Weird printing problem (HP DeskJet 1220C)

[woodward2]

Hi,

Not sure if this is really hardware, software or network problem!

I have been using Kubuntu for a few days on my new laptop (Dell Inspiron 1525) and I can't get my printer to work properly. The printer is attached to my desktop PC which runs PCLinuxOS 2007 [fully updated]. From there it works perfectly. I can also print successfully from my wife's PC (running Windows XP) via Samba set up on the PCLinuxOS PC. I am confident that the printer hardware is 100% OK. It is set up correctly (as far as I can tell) on the desktop PC via CUPS and is shared - it used to work perfectly from my old laptop running PCLinuxOS 2007.

I installed it OK on the laptop, but when I try to print from the laptop nothing prints using the black cartridge. If I print a test page I get the box borders and drop-shadows, the colour wheels, but NO TEXT IN BLACK. I have set up a simple document using OpenOffice containing lines in various colours. Everything prints except the line in black!

I have Googled for hours and found reports of similar problems - all using various HP DeskJet models - but NO SOLUTIONS. I even found_____________________________________________ ____ this one https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...lip/+bug/65568 which suggest that the driver only prints black when an original HP cartridge is installed! Please tell me it isn't so!!!

I'm using the recommended driver (HP DeskJet 1220C Foomatic/hpijs) - though I've tried all the available ones, and none work - and the same driver WORKS under PCLinuxOS on my desktop.

I'm now really frustrated with this one Any help/advice/suggestions/questions would be much appreciated...

[askrieger]

Re: Weird printing problem (HP DeskJet 1220C)

In order to eliminate the network as a problem, why not temporarily attach the printer to the kubuntu laptop and see if it prints properly that way. If it does, the network connection (either hardware or software) from the laptop is at fault. If it does not print properly when attached directly to the laptop, your printer setup in kubuntu is at fault. Either way, it should be solvable.

[woodward2]

Re: Weird printing problem (HP DeskJet 1220C)

OK, I have attached the printer directly to the laptop via a USB cable (no parallel port). The printer was automatically recognised and the driver installed - OK so far.

I printed a test page which contained the Ubuntu logo followed underneath by 8 bars with colour densities ranging from 10% to 100%. Note, apart from some % values in the bars - printed in white - there is no text on the page:

1. A greyscale bar which ranges to 90%. There are 9 blocks of increasing grey density, the last 3 have 70%, 80% and 90% printed inside them in white. The final block is empty, presumably 100%, i.e. BLACK. I assume the lighter blocks (10% - 60%) should have the %age value printed in black, but this is missing.
2. A red bar as above. All 10 blocks are present, but only the first 5 have %age values printed in them (in white).
3. A green bar exactly the same as the red bar.
4. A blue bar, similar but with all %age values present (printed in white).
5. A cyan bar, all present but with no %age values printed.
6. A magenta bar exactly as above.
7. A yellow bar exactly as above.
8. Finally another greyscale bar exactly the same as the first, though the greys appear a bit denser than the first, and the 90% block is definitely less dense than the 80% block.

There is a large area under these bars where nothing is printed, though it is bordered.

To make sure it's not just a test-page problem I re-printed the simple OpenOffice document with lines of various colours. All lines printed except the text in black, which is just blank.

To reiterate the problem:

• Both test pages, though different, look as if colours are printing but not black.
• The problem exists whether I print via the network to a desktop PC or directly from the laptop
• The problem exists whether the printer is connected via a parallel or USB cable
• The problem exists for both test-pages and simple text documents
• When "printing" black, the print head does move as if it were printing, i.e. it doesn't just skip down the page
• The documents print perfectly from my desktop PCLinuxOS 2007 and from a Windows XP PC via Samba on the desktop PC

Desktop versions:
kernel 2.6.18.8.tex5
hplip 2.8.2-1pclos2007

Laptop versions:
kernel 2.6.22-15-generic
hplip 2.7.7.dfsg.1-0ubuntu5

hplip on both machines is the latest available.

[askrieger]

Re: Weird printing problem (HP DeskJet 1220C)

My guess is that there is a bug in 2.7.7-(etc). You might want to report it at Launchpad, but you will get little satisfaction. Unfortunately, your choices are not good. You can try to see whether the newer driver is available for the (eventually) upcoming Intrepid release of Kubuntu. Unfortunately, this is in a very early stage and I doubt that something like hplip has been updated yet (I may be wrong). You can download the latest version of HPIJS from the Linux Printing Database and follow the installation instructions, OR you can suck it up and buy an original HP cartridge.

[woodward2]

Re: Weird printing problem (HP DeskJet 1220C)

Thanks for the suggestions.

I first located and copied the PPD file from my desktop to the laptop - still the same problem

I tried the latest version of hplip - still the same problem

I located the slightly older version of hplip I have on my desktop PC and downloaded that - still the same problem

Looking in the logs, I'm not convinced the drivers installed cleanly - there is a message "warning: Invalid drv_dir value: /usr/share/cups/drv/hp/".

I don't have much time to devote to this now - I'm also trying to solve other problems, like getting NFS to work so I can access the files on my desktop PC. I may come back to it later.

Why does Kubuntu not just work, like PCLinuxOS did? > It took me several hours to do something simple like get bitmap fonts working in konsole. I am still trying to get access to all the konqueror profiles - none of the solutions work for me; and now I can't get NFS running cleanly.

Sadly, as things stand at the moment, as soon as PCLinuxOS will recognise my network card I'll wipe Kubuntu and install PCLOS

Anyway, thanks for your help

[woodward2]

Re: Weird printing problem (HP DeskJet 1220C)

Oooops

Printer now working - note to self; check the obvious before assuming the problem is complicated...

The black printer cartridge was out of ink! I found a post that suggested that some distro's drivers silently substitute colour-mixed black when the black cartridge is empty, but Debian-based ones don't. Sure enough, a new (non-HP!) cartridge cured the problem.

For anyone else reading this - try the obvious first

<sigh>