Cannot print pdf from Windows 7 to Linux Mint 17 [Solved]

[hashky]

I have a Samsung Monochrome Laser Printer Model ML-1740. It connects to the computer via a USB cable. I have a Windows 7 Pro computer and a Linux Mint 17 computer. They are both connected to a router using Ethernet cables.

I can connect the printer to the Windows 7 computer and I can print from both the Windows 7 computer and the Linux Mint 17 computer. I can print all file types - office, web and pdf files.

When I connect the printer to the Linux Mint 17 computer. I can print all file types from the Linux Mint 17 computer. I can print all file types, except pdf files from the Windows 7 computer.

I have tried several different pdf reader programs - Adobe, Nuance, Evince, etc. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the latest printer driver - many times.

I get no error message. Just nothing. There is nothing in the print que on the Windows computer. It doesn't seem to matter what I do. I read some of the CUPS documentation and followed that, making configuration changes in mime.types, mime.convs, smb.conf. No change, everything works the same. I changed the print driver to RAW per the documentation.

I think there is some switch or conf that needs to be changed. I think it should be simple, but what do I know.

Can anyone give me a step by step for getting this going?

I also have another Linux Mint 17 computer that I need to set up to print to this computer through the network. I haven't started on it yet.

Ron

[Kalyk]

Hello, I've seen exactly the same problem quite a few times in this forum.
So do search some more and I'm sure you'll find it.

[hashky]

Update: I now have the both Linux Mint 17 computers printing all file types to both the Ethernet stand alone network printer and the printer that is connected to the Linux Mint 17 computer via USB.

I still cannot print pdf files from the Windows 7 computer to the printer that is connected to the Linux Mint 17 computer via USB.

Kalyk - I have read numerous posts including
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=28397&f=42
and
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=88146

The only solution I have found posted is to save the pdf to a file. Then print from the Linux computer. I really don't consider that a solution.

[DrHu]

Sounds like a translation problem from windows to CUPS located printer, or Windows 7 is somehow also managing the PDF print file, lets say from word ?? (since both sides win7x and Linux manage the print independently and can handle those files..)
--even though it works directly\y on windows, I would want to know HOW? (is it managing the PDF print file) + which driver for the Samsung printer is being used on the windows 7x side and on the Linux OS side

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/CUPS

• Troubleshooting
  The best way to get printing working is to set 'LogLevel' in /etc/cups/cupsd.conf to:
  LogLevel debug
  And then viewing the output from /var/log/cups/error_log like this:
  # tail -n 100 -f /var/log/cups/error_log

• same link, archlinux as above..some more checking.
  These files may also prove useful:
  ◾/var/log/cups/page_log - Echoes a new entry each time a print is successful
  ◾/var/log/cups/access_log - Lists all cupsd http1.1 server activity

--set the loglevel for CUPS, assuming that is how you managed the printer connected to the Linux OS
if we don't check, then it will be pure guesswork..

And as Arch posts, understanding how CUPS manages printing (pages) will help locate the problem area..

[Kalyk]

Sorry about my short answer, I referred to this post among others.
http://forum.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=173583
But I see that didn't solve the whole problem in that case, though it did for a few others.

I also see a few other posts like http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=76066 or http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&p=629309 which show it's not a simple problem but there might be solutions.
I don't know if this Samsung printer can work when you make Windows7 use generic HP Laserjet 4-drivers or similar.
A lot of printers are (downward-)compatible with that range of printers.

[hashky]

Most of this was beyond my pay grade, but I was able to change the file /etc/cups/cupsd.conf. I changed “LogLevel warn” to “LogLevel debug”.

This is the output from
# tail -n 100 -f /var/log/cups/error_log

W [09/Sep/2014:09:31:59 -0500] CreateProfile failed: org.freedesktop.ColorManager.AlreadyExists:profile id 'HP-Officejet-7300-Gray..' already exists
W [09/Sep/2014:09:31:59 -0500] CreateProfile failed: org.freedesktop.ColorManager.AlreadyExists:profile id 'HP-Officejet-7300-RGB..' already exists
W [09/Sep/2014:09:31:59 -0500] CreateProfile failed: org.freedesktop.ColorManager.AlreadyExists:profile id 'Samsung_ML-1740-Windows-Gray..' already exists
W [09/Sep/2014:16:45:15 -0500] CreateProfile failed: org.freedesktop.ColorManager.AlreadyExists:profile id 'Samsung_ML-1740-Windows-Gray..' already exists

I don't know how to set up the other 2 logs
/var/log/cups/page_log - Echoes a new entry each time a print is successful
/var/log/cups/access_log - Lists all cupsd http1.1 server activity

or where I --set log level for CUPS

I set up the printers using Samba. From the Linux Mint 17 GUI
Menu->Administration->Printers.

I had never used CUPS directly prior to this install.

[hashky]

Update:

All the searching that I have done has NOT resulted in printing of pdf files directly from Windows 7 to Linux Mint 17. The workaround is to print to a shared folder, then print directly from Linux. It appears that HP printers will print directly. And, it appears that Brother printers will work in this configuration if you use the special wrappers in the Repositories. I can't personally confirm either of these.

I spent over an hour with Samsung Support Chat. The tech determined that I had the right driver installed for Windows 7. He could not get the pdf to work on the Linux Computer. He could not change the Windows 7 configuration for the remote printer.

The driver setup for the printer requires that the printer be connected directly to the Windows 7 while it is being configured.

I connected an old laptop running Windows XP. I downloaded the proper printer, connected the printer directly to XP computer. I installed and configured. I then moved the printer back to the Linux Mint 17 computer. I configured XP to print to the network printer and it worked on all files.

I set up the 2nd Linux Mint Computer by using Samba and pointing the printer. It worked and all files. I now had XP printing through the network and Linux Mint printing both locally and through the network. So, by logical guessing, it had to be the Windows 7 computer.

DrHu -

/var/log/cups/page_log - Echoes a new entry each time a print is successful
/var/log/cups/access_log - Lists all cupsd http1.1 server activity

I figured out how to look at these files. At my experience level, they don't tell me anything. I also looked at
/var/log/cups/error_log
/var/log/cups/cups-pdf_log

I didn't know what I was looking for and sure enough, I couldn't find anything.

I then found this post by rstiltskin on a Windows 7 forum this morning
http://www.sevenforums.com/network-shar ... s-7-a.html

This was the answer. I am going to copy the post here with a comment;
===================================================
The Samba solution turned out to be a bad one. . . .<snip>

Anyway, I deleted the printer, disabled the Samba share & searched some more and finally found the answer to the original question.

************************************************************

The thing that was blocking Windows 7 from connecting with the CUPS server was that Windows didn't trust the print server's self-signed SSL certificate. I found the explanation here at Microsoft Support, but the solution given there didn't work for me because my Internet Explorer didn't have any "View Certificates" button to click.

So use Firefox to navigate to https://[servername]:631. It refuses, saying "This Connection is Untrusted". Click on "I Understand the Risks", and then click on "Add Exception", and again on "Confirm Exception". Now Firefox can open the CUPS Admin webpage, so the SSL exception is working. Make note of the name of the printer to be installed.

Now it's easy. Go to Start Menu/Devices and printers.
Click "Add a printer".
Click "add a network, wireless, or Bluetooth printer
Click "the printer that I want isn't listed
Click the Radio Button next to "Select a shared printer by name"
Enter, in the text box, http://[serverName or lan address]:631/printers/[printer name] (printer name must be the exact name listed on the CUPS admin webpage)
Click next, and the printer should be ready to print a test page.
============================================

Note the convoluted name convention used by Window 7. Some forward slashes and some backward slashes.
\\http://piti3:631\Samsung_ML-1740-Windows
where piti3 = Linux server with the printer attached via USB
where Samsung_ML-1740-Windows is the printer name.

The Samsung ML-1740 is extremely reliable. It is 10 years old and has printed over 32,000 sheets and is still going strong.

Thanks for all the help.