Re: Inconsistency with Debian 5 and adding printers
On Thursday 17 September 2009 06:31:36 Bret Busby wrote:
> I have a Samsung CLP300 colour laser printer.
>
> When I connected it to my laptop, in each of both Ubuntu 8.04 and
> Debian 5, which was installed as a clean install, the printer was
> automatically installed and set up (I didn't have to do anything - it
> just appeared as an installed printer, ready to use).
>
> When I connected the printer to this desktop computer, the same
> happened with the Ubuntu 8.04 installation.
>
> When the printer was connected to this desktop and the desktop was
> running Debian 4, the printer (apparently) could not be installed.
>
> So (and, for other reasons), I yesterday upgraded the Debian
> installation on this computer, to Debian 5, following the Release
> Notes instructions. The only problem of which I was aware, in the
> upgrade, that was encountered, was the loss of the graphics adaptor
> driver, and thence XWindows, which was subsequently, easily (after I
> was advised of the solution), ovbercome.
>
> But, I cannot install the printer driver on this Debian 5
> installation.
>
> The printer was not automatically installed and set up, ready to go,
> as it was with the clean installation of Debian 5 on the laptop.
>
> In trying to manually install the printer, using the foomatic-gui
> application, that application detects the printer, and, goes through
> the (apparent) process of installing the printer, but, at the end of
> that process, when it should have successfully completed, the printer
> is not added as an installed printer. I have tried adding the
> printer, via the foomatic-gui application, using both the splix and
> the foo2qpdl driver options, and, until the final screen appears,
> that lists the installed printers, shows that the printer is not
> installed, it all seems to be going okay.
>
> I have also tried to add the printer to the installed printers, using
> the System -> Administration -> Printing -> Add Printer facility,
> but, whilst that detects the printer, the printer driver is not
> listed as an available printer driver, to select.
>
> Why is it, that a clean install of Debian 5, automatically installs
> and sets up the printer, ready for use, like Ubuntu 8.04, but, a
> Debian 5 installation that is done as an upgrade from Debian 4,
> still disallows the printer from being installed.
>
> Can this be overcome?
>
> At present, I have to revert to doing what I was doing before
> upgrading the Debian installtion on the desktop, to Debian 5; if I
> want to print, using the CLP-300, I have to reboot into Ubuntu 8.04,
> as the Debian installation again does not allow the use of the
> printer.
>
> It is frustrationg, that a Debian 5 installation, that is done by
> upgrading from Debian 4, is so different to a Debian 5 installation
> that is done as a clean install, meaning that a Debian 5
> installation that is done as an upgrade from Debian 4, is more of a
> combination of Debian 4 and 5 (like a system that is a combination
> of stable, testing and unstable), than a Debian 5 system, and is
> thus, not truly Debian 5.
>
> I had intended to add other new printers, including a Samsung
> multi-funtion thingy, to my desktop computer, but it appears that a
> Debian 5 installation that is an upgrade from Debian 4, does not work
> for adding printers, anywhere as well as a Debian 5 installation that
> is done as a clean install, so making it apparently, too much
> trouble.
Responsible for printing is CUPS. Please check if you have it installed
and all packages containing CUPS, that your other machine has installed.
You can get that list with `aptitude "~icups"`.
HIH,
Flo.
Reply to: