cups-pdf - not in system database after install; won't work from OpenOffice

[tomcloyd]

For some time, I've used the cups-pdf package to obtain PDF printing capability with various programs in Kubuntu. With Maverick, I cannot get it to work.

1. I installed it from Synaptic, and when it didn't appear as an option in the print dialog for OO Calc, I issued a "locate cups-pdf" command. I got back nothing. I then issued a "sudo updatedb" command, and after it finished was able to get all sorts of output from the locate command. So...why wasn't the database automatically updated when it was installed? Isn't this the convention?

2. How to get "PDF" to appear as an option in the print dialog (specifically the printer selection list) for application programs? I don't know what the problem is, so I don't know how to try to solve it. Anyone have any ideas

(In spite of the optimism about cups-pdf at http://www.liberiangeek.net/2010/09/...rkat-cups-pdf/, I see that this problem has been reported as bug#631982 ata https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...df/+bug/631982. I guess that may be the whole story at this time. But...that was 8 weeks ago!)

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Snowhog]

Re: cups-pdf - not in system database after install; won't work from OpenOffice

1. I installed it from Synaptic, and when it didn't appear as an option in the print dialog for OO Calc, I issued a "locate cups-pdf" command. I got back nothing. I then issued a "sudo updatedb" command, and after it finished was able to get all sorts of output from the locate command. So...why wasn't the database automatically updated when it was installed? Isn't this the convention?

No.

man updatedb

DESCRIPTION
updatedb creates or updates a database used by locate(1). If the data‐
base already exists, its data is reused to avoid rereading directories
that have not changed.

updatedb is usually run daily by cron( 8 ) to update the default data‐
base.

By default, updatedb is run once a day.

[tomcloyd]

Re: cups-pdf - not in system database after install; won't work from OpenOffice

Great information. I had truly misperceived the situation. That's a first (I wish!). Thanks!

[Snowhog]

Re: cups-pdf - not in system database after install; won't work from OpenOffice

Of course, the frequency of the running of updatedb can be changed. This is Linux. But for me, I just run it manually after any changes I make to the system, which I (almost) exclusively do from the CLI by running:

sudo updatedb

[claydoh]

Re: cups-pdf - not in system database after install; won't work from OpenOffice

Which applications, or files types are you having problems exprting as pdf? I can print-to-pdf in KDE applications as well as firefox, and I don't have cups-pdf installed. I can't seem to in Gimp, however.

[Snowhog]

Re: cups-pdf - not in system database after install; won't work from OpenOffice

See Gimp: Print preview and printout are blank pages and read reply #43 by Martin Pitt (posted 2010-11-12) and reply #45 by Phil Stone. The printing problem from Gimp 2.6.10 to printers and to .pdf files has been fixed.

Added:
The gimp 2.6.10-1ubuntu3.1 package came in this morning (here, about 30 minutes ago). Here's the proof. Printed to .pdf from Gimp.