Print To File

[MoonRise]

In 13.10 I used Print To File quite often. Mostly in Firefox. Since upgrading to 14.04 I no longer see Print To File in the list of printers in FireFox nor do I see it listed in Printer Configuration for Kubuntu. Am I missing something that didn't get upgraded? Did they drop that function? Very useful. At least to me it was. Anyone? Thanks!


NOTE: This Print To File actually would allow the selection of type of file. Post Script, PDF and one other I can't remember but the first two were most important.

[Snowhog]

You don't see:

[MoonRise]

No. That is gone. Didn't notice until today when I actually had to use it.

[Snowhog]

What make/model of printer do you have?

[SteveRiley]

Poking around through various files leads me to think that the "Print to file (PDF)" and "Print to file (Postscript)" choices might come from either libgs9-common or cups-filters-core-drivers. Are these packages installed on your machine?

[MoonRise]

What make/model of printer do you have?

Didn't know that mattered but: Kyocera/Mita FS-1800+

[MoonRise]

Poking around through various files leads me to think that the "Print to file (PDF)" and "Print to file (Postscript)" choices might come from either libgs9-common or cups-filters-core-drivers. Are these packages installed on your machine?

we must have posted at the same time... anyway, yes and yes.

[SteveRiley]

In every KDE application I see the following:



But the only printer I actually set up was my Lexmark X544. These others have always just been there for me, no work required.

What printer-related packages do you have? Here's my list. Note that I uninstall many of the default Kubuntu packages that I have no use for, like drivers for label printers and such:

steve@t520:~$ [B]dpkg -l | awk '/[Pp]rint/ {print $2}'[/B]
bluez-cups
cups
cups-browsed
cups-client
cups-common
cups-core-drivers
cups-daemon
cups-filters
cups-filters-core-drivers
cups-ppdc
cups-server-common
foomatic-db-compressed-ppds
libasprintf-dev:amd64
libasprintf0c2:amd64
libchromaprint0:amd64
libcups2:amd64
libcupscgi1:amd64
libcupsfilters1:amd64
libcupsimage2:amd64
libcupsmime1:amd64
libcupsppdc1:amd64
libfontembed1:amd64
libgutenprint2
libkprintutils4
libofa0
libxp6:amd64
openprinting-ppds
print-manager
printer-driver-gutenprint
python-cupshelpers
system-config-printer-udev

[Snowhog]

My output (on my 64-bit install):

dpkg -l | awk '/[Pp]rint/ {print $2}'
bluez-cups
cups
cups-browsed
cups-bsd
cups-client
cups-common
cups-core-drivers
cups-daemon
cups-driver-gutenprint
cups-filters
cups-filters-core-drivers
cups-ppdc
cups-server-common
foomatic-db-compressed-ppds
foomatic-db-engine
hpijs
hplip
hplip-data
libasprintf-dev:amd64
libasprintf0c2:amd64
libchromaprint0:amd64
libcups2:amd64
libcups2:i386
libcupscgi1:amd64
libcupsfilters1:amd64
libcupsfilters1:i386
libcupsimage2:amd64
libcupsimage2:i386
libcupsmime1:amd64
libcupsppdc1:amd64
libfontembed1:amd64
libgutenprint2
libkprintutils4
libofa0
libxp6:amd64
libxp6:i386
min12xxw
openprinting-ppds
pnm2ppa
print-manager
printer-applet
printer-driver-c2esp
printer-driver-foo2zjs
printer-driver-foo2zjs-common
printer-driver-gutenprint
printer-driver-hpcups
printer-driver-hpijs
printer-driver-min12xxw
printer-driver-pnm2ppa
printer-driver-postscript-hp
printer-driver-ptouch
printer-driver-pxljr
printer-driver-sag-gdi
printer-driver-splix
python-cupshelpers
system-config-printer-common
system-config-printer-udev

[MoonRise]

Not too different here. As I said I had it in 13.10 and did an upgrade to 14.04 and no fresh install and it is now gone. I would assume the below was upgraded from what I had originally.

bluez-cups
cups
cups-browsed
cups-bsd
cups-client
cups-common
cups-core-drivers
cups-daemon
cups-driver-gutenprint
cups-filters
cups-filters-core-drivers
cups-ppdc
cups-server-common
foomatic-db-compressed-ppds
foomatic-filters
geany-plugin-prettyprinter
gimp-gutenprint
gutenprint-doc
gutenprint-locales
hplip
hplip-data
libasprintf-dev:amd64
libasprintf0c2:amd64
libchromaprint0:amd64
libcups2:amd64
libcups2:i386
libcupscgi1:amd64
libcupsfilters1:amd64
libcupsimage2:amd64
libcupsmime1:amd64
libcupsppdc1:amd64
libfontembed1:amd64
libgutenprint2
libgutenprintui2-1
libkprintutils4
libofa0
libxp6:amd64
openprinting-ppds
print-manager
printer-driver-c2esp
printer-driver-foo2zjs
printer-driver-foo2zjs-common
printer-driver-gutenprint
printer-driver-hpcups
printer-driver-min12xxw
printer-driver-pnm2ppa
printer-driver-postscript-hp
printer-driver-ptouch
printer-driver-pxljr
printer-driver-sag-gdi
printer-driver-splix
python-cupshelpers
samba
system-config-printer-udev

[Snowhog]

Well, as you did an upgrade of an existing release, try the standard 'non-nuclear' option of renaming your .kde directory and letting a new one be built on the next boot/log in. As you know, if this results in getting the Print to File option back, then it was something left over in your .kde directory that was the culprit. And, if it doesn't fix it for you, undo it.

[MoonRise]

Actually already did that a while back but based on your output above I noticed one thing. HP. I have a HP inkjet that I had off the system for a while and I guess the upgrade omitted that because of that? Speculation. Added that particular HP inkjet back in and voilà. Print to File is back. Must remember that. I really do need to see if I can get this printer going again. Just eats way too much ink though. The laser printer I got as a toss out has been going real well and I really haven't missed the "color" from the inkjet.

[MoonRise]

Oh, and by the way, thanks to you two on this.

[Snowhog]

Interesting if indeed Print to File is "limited" to HP printers. I'd be hard pressed to accept that would ever be the case.

[MoonRise]

As I said just speculation. It could have just "jarred" something back to what it should have. Either way, I can live with that.