Re: Escputil --raw-device and CUPS

[Kristian Niemi <rance@mbnet.fi>]

I wonder if it could be as easy as telling escputil that you have a new 
model of epson printer (`new' means newer than Stylus Color 740 ...), 
i.e. add "--new" or "-u" to the command. I get a similar error as you do 
if I leave that out.

Oh, and sometimes it doesn't work the first time around, but you have to 
try like three times in a row or something. Don't know what's up with 
that. I've read what the problem is, but don't remember it right now.

I don't think CUPS has that much to do with anything escputil does. At 
least I've thought that it communicates directly with the printer, not 
through CUPS.


h: Kristian


Nick Croft wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I've got the new Epson Color Stylus C83 printing OK with CUPS via the
> router.
>
> Everything available with CUPS admininstration seems to be working fine.
> However, I want to check the ink level, and for this I need to use a command
> line tool, escputil.
>
> The output for
>
> $ escuptil -i -r /dev/lp0  is
> 'Cannot parse output from printer'.
>
> I've got the two-way option assigned in the kernel. Also quite liberal
> permissions for access in the /etc/cups/cups.conf.
>
> Strangely, 
>
> $ escputil -d -r /dev/lp0   gives an answer:
>
>         @BDC ST
>         ST:04;
>
> which I hope refers to STylus.
>
> I suspect that there is something needed in the cups.conf file relating
> to groups and possibly passwords, but I can't make head or tail of it.
>
> Alternatively, I could get my wife's Windows Laptop to plug in to the
> printer, install the Epson software, and check the ink-level there,
> without any rigmarole. Defeatist though.
>
> Is the access to the raw device deliberately difficult, or is this
> something being worked on, or wished-for?
>
> Thanks,
> Nick