor at the beginning or the end of a line, then hold Ctrl+Shift+arrow down if the cursor is at the first line... arrow up if the cursor is at the last line.

The list of packages seems ok to me. If you have hplip that comes with the rest, keep it. Even one component in it needed by another component can make the difference between one printer working and one not working.

Strategy : keep the history in Synaptic, make the printer work (from within a virtual machine, I doubt... not so easy), once you get it to work, try removing a package from the list. Reboot, try printing, if printing doesn't work anymore, you will know why.

[Taco.22]

Hi melodie,

Thanks for your help.  It may well have to be the big install.  You can't uninstall Gimp without removing printerdrake, but curiously enough you can install Gimp on its own.
I've tried CUPS through the browser again - user name "root" was too obvious!!  It found the printer on the main system, but it might be a problem in VBox due to Guest Additions issues.  Funny, I've always had issues with Linux as a guest, but never with Windows - always finds and connects to every device plugged in.

So who knows - a lightweight printing system may be a reality.

[melodie]

Hi Taco,

What about installing it on hard drive, on a small partition ?

[Taco.22]

Ahh, I did have it on another computer - that was the original setup for building.  But two days ago that 'puter went down with an attack of the yips, taking all my work including Edu2 with it, and now has to go back to the rubbish dump where I found it.  Now I have to find another testbed - so in the meantime I will just have to use VBox.  Still, all part of the learning curve!     

[melodie]

Do you mean that the hard drive is dead ?

I have worked on a dying hard drive once. I have started a usb live pclinuxos and I finally succeeded in mounting the "My Documents" in a console (it was a Windows install) for our friend, and do a "cp -Ra" on 2 or 3 chosen directories, to save the most important files, such as family pictures...

I just say incase that can give you ideas, to get your work back.

[Taco.22]

No, the motherboard seems to have developed a random glitch - boot sometimes and then not others.  I had saved the data off the disk, paricularly /.config but I had two OS's on the disk and thought they were conflicting.  A reinstall seemed to be in order, but too late did I discover the foible of the 'puter!  So the waste was all the installing of software that I did.  I have almost caught up on VBox.  I'll do a remaster every now and then to keep an up to date copy.  One thing I've learnt about computers - don't turn your back on them!!