have HP 1010 printer; don't understand directions

[BoDill]

Using Linux Mint 17 Qiana, I have a HP Deskjet 1010 Printer, and would like to use it. It worked fine with my old Windows XP (because it was designed for it), but barely prints with my Linux computer. It does manage to print something, but it is barely dark enough to read, and the lines often are filled with little boxes that take up the room for entering information (think of tax returns). I found a link to instructions on how to get Linux to work with this printer, (or visa-versa) but I could not understand them. I tried "filling out the boxes", etc. with the instructions I found, but nothing seems to work. If there is a clear and easy place to find out how to do this, as I believe there probably is, can you point me to it, OR can you tell me how to do it in a few easy steps?

By the way, using my old Windows XP computer (an old DELL with only Windows XP on it), I just printed my taxes with this printer and ink cartridge, and it worked fine!!! Naturally, I would rather use the Linux computer (a comparable old Dell with only Linux on it)....

Thank you for your help,
Bo Dill

[Carrock]

You could try searching for and installing djtools in synaptic package manager and then run 'configure printer' - your printer is an option.
I'm on mint 18 but I'd expect your printer to be on 17.
I'll describe other options if that doesn't work.

[pdc_2]

Hi Bo Dill; sorry to hear of your printer problems; where did you go for a how-to for installing printers?

________--

Most would say to use HP's programme hplip

the 1010 needs the 3.13.7 version of hplip: HP's linux printing utility ....... Mint 17.1 should have that or more

....sometimes when Mint detects a new HP printer, it can install a foomatic driver; so it is worth checking what is installed; if you go to the PRINTERS folder; ........ menu @ bottom left; go to ADMINISTRATION and thence to PRINTING

Is there only one icon for your HP in that folder? If so, right-click; select PROPERTIES and look down to MAKE & MODEL and DEVICE URI; maybe you copy and paste both those results back here; if there is more than one icon for your HP, if you give us the results of both please

_______

let's see if hplip is installed for you: if you paste this command

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dpkg -l hplip

into a terminal, it is asking the package manager to LIST anything about hplip .... again, if you can paste back whatever you get

-__________

then if you run this command

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hp-check

and see what results you get ...... this page ..... http://hplipopensource.com/node/332 has much detail on trouble-shooting

if you get back to us when you can do all of the above?

[BoDill]

To make a long story short, now I am in more serious trouble; I tried a couple of the things recommended (first the "Administration - printing" recommended by pdc-2, then the dpkg -1 hplip) and neither one got very far. The "Admin..." one got me to a "Document Print Status" window which I watched for 15 minutes and nothing happened. Then I tried the "dpkg" approach and got a message saying, "dkpg error: unknown option -1". So then I tried entering "dpkg hplip" and again got a bunch of error messages.

After that, I turned off the computer and restarted it, went through the "Admin.." exercise again, got a littler farther, and tried printing the "sample page". What I ended up with was a sheet of paper with a couple of circular designs on it and very faint words saying "from freedom came elegance".

Next, I tried to print a regular document (a simple letter that I had printed and stored on my desktop) and I got a red flag that said, "Unable to open document". Now I have again turned off the computer and turned it back on, but the "Unable" notice comes up when I try to print something. My other computer, virtually a twin to this one, which has only Windows XP, just printed a document with no problem.

Can anyone tell me how to reverse this damage so that I can finally print from my Linux? Before I tried this stuff, I could print from the Linux, but the print was quite faint, though readable. It was not good enough to print something that you would send to someone else, like a letter.

Thank you,

Bo Dill

[pdc_2]

sorry to hear of your continuing problems;

when we post commands here, the best way is to copy them; so what you thought was the number ONE was actually the letter L (in small case); so nothing that was suggested would change anything; we were trying to find out things;

so you can you paste these commands into a terminal; you open the terminal with three buttons held down: control alt t buttons; ......... and then to paste into the terminal, if you right-click at the text prompt: (where the little sign is flashing on and off) .. then if you right-click and you get a drop-down menu appears; and PASTE should be on that list ....... so can you copy in .. one by one ..... hitting the ENTER key after each paste .. with the printer turned on and plugged in ........

1)

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lsusb

...... and if you can now copy the result and paste it back in a reply please ....... then copy in

2)

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lpinfo -v

...... and if you can now copy the result and paste it back in a reply please ....... then copy in

3)

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dpkg -l hplip

..... and if you can now copy the result and paste it back in a reply please .......

4) then start bottom left at MENU; go up to the middle row that is headed APPLICATIONS at the top; and choose ADMINISTRATION (which in mine is one from the bottom of the list ..... hover the mouse over it ...... and you should see PRINTERS to its right: click on PRINTERS and it should show you one or more icons for your printer;

as before, right-click; select PROPERTIES and look down to MAKE & MODEL and DEVICE URI; maybe you copy and paste both those results back here; if there is more than one icon for your HP, if you give us the results of both please

[BoDill]

To pdc_2,
Thank you for your kind attention, I can only imagine how frustrating it is to deal with an inept person like myself. BUT, I have done everything that you have told me, and still cannot print correctly. The sample printing exercise simply gets me a "Document" with a couple of circular designs and the words, "from freedom came elegance" in a VERY LIGHT gray/grey.

Also unfortunately, when I try to open a document from my desktop, I get a "Document viewer" with a red banner across it saying "Unable to open document".

This is the best I can do with the contents of the Terminal;

bodill@bodill-OptiPlex-GX520 ~ $ 1susb
No command '1susb' found, did you mean:
Command 'lsusb' from package 'usbutils' (main)
1susb: command not found

(Note: above you can see that I typed the number 1 again)

bodill@bodill-OptiPlex-GX520 ~ $ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 014: ID 03f0:b511 Hewlett-Packard
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 006: ID 413c:2003 Dell Computer Corp. Keyboard
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 007: ID 046d:c00e Logitech, Inc. M-BJ58/M-BJ69 Optical Wheel Mouse
Bus 003 Device 005: ID 03f0:0201 Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 6200c
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
bodill@bodill-OptiPlex-GX520 ~ $ lpinfo -v
network http
network ipps
network socket
network ipp14
network ipp
network https
serial serial:/dev/ttyS0?baud=115200
network lpd
direct usb://HP/Deskjet%201010%20series?serial=CN4C51911C05S8
network smb
bodill@bodill-OptiPlex-GX520 ~ $ dpkg -l hplip
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Architecture Description
+++-==============-============-============-=================================
ii hplip 3.14.3-0ubun i386 HP Linux Printing and Imaging Sys
bodill@bodill-OptiPlex-GX520 ~ $

Also, It is getting late so I'll check back tomorrow

[pdc_2]

thanks Bo; so you ran the 3 commands well: they were just asking questions of your system; so you have a usb-connected HP that the system knows of:

we haven't got the full history of how long you have had this printer connected to your Mint system; .......... was it working well; ............ did it suddenly stop working

If you copy and paste this command into the terminal please

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dpkg -l cups*

......so that is asking the debian_package_system to LIST what types of file called cups are on your system ..... wondering if a recent cups update could also be an issue

....... and please copy the results; and paste them back here; you did very well with the previous commands

____--

so have a good sleep, and we will back from you tomorrow!

[BoDill]

Thank you for so much trouble!!! Below is the results of the terminal;

bodill@bodill-OptiPlex-GX520 ~ $ dpkg -l cups*
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Architecture Description
+++-==============-============-============-=================================
ii cups 1.7.2-0ubunt i386 Common UNIX Printing System(tm) -
ii cups-browsed 1.0.52-0ubun i386 OpenPrinting CUPS Filters - cups-
ii cups-bsd 1.7.2-0ubunt i386 Common UNIX Printing System(tm) -
ii cups-client 1.7.2-0ubunt i386 Common UNIX Printing System(tm) -
ii cups-common 1.7.2-0ubunt all Common UNIX Printing System(tm) -
ii cups-core-driv 1.7.2-0ubunt i386 Common UNIX Printing System(tm) -
ii cups-daemon 1.7.2-0ubunt i386 Common UNIX Printing System(tm) -
un cups-driver-gu <none> <none> (no description available)
ii cups-filters 1.0.52-0ubun i386 OpenPrinting CUPS Filters - Main
ii cups-filters-c 1.0.52-0ubun i386 OpenPrinting CUPS Filters - PPD-l
un cups-pdf <none> <none> (no description available)
ii cups-pk-helper 0.2.5-0ubunt i386 PolicyKit helper to configure cup
ii cups-ppdc 1.7.2-0ubunt i386 Common UNIX Printing System(tm) -
ii cups-server-co 1.7.2-0ubunt all Common UNIX Printing System(tm) -
un cupsddk <none> <none> (no description available)
bodill@bodill-OptiPlex-GX520 ~ $

I wil be working on my taxes most of today, so I may not get back to you right away.

[pdc_2]

so that cups version is fine;

a couple of posts back, I said

4) then start bottom left at MENU; go up to the middle row that is headed APPLICATIONS at the top; and choose ADMINISTRATION (which in mine is one from the bottom of the list ..... hover the mouse over it ...... and you should see PRINTERS to its right: click on PRINTERS and it should show you one or more icons for your printer;

as before, right-click; select PROPERTIES and look down to MAKE & MODEL and DEVICE URI; maybe you copy and paste both those results back here; if there is more than one icon for your HP, if you give us the results of both please


can you check that out and let us know

also in the PRINTERS box; ....... open that please; while sitting looking at it, now just press the F1 key on your keyboard: it opens a troubleshooting wizard inside that PRINTERS box; can you start that up; if it gives you information, can you tell us what it tells you

[BoDill]

To pdc_2 and all,

First, from the Properties Box, I checked out three of the printers in the box as follows;

First one (had a check mark on the picture);
Description = HP-Deskjet-1010
make and model = HP Deskjet 1010 series, hpcups 3.14.3
Device URI = parallel:/dev/lp0

Next one (no checkmark)
Description = Deskjet-1010
make and model = HP Deskjet 1010 series, hpcups 3.14.3
Device URI = hp:/usb/Deskjet_1010_series?serial=CN4C51911C0558

Third one (no checkmark)
Description = HP-Deskjet-1010-series
make and model = HP Deskjet 1010 series, hpcups 3.14.3
Device URI = usb;//HP/Deskjet%201010%20series?serial=CN4C51911C0558

Note that when I try a "TEST PRINT" with any of these, I get a printout with the words "Printer test page" in the upper left hand corner in good, dark letters, and "from freedom came elegance" in the upper right hand corner in VERY light gray/grey, and there are two circular designs going down the right hand side of the page and a straight line going down the right hand edge of the page.(See last paragraph before jumping to conclusion)

Also tried using the "F!" function but I got the same result with each one, basically saying that they won't work.

I don't know if this will tell you anything, but I have been doing my taxes all day, and I can print images that I load from my scanner to the desktop. What I can't print are images that are on my desktop as documents with the ".odt" suffix, and I could print them before I started screwing around with trying improve the prints, as they were so light that you could hardly see them. Now I can't open them, even with GIMP Image Editor or Firefox Web browser. If I try to open anything on my desktop, I just get the "Unable to open document" message, or something similar.

Thanks again for your attention....
Bo Dill

[BoDill]

To pdc_2 and all,

I don't know why this works, but I found a simple solution: As I was trying various things to open files on my desktop that have the ".odt" extension, for some reason I tried using "LibreOffice Writer", and it worked!!! Then with a document opened, I tried printing it and it worked (not only worked, but the print was dark, etc.)! So, I went back to the desktop and tried another ".odt" file and this time when I put the courser on it and right clicked, the banner that opens up had the "Libre" at the top again, and everything worked just fine.

Assuming that the problem is solved, if I don't hear from anyone in a few days, I'll mark it "Solved".

Thanks again for your help and patience,

Bo Dill