HP Linux Imaging and Printing (HPLIP)

[DavidMD]

Hello, everyone. :)

I thought that HPLIP would be of interest to those of you who have Hewlett-Packard printers.

I found out that my humble HP LaserJet 1100 is supported, as is the nice HP LaserJet 2100 on my network.

According to the HPLIP Web site (http://hplip.sourceforge.net/), HPLIP has been tested on most major Linux distributions. HPLIP requires CUPS, and can be used under CUPS, PDQ, or LPD with foomatic.

If you have an ink-jet printer and want to install HPIJS only. You must build/install from the 'prnt/hpijs' directory, not the top-level directory.

tar xzvf hpip-0.9.10.tar.gz
cd hplip-0.9.10/prnt/hpijs
./configure --prefix=/usr
make
make installI hope that this information is of interest. I certainly plan to give HPLIP a try. :)

Thank you.

Cordially,

David

__________


HP Linux Imaging and Printing (HPLIP)

URL: <http://hplip.sourceforge.net/>

"HPLIP is an HP developed solution for printing, scanning, and faxing with HP inkjet and laser based printers in Linux.

"The HPLIP project provides printing support for 1,040 printer models, including Deskjet, Officejet, Photosmart, PSC (Print Scan Copy), Business Inkjet, LaserJet, and LaserJet MFP. (Note: Not all models are currently supported. See Supported Devices for more information.)

"The current version of the HPLIP solution is version 1.6.10."

__________

[bwkaz]

Last time I looked at compiling it, HPLIP also required SANE and a few other libraries, I believe. Their reasoning was that it can handle the built-in scanner, fax, and memory-card reader functions of their all-in-one printers, so everyone must want to use one of those printers, so we'll force everyone to install those libraries! Yeah, that'll be good! (Sigh.)

Anyway, that's why I only installed hpijs; if your printer doesn't do scanning or faxing or memory-card stuff, then you probably don't need all of HPLIP either. The printer here (a Photosmart 32xx) does do that, but I don't care that I don't have access to the other stuff on it. I just want to be able to send an HP-format page to it over tcp/9100. (It's plugged right into our network -- it's actually a nice little Ethernet-connected printer, especially for the price.)

[DavidMD]

Greetings, bwkaz!...if your printer doesn't do scanning or faxing or memory-card stuff, then you probably don't need all of HPLIP either....Thank you for your informative reply, bwkaz.

I definitely do not need to do anything but get my trusty, old LaserJet 1100 to print, and I would like to access and print from the more heavy-duty LaserJet 2100 that is on my home network, but that has never been shared; for the first time, I want to make both printers available to the two Linux computers, the two Windows XP computers, and the Mac OS X computer on my network.

When I first started using Linux over four years ago, SuSE Linux Professional automatically installed a LaserJet-1100-compatible printer driver for my Linux workstation, and I was able to print easily via CUPS. (I started a thread about networked printing this summer in the JustLinux forums, and I can use the helpful and informative replies to set up print-sharing on my network.)

It appears that HPLIP, especially if it requires SANE and other libraries, may not be my solution, unless the documentation is very clear about incorporating SANE and the few other libraries that you mention. :(

I am considering using Gutenprint (http://gutenprint.sourceforge.net/), formerly named Gimp-Print, bwkaz. Do you think that this approach is a wise idea?

At the end of this message is a description of Gutenprint from the Gutenprint Web page on SourceForge.net.

Thank you very much, bwkaz! :)

Cordially,

David

__________

Gutenprint Printer Drivers

"Gutenprint, formerly named Gimp-Print, is a suite of printer drivers that may be used with most common UNIX and Linux print spooling systems, including CUPS, lpr, LPRng, or others. These drivers provide high quality printing for UNIX (including Macintosh OS X 10.2, 10.3, and 10.4) and Linux systems that in many cases equal or exceed proprietary vendor-supplied drivers in quality and functionality, and can be used for demanding printing tasks requiring flexibility and high quality. This software package includes an enhanced Print plugin for the GIMP that replaces the plugin packaged with the GIMP, and Ghostscript and CUPS drivers, as well as Foomatic data supporting the Ghostscript driver.

"Gutenprint has been renamed in order to clearly distinguish it from the GIMP. While this package started out as the original Print plugin for the GIMP, it has expanded into a collection of general purpose printer drivers, and the new, enhanced Print plugin for the GIMP is now only a small part of the package. Furthermore, the name Gutenprint recognizes Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the movable type printing press. Finally, the word guten is the German word for good.

"Gutenprint 5.0 incorporates extensive feedback from the beta and release candidate programs. It has been completely revised since the very popular Gimp-Print 4.2 series, and you should read this manual carefully.

"Gutenprint supports only the printer part of multi-function devices (devices that typically include scanning, copying, and fax capabilities).

"We recommend that all users who wish to use this package for general purpose printing use either CUPS or, if they use another printing system or no spooler at all, use Foomatic with the Ghostscript driver (both described below), rather than integrating the Ghostscript driver with self-made scripts or even manually typing in Ghostscript command lines. It is much simpler to manage with CUPS or Foomatic and its PPDs. CUPS provides an excellent web-based interface for easy printer administration, and all CUPS-enabled applications (OpenOffice.org, all KDE apps, etc.) and printing dialogs (kprinter, xpp, etc.) show all the options in easy to use GUIs. Please visit <http://www.cups.org/> for information on downloading and installing CUPS.

Gutenprint currently supports over 700 printer models...."


__________

[bwkaz]

If all you want to do is print, then hpijs should be enough.

Personally, I dislike every print spooling setup in Linux, whether it be CUPS or the old lpr or whatever. They're all way too complicated for the simple little setup I have: two printers (one parallel, one over a direct TCP connection; it's not shared off another box, it's plugged right into the network), and only me printing to them. I'm not sure what gimp-print / gutenprint are, but if they're spooling systems, you may not even need them. What I do is have programs print to a file (which is in PostScript format), then run that file through GhostScript manually, using two scripts I wrote so I didn't have to keep remembering all the options. The output of gs goes to either /dev/lp0 or /dev/tcp/printer-host-name/9100 (bash can write directly to a TCP or UDP port on another host, using this syntax). As for this:

It is much simpler to manage with CUPS or Foomatic and its PPDs. It wasn't any simpler four years ago when I started printing from Linux. In fact, it was a royal PITA to set it up. And now, when I install a new system, I don't take the time to install CUPS because it's still not needed; my script from four years ago to drive gs directly still works fine.

Now, maybe it is simpler now, but CUPS is still another huge package that I'd have to compile. So I don't. :)

[leonpmu]

I usually use Kde print manager which has a nice frontend to cups, work simply enough for me.

[DavidMD]

Greetings, bwkaz!If all you want to do is print, then hpijs should be enough.Thank you for your detailed message.

All that I want to do, bwkaz, is to print. (Actually, I have no other choices, because the two LaserJets are printers -- and printers only; they don't scan or fax or make coffee.) ;)

I was at work when I stumbled across a link to the HPLIP Web site, when trying to find a driver for a LaserJet 4300, because my Windows XP Professional computer at work was not mapped to any printers (and I literally had hudreds of LJ 4300 from which to choose). I had to try to figure out which LJ 4300s, in this international corporation, was the one on my floor and then install the drivers -- and I did not want to end up printing a draft of software documentation to an office in Japan. :D

Anyway, I followed the link to the HPLIP site, but I need to find exactly what 'hpijs' is. I assume it is the driver for simply printing. As you write in your earlier message, HP created HPLIP, but as a "one-size-fits-all" solution for simple printers to multifunctional HP devices. I do commend HP for recognizing Linux as a growing market for its hardware, but setting up a printer should not have to be an ordeal! :rolleyes:
Personally, I dislike every print spooling setup in Linux, whether it be CUPS or the old lpr or whatever.... What I do is have programs print to a file (which is in PostScript format), then run that file through GhostScript manually, using two scripts I wrote so I didn't have to keep remembering all the options....I have to admit that I agree with you about print spooling setups for Linux. I hope that the day will arrive that Linux will get the driver support from hardware vendors that it deserves. If, however, hardware manufacturers and vendors want to be appealing to the Linux community -- and "reap the profits" (literally) -- then they need to respond to our needs.
It wasn't any simpler four years ago when I started printing from Linux. In fact, it was a royal PITA to set it up. And now, when I install a new system, I don't take the time to install CUPS because it's still not needed; my script from four years ago to drive gs directly still works fine.Given your expertise with Linux, bwkaz, I clearly am extremely fortunate that my installations of CUPS have been so smooth.
Now, maybe it is simpler now, but CUPS is still another huge package that I'd have to compile. So I don't. :)I am switching from SuSE Linux after over four years of installing it exclusively to Debian "Etch" -- because of the Novell/Microsoft agreement -- and I suspect that SuSE's developers made my initial installation and use of CUPS easy -- and they did a great job. (CUPS was a SuSE RPM, and the GUI setup menu made the process a breeze.)

I have no idea if setting up CUPS manually had gotten any simpler now, bwkaz. I just got lucky, I think. ;)

I am impressed by the scripts that you have written, bwkaz. I may be in a similar hardware situation with my printers. I might connect my HP LaserJet 1100 to the parallel port of my Linux workstation and make the LaserJet 2100 accessible to all machines (Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows XP), so I will need to set up shared printing.

Are your scripts "generic" or adaptible enough that others could use them, bwkaz? If so, would you be willing to share them? I think that your approach is an excellent one that avoids possible issues with HPLIP or CUPS. (Thank you, bwkaz, in advance.) :)

A couple of people in the JustLinux forums have suggested to me that I buy one of the self-contained network print servers. I did check out the pricing, but do not recall how I decided to hook up a printer with a parallel interface to the print-server device. (I have read reviews of people not getting these little devices to work properly with their particular printer, so I am a bit leery.)

Finally, I have a Brother laser printer (USB) that I bought for use with my G4 Power Macintosh running Mac OS X (before I was "bitten by the Linux bug"). :) I never set that printer up, because I ran out of room for computer hardware, but I need to see if Brother offers a Linux driver for that printer. (Perhaps the Brother printer might be a replacement for my aging LaserJet 1100.)

Thank you, again, for your detailed message, bwkaz!

Cordially,

David

[DavidMD]

Hello, leonpmu.I usually use Kde print manager which has a nice frontend to cups, work simply enough for me.I was running SuSE Linux Professional the first time that I set up CUPS, and KDE was my default desktop environment.

Your mention of the KDE Print Manager probably explains why I had no problems installing CUPS. (I am sure that the situation will be different when I make the switch to Debian "Etch," however; :rolleyes: for one thing, I am going to give XFCE a try as my default desktop environment.)

Thank you, leonpmu! :)

Cordially,

David