upgraded linux 5.0 --> 6.1 now I can't print printer is Epson color 640 on lp2 browsed similar - looking bugs marked 'Resolved', but no help there. I added alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc to '/etc/conf.modules' didnt work. my var/log/messages has a lpd[468] unknown printer: ^I# message on booting. I tried all the queue clearing / stopping / starting stuff too. help ... need to print
From the error message it looks like you have a typo in your printcap.
the printcap entry is: ##PRINTTOOL3## LOCAL djet500 300x300 letter {} DeskJet500Mono 1 {} colorhi|chi:\ :sd=/var/spool/lpd/colorhi:\ :mx#0:\ :sh:\ :lp=/dev/lp2:\ :if=/var/spool/lpd/colorhi/filter:
Is that the *entire* printcap?
here's entire printcap: # # This printcap is being created with printtool v.3.27 # Any changes made here manually will be lost if printtool # is run later on. # The presence of this header means that no printcap # existed when printtool was run. # ##PRINTTOOL3## REMOTE h|harrison:\ :sd=/var/spool/lpd/harrison:\ :mx#0:\ :sh:\ :rm=abacus-2:\ :rp=lp: #bill|b:\ #:sd=/var/spool/lpd/bill:\ #:mx#0:\ #:sh:\ #:lp=/dev/lp1:\ #:if=/var/spool/lpd/bill/filter: ##PRINTTOOL3## REMOTE steve|s:\ :sd=/var/spool/lpd/steve:\ :mx#0:\ :sh:\ :rm=barnacle:\ :rp=Steves: ##PRINTTOOL3## LOCAL djet500 300x300 letter {} DeskJet500Mono 1 {} lp|color|c|clp2|clow:\ :sd=/var/spool/lpd/color:\ :mx#0:\ :sh:\ :lp=/dev/lp2:\ :if=/var/spool/lpd/color/filter: ##PRINTTOOL3## LOCAL djet500 300x300 letter {} DeskJet500Mono 1 {} colorhi|chi:\ :sd=/var/spool/lpd/colorhi:\ :mx#0:\ :sh:\ :lp=/dev/lp2:\ :if=/var/spool/lpd/colorhi/filter: ##PRINTTOOL3## LOCAL epson|epson-raw:\ :sd=/var/spool/lpd/epson-raw:\ :mx#0:\ :sh:\ :lp=/dev/lp2:
Its been a week, I still cant print.
Change the commented out entry so that the '#' characters are at the beginning of the line.
i've removed the whole 'bill' entry. still cant print.
Did you restart lpd afterwards?
Ok, some of the mystery is unfolding ... I actually inherited this computer from somebody, so I wasnt as familiar with the configuration as I should be. There is a PCI(?) board with a parallel port on it which was hooked up to the printer. apparently configred as lp1? I moved the printer cable connetion to the built-in port. For some reason, this on-board port was disabled, so I went into the setup menus and enabled it at boot-up, and I think set the IRQ thing to auto. There are some other settings there which are a complete mystery to me. I now can send ascii directly out the port with printtool. As a result of all this, I've learned lpc, lpq, and lprm abit, and have managed to clear the queues all out. '/usr/sbin/lpc restart all' says that it is starting the daemons, but the status shows them as not present afterwards. I've been using printtool to try to set-up the printer again, and voila! the 'epson color uni-print' filter has got things going again (postscript from printtool), but the colors are crappy too 'purple' shows as magenta, and cyan shows as deep blue. 'Red' is murky. The previous owner had a conversion somehow implemented which fixed this, maybe I can work that out too.
This is my new printcap: # # This printcap is being created with printtool v.3.27 # Any changes made here manually will be lost if printtool # is run later on. # The presence of this header means that no printcap # existed when printtool was run. # ##PRINTTOOL3## REMOTE h|harrison:\ :sd=/var/spool/lpd/harrison:\ :mx#0:\ :sh:\ :rm=abacus-2:\ :rp=lp: ##PRINTTOOL3## REMOTE steve|s:\ :sd=/var/spool/lpd/steve:\ :mx#0:\ :sh:\ :rm=barnacle:\ :rp=Steves: ##PRINTTOOL3## LOCAL uniprint NAxNA letter {} U_EpsonStylusColor stcany {} color|c|clp2|clow:\ :sd=/var/spool/lpd/color:\ :mx#0:\ :sh:\ :lp=/dev/lp0:\ :if=/var/spool/lpd/color/filter: ##PRINTTOOL3## LOCAL uniprint NAxNA letter {} U_EpsonStylusColor stcany {} lp|colorhi|chi:\ :sd=/var/spool/lpd/colorhi:\ :mx#0:\ :sh:\ :lp=/dev/lp0:\ :if=/var/spool/lpd/colorhi/filter: ##PRINTTOOL3## LOCAL epson|epson-raw:\ :sd=/var/spool/lpd/epson-raw:\ :mx#0:\ :sh:\ :lp=/dev/lp0: ##PRINTTOOL3## LOCAL uniprint NAxNA letter {} U_EpsonStylusColor stcany {} test:\ :sd=/var/spool/lpd/test:\ :mx#0:\ :sh:\ :lp=/dev/lp0:\ :if=/var/spool/lpd/test/filter: my current status is that the queue test will print postscript, but the lp|chi queue prints the code, the quality of the postscript is also suspect, the printtool filter gives something like 360 dpi, which I dont know if thats compatible with printer ... /usr/sbin/lpc status is: h: queuing is enabled printing is enabled no entries no daemon present steve: queuing is enabled printing is enabled no entries no daemon present color: queuing is enabled printing is enabled no entries no daemon present lp: queuing is enabled printing is enabled no entries no daemon present epson: queuing is enabled printing is enabled no entries no daemon present test: queuing is enabled printing is enabled no entries no daemon present
This is fixed in rawhide with the move to LPRng.