can't print to pages on a single side of paper

users
#1

Hi everybody,

this is my first post in a mailing list - so please be patient.

I have a strange problem - and I have to admint: I don't know if it belongs to llibreoffice only. So here is the Problem:
I'm using a HP Officjet Pro k8600dn and I can't print to pages on a sheet of paper. If I start a print job the paper gets loaded and the printer hangs. I could only bring it back to live if I switch it off and on again. The problem does only appear if the printer language is set to PDF (the default) in LibreOffice. If I set it to PostScript (level of the driver) the printer works as expected.
On the other hand: I have an old HP Laserjet 5L. With it the two-pages-on-a-sheet-printing works (but the orientation is wrong - but that's another problem).

Here is my software:
OperationSystem: Linux (OpenSuse RC1 or Archlinux - both the same error)
LibreOffice: 3.4.2
CUPS: 1.5.0
hplip: 3.11.10

Greetings tknierim

#2

I do not know about why PDF is set as the default for that printer. I never saw an HP printer use PDF as a default language for the printer.

Did you download and install the HP drivers for Linux? Here is the link to the site.
http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/index.html

I have two HP printers. Color Laserjet 2600n and PSC1410. I needed these updated drivers to make the printers work the best for Ubuntu Linux. When you run the file in the Terminal [instructions are given on the site], it should ask about which OS and printer you have, before you download the needed file. Then when you run the script, it will download everything that is needed and install the needed packages for you.

This may help, if you did not install the drivers. I found that the drivers included with Ubuntu 10.04 was not as good as the most up-to-date ones from that site.

The system shows the OS for SUSE 11.3 and 11.4, and you will have to page down the printer list a long way to get to your printer, after you select OfficeJet Pro as the type of printer. I do not see ArchLinux, but you should be able to use the driver from the parent OS like Debian, Ubuntu, SUSE, Fedora, etc., whatever it is. It shows the same version for the package as you listed, but so did Ubuntu, but for some reason when I installed the version from this site, it seemed to work better. Actually, I just realized that I am running an older version than is online, so I will be upgrading it myself.

IF you still have the problems, make sure you use the non-PDF language for your default printer language. HP's language or Postscript language is preferred.

As for CUPS, did you install CUPS-PDF from your package manager? That is my default way to print out PDF files, even from LibreOffice [most of the time].

As for the 2 pages per sheet, the orientation for the sheet should be landscape. If it is otherwise, then there is a problem.

#3

Hi

I do not know about why PDF is set as the default for that printer. I never saw an HP printer use PDF as a default language for the printer.

The Printer Language is set by LibreOffice. If you open the print dialog, klick on the printer and then on properties you get a new window. Select the tab device and here you have the printer language PDF (don't know if the Words of the tab etc. are correct since I use a german version). Again: setting this to PostScript (Level of the Driver) resolves the problem - but that are too much clicks for a print job.

Did you download and install the HP drivers for Linux? Here is the link to the site.
http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/index.html

Yes I have the newest Version installed. The most recent version is 3.11.10...

I have two HP printers. Color Laserjet 2600n and PSC1410. I needed these updated drivers to make the printers work the best for Ubuntu Linux. When you run the file in the Terminal [instructions are given on the site], it should ask about which OS and printer you have, before you download the needed file. Then when you run the script, it will download everything that is needed and install the needed packages for you.

This may help, if you did not install the drivers. I found that the drivers included with Ubuntu 10.04 was not as good as the most up-to-date ones from that site.

The system shows the OS for SUSE 11.3 and 11.4, and you will have to page down the printer list a long way to get to your printer, after you select OfficeJet Pro as the type of printer. I do not see ArchLinux, but you should be able to use the driver from the parent OS like Debian, Ubuntu, SUSE, Fedora, etc., whatever it is. It shows the same version for the package as you listed, but so did Ubuntu, but for some reason when I installed the version from this site, it seemed to work better. Actually, I just realized that I am running an older version than is online, so I will be upgrading it myself.

IF you still have the problems, make sure you use the non-PDF language for your default printer language. HP's language or Postscript language is preferred.

... PDF is set in LibreOffice (see above) :frowning:

As for CUPS, did you install CUPS-PDF from your package manager? That is my default way to print out PDF files, even from LibreOffice [most of the time].

In OpenSuse 12.1 (standard) there is no package called cups-pdf

#4

Hi :slight_smile:
In Windows the layout and tabs are all different for different machines. To some extent Gnu&Linux drivers cover a wider range of machines and anyway the different ones make some effort to be consistent with each other. In Windows each printer tries to look more modern and fancy than other printers and manufacturers supply their own dialogue boxes for the different machines.
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#5

PDF (Portable Document Format) is not a printer language but a document file format. Is it possible that you mean PCL, HP's Printer Command Language?

Brian Barker

#6

If you go to
Print > Properties > Device
you will see the printer language option
I did not remember this either.

But I do wonder if PDF means something different here.

#7

No, I mean PDF. I think LibreOffice sends a PDF formated page to the printer driver. Maybe the page is malformed or the printer driver isn't working correct.

You can see the "printer language" if you open the print dialog, klick on the printer and then on properties you get a new window. Select the tab device and here you have the printer language PDF (don't know if the Words of the tab etc. are correct since I use a german version). Again: setting this to PostScript (Level of the Driver) resolves the problem - but that are too much clicks for a print job.

#8

Sorry, I just say the Device option tap showing PDF as the default. I do not know what "PDF" means in this context, since my printers may have that as a printer language type, as far as I remember. My HP Inkjet is not a postscript printer, but my Color Laser might be able to deal with that. I did not see Postscript as an option for the Epson inkjet. I sure did not read it having a PDF language option. So something is not right. Could PDF here mean "Printer Defined Format" for the language used?

... but in context with PS - I don't think that printer defined format is being used. In Linux printing works like this (I think) cups (common unix printing system) gets the data, converts them to PS, sends them to the rip and then to the Printer Driver (more on http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/man/Samba-HOWTO-Collection/CUPS-printing.html#cups1).

Can the Postscript type "level from driver" be kept as the "default" option somehow? Maybe the "Printer Administration" shown was a module of LO 3.4 [at least with Ubuntu]? I believe that module of LO was designed to set up the printers to run properly with LO.

I've searched around and found nothing. The only thing I found is to set a new Standard document where the printer Language is set to PS. But that effects only new document - not the old.

--------------

CUPS-PDF - no package for OpenSUSE? I wondered what OpenSUSE uses as a replacement package, so I looked it up on the site.

On the opensuse.org site, 12.1 is in RC till November 16th. I searched the packages and there are 3 rpm package files [depending on the computer] for cups-pdf-2.5.1-1.1

If I read the site correctly, 12.1 is the "opensuse/factory" development version since it still is in development till November 16th. So the search for the cups pdf package in that and the other version come up with a .rpm file to download and install it. So it should be in the OpenSUSE version of a repository.

http://software.opensuse.org/search?q=cups+pdf&baseproject=openSUSE%3AFactory&lang=en&exclude_debug=true
<http://software.opensuse.org/search?q=cups+pdf&baseproject=openSUSE%3AFactory&lang=en&exclude_debug=true>
I wonder why it was not part of the ISO that you downloaded to install OpenSUSE?

No it isn't. But as far as I know package cups-pdf does only give me a pdf-printer.

Actually I had trouble with OpenSUSE, the one time I tried using it. I have an IBM server that originally had SUSE installed on it, so the icon tag showed. But I bought it with the OS, and everything else, wiped off the 3 SCSI drives that 2002 era P-4 IBM server had. So I downloaded OpenSUSE [3 or 4 years ago] and tried to install it, but it would not install. So I ended using an old copy of Win2000/pro till I ended up putting Ubuntu on it 2 years ago. So I never had any luck with OpenSUSE. If they do not include, in their ISOs, something as simple as the PDF package that is part of the CUPS printer environment, I do not know what to think. My Epson printer uses a driver that uses CUPS as its backend so I can print using Linux computers.

Printing from all other programs, for example from the preview, works fine. I could create a pdf document from LibreOffice and print it - two pages on a sheet - with preview!

Do not get me wrong, OpenSUSE might be a great Linux OS, since businesses are what it tends to be what it is marketed towards, but I just had one bad experience and did not look back. I use Ubuntu, and other people tell me to try "such-n-such" Linux distro since they think it is the best you can get. We have one person on this board that is involved in developing the Mandriva, which was Mandrake. I was taught Linux using Mandrake 7.x, back 10 to 11 years ago [if I remember correctly, and I still have a CD of it]. That one is in the top 10 of the list of distros I came across on a distro watch site. OpenSUSE is on that list as well. Arch Linux is considered an advanced user distro while OpenSUSE is a "middle-of-the-road" one. Their terms, not mine. But we each have our favorite ones. I have mine and you have yours. That it what it should be.

Offtopic - anyway: I'm often trying different distros (just for fun and) to see how they develop. Every distro has it's own pros and cons. (I haven't found a perfect distro for me). I'm going to check ubuntu again (last time was a year ago). But ubuntu is somehow proprietary which I dislike. And since I set up some computers for friends I'm always looking for a distro with actual software and long and good support - which is opensuse (do you know another?)

#9

already answered in the former mail (2:00 o'clock today)

#10

Hi :slight_smile:
When i want to print a web-page to file rather than to a printer i get the choice of exporting/printing.saving as .Pdf or .Ps. The .Ps is the default. I'm on Ubuntu 10.04 (or 10.10 depending on which machine).
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#11

Hi :slight_smile:
When i want to print a web-page to file rather than to a printer i get the choice of exporting/printing.saving as .Pdf or .Ps. The .Ps is the default. I'm on Ubuntu 10.04 (or 10.10 depending on which machine).
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

The problem is to print two pages on one Sheet. Saving files as pdf is no problem.

#12

OK, that's some kind of confusing: Using Ubuntu everything works out of the box! Where is the difference to other distributions?

The Versions are nearly the same:

Cups:
- OpenSuse: 1.5
- Archlinux: 1.5
- ubuntu: 1.5
Ghostscript
- Opensuse: 9.00
- Archlinux: 9.04
- ubuntu: 9.04
hplip
- Opensuse: 3.11.10
- Archlinux: 3.11.10
- ubuntu: 3.11.7
libreoffice:
- Opensuse: 3.4.2 OOO340m1 (Build: 1206)
- Archlinux: 3.4.3 (build unknown since Archlinux is not installed this moment)
- ubuntu: 3.4.3 OOO340m1 (build 302)

So I go back and install archlinux again to see what happens if I install hplip 3.11.7.

#13

Hi :slight_smile:
In your existing Arch could you just install a virtual machine and try out a few things in there? Alternatively create a new partition on a hard-drive and use that for experimentation.

You surely don't need to trash what you do have that is almost perfect in order to just try something a little different!
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#14

The two pages per sheet issue. You want to have them printed side by side? Or one page on one side and the second page on the other side of the sheet? Side by side printed out on a landscape orientation works well, but it is a printer option. Having the pages printed one on each side of the sheet is a duplexing issue. I have been having the same problem with duplexing as well as others.

side by side printing
Print > Page Layout > Pages per sheet.
2 will print two page side by side.
IT works fine for me. I prefer to have the option of bordering the pages, since it looks better to me.

For duplex printing, I have to print it out as a PDF document and print it with the document viewer with the duplex option, instead of printing it directly through LO. LO just does not "see" or adjust the duplex option on my Epson Artisan printer properly.

#15

Thomas,

Have you heard of the Linux distribution called Trisquel? I use it.

Below are some excerpts from web pages, with my comments in brackets:

1. http://trisquel.info/en/wiki
Trisquel is a fully free (as in *"free speech"*, not merely as in "free of charge") GNU <http://www.gnu.org/>/Linux <http://www.fsfla.org/svnwiki/selibre/linux-libre/> based operating system. It is derived from Ubuntu, but includes only free software <http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html>.
Trisquel has several editions, designed for different uses: ["Home", Edu, Pro, and Mini]
Long Term Support versions have several editions, [...]

2. http://trisquel.info/en/faq
It [the Trisquel project] was officially presented <http://trisquel.info/presentacion> on April 2005 with the presence and support of Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation <http://fsf.org>.

3. http://www.fsf.org/associate/benefits
*Here are just some of the benefits of being an associate member of the Free Software Foundation...*
You will receive an ultra slim, credit-card-sized, 2GB card loaded with Trisquel Live <http://www.fsf.org/associate/card>, a fully free GNU/Linux distribution.

Winston

#16

Hi,

sorry for the long delay - i've on holidays the last week.

Yes, I can try some thing on a different machine - what should I do?

Greetings

Thomas

#17

Hi,

I mean to print two pages side by side. The problem is if I print two pages side by side the printer hangs - with libreoffice only. Not with evince (gnome pdf viewer) for example. If I switch the "printer language" from pdf to ps everything works fine... But I don't want to do it for every job - and by the way: can ps send fonts to the printer? Does libreoffice send fonts to the printer if the "printer language" is set to pdf?

regards

Thomas

#18

I have a related problem. If I keep my driver level set at the (apparently new?)
Libre-Office default of "PDF", my top margin is gone and the first line of text
is not printed.

It appears to be related to poppler which is invoked by the driver to convert
the pDF back to postscript (the CUPS driver default!).

The trouble is this wouldn't be a problem if LO just picked up the default
language level from the driver.

Anyone know how to set it to something that works? (Short of hacking the Libre
Office code?)

Dennis

#19

Hi again,

I've waited for some updates but it's still not ok!
Opensuse 12.1 doesn't has the problem, but I don't know why my favorite distribution (Archlinux) still isn't able to print to side-by-side.

Does anybody know how to set up a printer using spadim. I always get the message, the filesystem is read only....

PLEEEEEAAAAASE
does anybody know how to solve ONE of the problems?

ToK

#20

....or does anybody know how to set the default language of the printer in a configuration file?