Re: can't get CUPS working with Xerox Phaser 6280DN
James Brown wrote:
I installed a driver for my Xerox Phaser 3117 from the openprinting
project http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/openprinting
and it works nice.
I think that it it possible to try such for 6280DN
Umm, no, no, noooo...
The Phaser 3117 is one of those so-called host printers (all the printer
functions are run on the machine that sends the print job) according to
the Xerox site.
The OP's printer is a /real/ printer, one that can speak and understand
a printer language on it's own, has it's own CPU, memory, and
potentially local hard drive storage (my old Phaser 850 did).
This is why I insist on networked, Postscript groking printers: Drop
them on the network, assign an IP (makes it easier in the long run to
make it static), feed the OS print subsystem the address and the PPD,
and they Just Work(tm). None of this "driver" BS to worry about.
The Dell 3110cn I have (yes, I know, Dell. Got to play with one at work
so I knew what I was getting into. So far, it's been a surprisingly
good printer) is Postscript level 3 capable and networkable, so getting
it to play with the Mac's, Windows (multiple versions) and *NIX machines
via a centralized printer server (CUPS, gotta keep the kids from burning
up all the toner) was mind-numbingly easy. The hardest part was getting
the access controls set up for the two print queues (one colour, one B&W
only) and making the older Windows machines use IPP.
Looking back at the original email, your problem is that the system is
not seeing the printer via USB. Is there some reason why you are using
the USB interface? Looking at the Xerox page for the printer, it lists
a network interface (hence the N bit on the end of the model). I would
strongly suggest putting that device on your LAN, it would make things a
heck of a lot easier to setup.
If you must use the USB interface, from what I can find, it looks like
CUPS should see the printer when you add it to the system. Try this:
Attach the printer to the system
Restart the CUPS software (pure paranoia)
Hit http://localhost:631/ in a web browser (I'm assuming you are running
this from the machine that has CUPS on it)
Click on the admin tab
Click on the add printer tab
Feed CUPS the Name/Location/Description info
Next page is the "Device for $NAME" page. The drop down /should/ have
the printer listed there on a USB port. Select, continue
Model/Driver page, browse for the PPD file
Next step is to confirm the settings for the print queue
Profit!
If the "Device for $NAME" doesn't have the printer listed, then we need
to look deeper as the OS itself isn't detecting the printer via USB
correctly. But try those steps first, and again, I strongly suggest
scrapping the USB idea and drop it on the network. If it's an access
issue you are worried about (keeping others from burning through your
toner), set up access lists on CUPS and tell the printer to ignore
connections from anything but the CUPS machine (which is what I did) or
drop another network card in your machine and use a crossover to the
printer so they are on their own physically private network.
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