# USB HP printer does not work



## UNIXwannabie (Jul 6, 2014)

Dear BSD users,

I installed my USB HP printer with CUPS, and dependencies, with HPLIP.   For an unknown reason, the printer stopped printing a few days ago.  HPLIP says that the page has been printed successfully, but nothing comes out of the printer.  Tried all sort of settings, I removed the printer and reinstalled it, no luck either. It's configured according to the handbook's procedure.

Diagnostics says everything is ok.

Hmm, basic printing does not work,... Am I worthy enough to get at least a page printed with my name on it saying: YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY PRINTED YOUR NAME.  :OOO 

Can somebody help me out, I am very curious to know what kind of issue we are dealing with?

Any suggestion would be grateful


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## wblock@ (Jul 6, 2014)

The Handbook does not show CUPS configuration, but the base lpd(8).

What model of printer?  CUPS is a complicated and fragile system, but required by some printers.


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## UNIXwannabie (Jul 6, 2014)

LPR,...hmm yes indeed, I was talking about LPR not CUPS.

This is a basic USB HP Inkjet Printer. HP5550C, printing does function in my Windows XP VM.

Following has been added to the system:


```
[system=10]
add path 'unlpt*' mode 0660 group cups
add path 'ulpt*' mode 0660 group cups
add path 'lpt*' mode 0660 group cups
add path 'usb/X.Y.Z' mode 0660 group cups
```
Replaced the X.Y.Z with 1.2 or 1.2.*0* as ugen in dmesg or is the statement without the third value. e.g 1.2 :r 


```
ugen0.1: <0x1166> at usbus0
ugen1.1: <0x1166> at usbus1
ugen2.1: <0x1166> at usbus2
ugen0.2: <Logitech> at usbus0
ugen0.3: <Logitech> at usbus0
ugen1.2: <hp> at usbus1
ugen1.3: <Iomega> at usbus1
```

Added to rc.conf.

```
cupsd_enable="YES"
devfs_system_ruleset="system"
```

Installed Gutenprint with HPLIP.

Added user to cups group.

The above procedure did work one week ago, but it has ceased functioning. 
Real Bizzaaar,... :\


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## wblock@ (Jul 6, 2014)

What you've shown is for CUPS, which has its own version of lpr, which is not particularly compatible with the lpr(1)/lpd(8) in the base system.  One of the most common problems is using the base system lpr(1) to try to print to CUPS.  Use /usr/local/bin/lpr instead.

openprinting.org shows this printer, but they have apparently stopped indicating whether a printer can accept plain text.


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## UNIXwannabie (Jul 7, 2014)

Do you mean using lpr from the command line? I don't know what you are trying to say with /usr/bin/lpr. I have gone through the lpr chapter which is making me nervous. I will only depart with a clean system, and my base system backup contains an already configured FreeBSD desktop with HPLIP. So I want to stick with HPLIP. It did work, now it doesn't. Why? As HPLIP is already around for some time, why should I dismiss it now, I like the menu and the feature rich settings, that doesn't make sense to me. 

I worked for a big car manufacturer and their VMS printing system on VAX servers was all LPR related. Harsh and old stuff!

Any concrete solution would be appreciated so I can move on to the next problem :OOO


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## wblock@ (Jul 7, 2014)

First, there was lpd(8) and lpr(1).  These are the old printing utilities, still in FreeBSD today, and they still work.  That is what the Handbook printing chapter shows.  The lpr() command is /usr/bin/lpr.

Then there was CUPS.  They thought it would be a good idea to call their printing program lpr also.  On FreeBSD, the CUPS lpr is /usr/local/bin/lpr.

To be sure you're running the correct program, give the full path to it.

I don't know why yours stopped working.  The fragility and complexity of CUPS is why I don't use it.  Some printers only work with CUPS, and so it must be used.  If you have to use CUPS, do not follow the Handbook printing chapter.  See the CUPS article instead: http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/cups/index.html.


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## UNIXwannabie (Jul 9, 2014)

Ok,

I think we should dismiss HPLIP right now and leave it out of the port tree, there is really no point leaving it there, as I don't want crappy stuff on my desktop.
However I have still a Windows XP VM on the system and via a shared folder I can still print stuff the way (does not include webpage printing) I want, but that takes also precious time.

I refuse to uninstall HPLIP, CUPS and dependencies, as the removal will leave some files behind, that's a pitty. It's like i am dreaming of a full working backup without cups installed, is that so much to ask?

I will leave it as is and will move on the next problem.

Case closed or I rather prefer Case 'frozen'

Thanks


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## wblock@ (Jul 9, 2014)

Uninstalling ports only leaves behind files that have been modified.  That's one of the advantages of the ports system.

We can't get rid of HPLIP, thousands of people with HP inkjet printers have few other options.


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## UNIXwannabie (Jul 9, 2014)

'We can't get rid of HPLIP, thousands of people with HP inkjet printers have few other options' 
Which options  do you refer to?


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## wblock@ (Jul 9, 2014)

People with HP inkjets often have no other choice for drivers.


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## UNIXwannabie (Jul 9, 2014)

Is there another method to troubleshoot my printer problem other than the diagnostics in hp-tools which says that everything is running just fine? :OOO


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## UNIXwannabie (Jul 10, 2014)

I might have pinpointed the problem. The CUPS printer problem manifests itself when adding USB support for Virtualbox in /etc/devfs.rules or either by adding my user to the operator group. When I finally start the VM I can see my printer under USB, devices, even though the man says you need to configure USB permissions. I don't know what other effects it has on other devices. I installed the HP Windows driver anyway and done a successful print page, now on both platforms printing works with all features.

Like I said before, there are instructions which are obsolete, causing unnecessary headaches and frustration.

Thank you, now I can move on the next issue... :\


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## wblock@ (Jul 10, 2014)

Which instructions are obsolete, exactly?


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## UNIXwannabie (Jul 10, 2014)

`nano /etc/devfs.rules`

Added: 

```
[system=10]
add path 'usb/*' mode 0660 group operator
```

And:

`pw groupmod operator -m username`

`nano /etc/rc.conf`

Added:

```
devfs_system_ruleset="system"
```

The above config or at least one of them produces the printer problem.

I don't exactly mean that the additional configuration is obsolete, but in MY case it is apparently the culprit of my problem.

Anyway thanks for your findings and quick answering.


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## wblock@ (Jul 10, 2014)

Those are for general setup.  The CUPS article would take precedence when using CUPS: http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/cups/printing-cups-configuring-server.html.

I agree that it looks a little contradictory, but I'm not sure there's a clear way to address that problem.  It just depends on what is being used.


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