Is printing broken in LMDE 201303 MATE 64-bit RC?

[drsdg]

RE: ipp14

changing ipp:// to ipp14://

ipp - Internet Printing Protocol
This protocol is currently administered by PWG (IPP Working Group). I went to their website pwg.org/ipp and can find nothing about ippxx usage. Where the heck does one find out about ipp14 other than by coming across a burning bush in the desert after a 14-day fast?

This is what frustrates me about using computers - try to be logical and troubleshoot using a scientific logical technique informed by years of college-level education and shazaam - the answer is a secret handshake from some 6-degrees of Kevin Bacon insider.

Thank you for the information -

[AbeFreeman]

I can't get printing to work on LMDE either, but I don't even have "Find New Printer" in "Administration" (or anything else related to printers or printing, even in the control panel). I plugged in my HP Laserjet 2100M on my Mint 13 Mate machine and added it without any snags through the "printers" option under "Hardware" in Control Panel. LMDE gives me no such option. The LMDE machine is my daughter's, and she desperately needs a printer to work for her school papers, so any help in this regard would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks.

[py-thon]

I don't even have "Find New Printer" in "Administration" (or anything else related to printers or printing, even in the control panel).

If your control center has no printing whatsoever you probably have an incomplete installation.
Can you check whether the package system-config-printer is installed?

[AbeFreeman]

Py-thon said: If your control center has no printing whatsoever you probably have an incomplete installation.
Can you check whether the package system-config-printer is installed?

system-config-printer was not installed, so I installed it. Now the printer is recognised when plugged in and turned on, but still doesn't do anything when you send it a print job. How do I find out what the problem is now? Also, I can't understand why I would have an incomplete installation. Checked the MD5 sum (I think that's what it's called) on the iso file, used unetbootin to write it to a usb stick. No error messages or anything during installation. Anyway, I noticed that Mint Update doesn't seem to do anything either when I click on it, so it seems there are other problems. Any way to "complete" my installation without doing a re-install (and losing data, settings, browser history, etc. -- and no reason to believe that the re-install will be any better, since I would use the same procedure as for the original install)? Thanks for the help
Abe

[py-thon]

To use a printer by HP it is generally advisable to have the package hplip installed. hplip-gui (graphic user interface for hplip) is normally helpful, but according to http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/mo ... _2100.html it doesn't work with your model.

If there seem to be several issues with your machine run a complete update before anything else

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

[drsdg]

Linux prints using the CUPS software suite. If you didn't get an Administration-Print Settings option in the menu then probably CUPS was not installed and if you then install system-config-printer only, that won't install CUPS.

To see if CUPS is installed open your browser and set the URL to:

http://localhost:631

CUPS is administered through its own local server which watches port 631. If you get an error then it isn't installed. If you get the home screen then click on the administration tab and then 'manage printers' under the Printers section. This will list all the printers that the computer is configured to print on. If you don't see any printers listed then you need to go back one page and click on 'add printer' or 'find new printer'. It should find any 'plugged-in' printers as well as shared printers on the local network.

You can also open synaptic package manager and see if CUPS is installed.
CUPS installation on my computer installs 23 other packages.

If CUPS is installed and the printer won't work, sometimes it can be tricky to install some printers. In my experience with my own network, sharing some printers can be a bit of work. Also how you "Plug-in" your local non-networked printer matters. USB printer or parallel port or serial port?

You can read all about it by first looking at the online help documents from the http://localhost:631 home page. Then try www.cups.org.

I googled "linux cups HP Laserjet 2100M" and there are a number of helpful posts that come up.

The thing that must work is the CUPS server at localhost:631. If you can't get that to load in your browser then that's where you need to start.

[AbeFreeman]

Wow, this is turning into a complicated problem. I ran apt-get update, then I thought I'd try the update manager to see if it worked now, since that was what clued me in to the fact that there were more problems than just printing. It told me I had over 1000 updates, so I let it do it's thing. It worked this time, BUT when it was done, and I rebooted, there is no longer any internet connection. There is the "wired connection" icon at the bottom right, but no perceivable way to get the wireless working. So I ran out and bought an ethernet cable to connect directly to the router, as a quick fix so my daughter could at least get online to do her school work (she has an online exam tomorrow morning). I connected it, but it didn't work either (should be always on, no password needed). Kept showing a swirling circle like it was trying to connect, then gave up and gave me a "disconnected" notice on the top right corner of the screen. Not good. Tried to reboot, and noticed that on the boot screen (grub?) there's a version something-or-other, then the same version with (recovery mode), then another version under that, with it's recover mode under it. So I tried booting the older version, and the internet connection works again (but the printer still doesn't work). Regarding that, I checked CUPS, and it's there, and i went to the localhost:631 webpage and it seems to see the printer, but tells me it's "unplugged or turned off" (which it isn't -- it's connected via USB, and turned on --- tried all the USB ports, but no change). I gave up on the HP 2100, since I thought it might be compatibility issues, and brought over our Samsung ML-2010, which works so well on my Mint13 box, so that's the one I'm getting the "unplugged or turned off" message with. (I tried with the updated version -- with the nonworking internet -- and also got the same message for the printer)
So now I have 2 problems: 1. how to get internet working on the updated Mint Debian, and 2. how to get the printer ---- any printer --- working. Sigh.... This is a good time to remind myself how much grief Windows has given me in the past. At least I don't have to keep seeing that blue screen of death (used to happen at least once every 2 weeks). And the seeming impossibility of cancelling print jobs, and viruses, ......

[py-thon]

Obviously there have been several different problems with an installation that was neither complete nor uptodate. I'd suggest that you open a separate topic because most people won't even read the contents of a thread named "Is printing broken in LMDE 201303 MATE 64-bit RC?" because of its title being misleading and completely outdated. Your chances to get help for your issues are far better that way.

If nothing helps new isos will be out after UP8 (which probably means February) and in my opinion a fresh and clean install might be quicker and easier to cure the different ills.