Strange PDF printing problems

[Nigel Ridley]

Art Alexion wrote:
> On Tuesday 16 September 2008 1:58:35 pm Nigel Ridley wrote:
>> Dotan Cohen wrote:
>>> 2008/9/16 Nigel Ridley <nigel at rmk.co.il>:
>>>> I recently downloaded a user manual from Mackie.com:
>>>> http://www.mackie.com/pdf/onyx1640_om.pdf
>>>>
>>>> After downloading it I wanted to print it - but it would only print some
>>>> colored heading but not the actual text. This was using both Adobe
>>>> Reader 8 and KPDF. Actually I couldn't even highlight and copy any text
>>>> (the resulting box only gave the option of copying a graphic to the
>>>> clipboard).
>>>>
>>>> I ended up printing it from my wife's XP computer at work. Why should
>>>> the Windows version of Adobe Reader 8 print it when the Linux version
>>>> wouldn't?
>>>>
>>>> OK. things got stranger. I also use Scribus and somebody offered a
>>>> script to reduce the size of large PDF's. It uses pdftops and pstopdf
>>>> with a simple perl script (being lazy and tired, I just ran the script
>>>> on the PDF - 'just to see').
>>>> Anyway, there were a couple of errors:
>>>>
>>>> nigel at laptop:~/Documents/PDF_scripts$ ./compress-newsletter.pl
>>>> /home/nigel/Hamaayan/Newsletters/September-08/Test/onyx1640_om.pdf
>>>> Running pdftk ...
>>>> Error: Failed to open PDF file:
>>>>    /home/nigel/Hamaayan/Newsletters/September-08/Test/onyx1640_om.pdf
>>>>    OWNER PASSWORD REQUIRED, but not given (or incorrect)
>>>> Errors encountered.  No output created.
>>>> Done.  Input errors, so no output created.
>>>> Use of uninitialized value in pattern match (m//) at
>>>> ./compress-newsletter.pl line 202. Running pdftops ...
>>>> Running gs ...
>>>> Running pdfopt ...
>>>> -rw-r--r-- 1 nigel nigel  2071083 2008-09-15 19:13
>>>> /home/nigel/Hamaayan/Newsletters/September-08/Test/onyx1640_om_new.pdf
>>>> -rw-r--r-- 1 nigel nigel  1897192 2008-09-06 15:25
>>>> /home/nigel/Hamaayan/Newsletters/September-08/Test/onyx1640_om.pdf
>>>> -rw-r--r-- 1 nigel nigel 63134149 2008-09-15 19:12
>>>> /home/nigel/Hamaayan/Newsletters/September-08/Test/onyx1640_om.ps_8U1cYk
>>>> -rw-r--r-- 1 nigel nigel  2068838 2008-09-15 19:13
>>>> /home/nigel/Hamaayan/Newsletters/September-08/Test/onyx1640_om.tmp_XXJ0D
>>>> b nigel at laptop:~/Documents/PDF_scripts$
>>>>
>>>> but it did produce a PDF that I could highlight and copy text from - but
>>>> on copying the text (and some graphics) into OpenOffice - it still
>>>> wouldn't print (as if the text was invisible) BUT, and this is a bit
>>>> weird - I then changed the fonts/text to a different color (80% gray - I
>>>> try to save ink!) and it printed!!??
>>>>
>>>> What's going on? Anybody care to enlighten me?
>>> Nigel, for me on Kubuntu 8.04 KDE 3.5.10 the PDF opened fine in
>>> Okular. I could copy text (text, not only image) and test prionting in
>>> the Print Preview and Print To PDF both worked fine.
>>>
>>> Which KDE do you use? How does Print To PDF turn out? As the problem
>>> is common to both KPDF and to Acrobat, which I do not think share any
>>> code, I suspect your print drivers (or even the printer, if it is not
>>> the same machine as your wife connects to).
>> Hi Dotan,
>>
>> Using KPDf I can 'see' the text in the print preview but it doesn't print.
>> If I open it in Acroread and print to file, then open the resulting .ps
>> with KGhostView, I again can 'see' the text in the print preview but it
>> doesn't print. Actually the printer (an Epson Stylus CX3700) does all the
>> sounds and mechanical works - I can hear the print head going back and
>> forward, nice and slowly as if it's printing something but it's invisible!
>> It just prints a piece of text on the side column (vertically) "Owner's
>> manual      ONYX 1640" in a light blue color.
>>
>> My wife's XP box is in her office at work - not connected at all to mine
>> (at home).
>>
>> I am using Kubuntu 8.04 KDE 3.5.9
>>
>>
> 
> 
> I can select text and it prints fine to both color and monochrome laser 
> printers here.  The problem is likely with your printer drivers or your ink 
> cartridge.
> 

No problem with the printer or the cartridges - after I copied the text into OpenOffice and 
changed the color to gray, then I was able to print it just fine.

I just did a test print and the black nozzle appears to be blocked - I'm cleaning it now...

That was it - a blocked [black] nozzle! Sometimes we look for difficult solutions when in actual 
fact it's the simple ones that need to be checked first...

Thanks for the pointer - which led to the fix! :-)

Blessings,

Nigel

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