FreeBSD 7-RELEASE + CUPS + gutenprint + Epson Stylus CX8400

Steven Friedrich FreeBSD at insightbb.com
Sat Apr 5 18:40:58 UTC 2008


No response from -questions...

I can't get this printer to work at all.  I've been to cups.org, avasys.jp, 
and http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/OpenPrinting to no avail.

I already had cups installed and working under FreeBSD from a LONG time ago. I 
used to use it with an HP DeskJet 560C.  Later, I bought a Brother monochrome 
laser with BR-Script (their version of postscript). That printer was EASY to 
get working, because Brother supplied a .ppd file.

I googled my tail off.  

The OpenPrinting database said to use gutenprint, which I didn't have 
installed, so I installed it and in cups, I removed the printer and re-added 
it using the gutenprint ppd apropriate for the CX8400.

When I print a test page, it just prints garbage.

This printer is a USB printer and I added device ulpt and it shows up with 
usbdevs:
addr 1: UHCI root hub, Intel
  uhub0
addr 1: UHCI root hub, Intel
  uhub1
addr 1: UHCI root hub, Intel
  uhub2
addr 1: UHCI root hub, Intel
  uhub3
 addr 2: USB Receiver, Logitech
   ums0
addr 1: EHCI root hub, Intel
  uhub4
 addr 2: USB2.0 MFP(Hi-Speed), EPSON
   ulpt0
   umass0

It works under WinXP Pro and I bought this printer because it was pretty cheap 
and I needed one quickly.   But Epson put a lot of money into CUPS and I 
can't believe this is so friggin' hard to get it to work.

I think the handbook could use some more troubleshooting info for usb 
printers.  This printer, from what I read on the Internet, will support 
printing us-ascii, so I tried to send an ls -l > /dev/ulpt0 device, but it 
didn't even print that.

I also noted that the gutenprint users manual says I should have an epson 
backend in /usr/lib/cups/backend. I don't have one. How do I get it there?

What am I missing?


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