[vox-tech] Yargh! Printer not playing nice!

[Jeff Newmiller]

On Fri, 11 Jan 2002, Richard Crawford wrote:

> 
> Whoops.  Sorry about that.  I thought I'd sent out another e-mail 
> earlier with much more information, but I never got a response.  I guess 
> it didn't get through.  Heh.

Actually, it did.
 
> Okay, here's the scoop.
> 
> I picked up an Epson Stylus Photo 820 printer.  I picked up this one 
> because we need a photo-quality printer, and my research at 
> www.linuxprinting.org and other places indicated that this printer both 
> plays nice in a network environment like mine (where we have two win98 
> machines, a win2k machine, and my occasional Linux box).  The printer is 
> hooked up to one of our windows 98 computers, and is shared out 
> properly.  My wife's Windows 98 computer can print to it perfectly, and 
> so can I as long as I'm logged in to Windows 2000.
> 
> When I'm logged in to Linux, though, it's a different story.
> 
> I have used printconf-gui

The reason I did not respond before is that I have never used
printconf-gui, nor have I printed to a Windows box from a Linux box.  I
hate my winprinter (was free), and have been much happier with an old
Laserjet 4M+ since I got it.  Thus, I have sidestepped these issues so for
for my own needs.

> to set up the printer on my computer.  I 
> selected Windows printer (SMB printer); I entered the name of the 
> computer and the name of the printer share (e.g., 
> //CRAPPYWINBOX/STUPID_PRINTER)... Since this is Windows 98 which doesn't 
> worry about permissions, I have left the username and password fields 
> blank.  For host IP address, I've tried the IP address of the hosting 
> computer, the name of the computer, and leaving it blank.
> 
> I've selected the appropriate driver.

That is not specific enough when you are asking for help.

> 
> But when I try printing from Linux, what happens is this: it feeds one 
> page through all the way, and then it feeds a second page halfway from 
> the stack into the printer... and then stops.  At this point, I end up 
> having to press the form-feed button on the printer, and then turning 
> the printer off and on to clear out its cache (spool, whatever).  When I 
> keep an eye on the printer monitor on the hosting win98 computer, 
> nothing shows up.

Sounds like the communications is working.

This sounds suspiciously like an incorrectly chosen or configured
driver on the Linux end.  That is, your linux box isn't speaking
"printerspeak".

I don't know what you mean by "driver" for a printer on Linux... usually
printers are managed with "filters" on Linux. What is in your
/etc/printcap?

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