[SOLVED] Printer not printing in Linux

[Altster]

Hello all. I have recently encountered an issue with why I think most Window$ users still don't want to leave M$ Windoze...getting a printer to easily work with Linux.

Here are the particulars - Linux Mint 16 -32 bit (originally, now upgraded in-place to Linux Mint 17 - 32 bit), HP OfficeJet Pro 6830 All-In-One inkjet printer (connected via USB 2.0), Cinnamon v 2.2.16, Linux Kernel 3.13.0.24 - generic, 2 GB ram, 160 GB Hard Drive, Pentium 4-D with plenty of free drive space.

I installed hplip-3.15.11.run (via terminal) and are getting the following error messages whenever we attempt to send a print job to the printer from the Linux box:

Idle - Waiting for printer to become available

Stopped - Waiting for printer to become available

The printer job window shows jobs waiting to be printed but also shows the above messages and won't wake up the printer to do so. I think the fact that the printer is not waking up when the Linux box sends a job to it is the reason for the messages. But so far I've had very little luck with finding any so-called fixes on the Internet.

My client also has a Windows 7 Laptop which works great with the printer. We're connecting wirelessly to the printer and it prints anything we care to send to it. I don't have the ability to add wireless to the Linux Mint computer and hadn't even thought of doing so. Getting this to work should NOT require some sort of degree. It should just work (HA) but many times won't.

This is the primary reason I don't push Linux as an alternative to Window$ users because I know that there will mostly like be a hassle when it comes to adding peripherals to it. And not everyone is an experimenter like many of us are.

Although I don't want to do it, I may put a Window$ unit back in place of the Linux box just so they will be able to print without problems. I gave them the Linux box as an experiment to see if they could keep from getting so much malware / spyware / virus infections and it did make a HUGE difference on their end.

I'm open to suggestions & thoughts on this matter.

 

[NJW]

Why install hplip outside the package manager? It's included in a default Mint installation.

Did you try just plugging in the printer before installing hplip? Did you remove the original hplip before adding the HP version? (You may now have two versions of hplip, installed in different places, and we can guess how that will work out.)

I don't have the ability to add wireless to the Linux Mint computer and hadn't even thought of doing so.

You don't need to have Wi-Fi on the machine to print to a Wi-Fi-connected printer, just a network (e.g., Ethernet) LAN connection. Use the Printers utility to find network printers.

 

[stro]

Sometimes the GUI printer apps can be unreliable. You should also be able to visit http://localhost:631/ in your browser to modify the configuration. But you still often see it where the printer is offline and even after you get it online cups disables it and you have to reenable the printer to make it work.

 

[Markverhyden]

Why 32 bit? What is the underlying hardware? A Pentium 4 D should be able to handle a 64 bit installation. Has the motherboard firmware been flashed up to date? Sounds to me like an issue with the underlying USB layer and the HPLIP package.

 

[ell]

Are you using Chrome for linux? I had an issue with a client, chrome would not print to her local printer no way, spent a couple hrs troubleshooting, then finally found it was a chrome bug, it gets fixed with the update from late Nov. I updated, fixed.

 

[Eagle21]

The printer is connected via USB 2.0, yet you are connecting wirelessly to the printer - that does not make sense.
I would avoid wireless printing completely and prefer printing over the wired network (or USB if the printer does not have a network port).
Linux works very well with HP network printers - use CUPS and http://localhost:631/ as mentioned above.

 

[Altster]

The printer is connected via USB 2.0, yet you are connecting wirelessly to the printer - that does not make sense.
I would avoid wireless printing completely and prefer printing over the wired network (or USB if the printer does not have a network port).
Linux works very well with HP network printers - use CUPS and http://localhost:631/ as mentioned above.

Wireless via a windows 7 laptop

 

[Altster]

Why 32 bit? What is the underlying hardware? A Pentium 4 D should be able to handle a 64 bit installation. Has the motherboard firmware been flashed up to date? Sounds to me like an issue with the underlying USB layer and the HPLIP package.

Because at the time I put the unit together and got it working I chose to go with the 32 bit version. 2 GB ram doesn't need 64-bit and for what they are using the computer for they really don't need anything more.

 

[Altster]

Sometimes the GUI printer apps can be unreliable. You should also be able to visit http://localhost:631/ in your browser to modify the configuration. But you still often see it where the printer is offline and even after you get it online cups disables it and you have to reenable the printer to make it work.

This is apparently where the problem is. I found that after running hp-setup that the printer wasn't being discovered AND I also saw another error in the Terminal window: "error: No devices found on bus: usb" Makes you wonder if the printers' usb port is enabled. And from what I can find on the printer settings (via a web terminal) there are no settings referring to "usb". Yes, there is a jack on the rear of the printer for usb and of course the phone line connection(s) for the fax features.

Since I had downloaded the user's guide for this particular printer I just now looked at it and realized that I may have plugged the USB cable into the network port (RJ-45) on the rear of the unit. I never spun the printer around to get a better look at all of the ports and now wish I had. This client is located about 30 minutes from me and da Mrs. and I have already been out there this evening. I'll check into this next week sometime when I take his laptop back out to him. The laptop with Windows 7 loaded on it.

More later when I get back out there.

Thanks for the ideas, folks.

 

[kwisher]

Another test would be to boot to a live boot and test the printer. If it works from there and not the installed O/S, a proper N/P might be in order.

You mentioned you did an inplace upgrade from Mint-16 to 17. The Mint Dev's do not suggest this method but to do a fresh install between major releases.

 

[NJW]

More later when I get back out there.

If you have got the USB cable in the wrong hole, why not ask him to check (apart from the embarrassment, of course)? HP printers in Linux, when you've got hplip on board, are a doddle. There will be nothing for the user to do except switch the printer on – auto-detected by udev and that's it. Literally less than a minute from detection to print-ready.

 

[Altster]

Well we confirmed it today - the usb cable is / was / and is once again plugged into the usb port on the rear of the printer AND of course in the usb port on the computer. Still no joy!

 

[Eagle21]

Well we confirmed it today - the usb cable is / was / and is once again plugged into the usb port on the rear of the printer AND of course in the usb port on the computer. Still no joy!

You could connect a network cable to the printer (if it has a network interface) - it may work better from Linux than the USB interface.
You could disable wifi on the printer, and connect the Windows 7 laptop to the printer via USB - to confirm that USB printing is actually working.

 

[kwisher]

Well we confirmed it today - the usb cable is / was / and is once again plugged into the usb port on the rear of the printer AND of course in the usb port on the computer. Still no joy!

Did you try my suggestion about using a Live Boot to see if it worked from there?

 

[NJW]

Did you try my suggestion about using a Live Boot to see if it worked from there?

Definitely worth trying. hplip will be there, but you'll probably want to add hplip-gui (also with a Live CD).

If it works with a Live CD, remove the HP-supplied hplip (sudo hp-uninstall) and reinstall the distribution package (apt-get --reinstall install hplip hplip-gui).

Aside: I know that this model can only do either Wi-Fi or Ethernet (caught out by that myself recently) – are you sure that it can do USB and network?

 

[Markverhyden]

You mentioned two messages above, idle and stopped. Where did you get those? How about some other logs?

Like dmesg.

Have you tailed /var/log/messages after plugging in and unplugging the printer with hplip installed?
Same thing will all of the files in /var/log/cups.

 

[Altster]

Did you try my suggestion about using a Live Boot to see if it worked from there?

Not yet. I've been home bound for a bit (under the weather) and haven't been able to get out there and try that yet. But it's in the works.

 

[Eagle21]

Not yet. I've been home bound for a bit (under the weather) and haven't been able to get out there and try that yet. But it's in the works.

I think you said somewhere that this work is for a friend. If so, then go and collect the printer, bring it back to your office/workshop and test setting up all the printing methods - USB/Ethernet/wifi - from your own computers, until you are confident that you understand Linux printing. Then return the printer to the customer.

 

[Diggs]

Put it on the network using CUPS with a JetDirect Socket. Usually a quick and bulletproof setup.

 

[Altster]

Definitely worth trying. hplip will be there, but you'll probably want to add hplip-gui (also with a Live CD).

If it works with a Live CD, remove the HP-supplied hplip (sudo hp-uninstall) and reinstall the distribution package (apt-get --reinstall install hplip hplip-gui).

Aside: I know that this model can only do either Wi-Fi or Ethernet (caught out by that myself recently) – are you sure that it can do USB and network?

I have a copy of the users manual here (home-office) and was just reading thru it again. Turns out we are using the "HP wireless feature" and not printing thru his home wifi connection.

From what I understand after reading about this you can only use WIFI or ETHERNET or USB. To me this seems dumb especially if an user wants to have the ability to print using "mixed connections" from different devices.

If it weren't for the fact that they want to have copying/faxing/scanning capabilities I would have put them into an HP Color Laser a long time ago - and it may still happen as we have a nice unit for sale that needs a new black toner cartridge. I may have to put a hold on that one.