HP (Deskjet 6840) Network Printer problems

[Henk Koster]

On Mon, 09 Jan 2006 06:01:47 -0700, Scott wrote:

> Considering Ubuntu comes with all the drivers one would need for most any
> HP Printer (including mine), I figured it would be easy to get it up and
> running.
> 
> Alas that wasn't meant to be.  Strangely enough I did get my Brother 7820N
> up and running (also a network printer) in Ubuntu, thanks to drivers
> provided by Brother.
> 
> HP has drivers too, but that's where the HP drivers in Ubuntu came from.
>   I've got my HP 6840 set up (right next to my Brother 7820N) in the
> GNOME printers applet.
> 
> Both printers are connected directly to the network router.  I was able to
> get the Brother running just fine.  No such luck with the HP.
> 
> I'm sure it's a setting I need to change but I'm ignorant as to what that
> might be.  Guessing has gotten me nowhere.  The HP does work just fine
> when printing from the other box on the network (which is running
> Windows).
> 
> I'm grasping at straws here.

I had a similar problem, so the following snippet taken from my
installation diary may be helpful:

<quote>
The setup for my HP DeskJet 5850 network printer turned out to be tricky;
someone in the Ubuntu forums suggested that I look at the new HPLIP (HP
Linux Imaging and Printing) setup for inkjet printers at SourceForge, but
then I noticed that HPLIP was already running under Breezy by default!

HPLIP requires the printer to be set up with a specially formatted URI,
to be obtained from the printer IP 10.0.0.160 by running the command (as
user) "hp-makeuri 10.0.0.160", which resulted in
"hp:/net/deskjet_5800?ip=10.0.0.160" (note the single slash).

Unfortunately, the Gnome printer manager (via the
System/Administration/Printing menu) fails in that the required printer
type AppSocket/HPJetDirect is not available as a choice. The following
procedure can be used to circumvent the Gnome printing manager:

1. Edit /etc/cups/cupsd.conf and comment out the two lines
   "AuthType Basic" and "AuthClass System" near the end of the file.

2. Run the command "sudo /etc/init.d/cupsys restart", and then log in
   at http://localhost:631 in your browser (no password needed).

3. Install the printer: give it a name; choose AppSocket/HPJetDirect as
   printer type and enter the special URI; choose manufacturer HP
   (HPLIP), select the printer from the list, and accept the
   recommended driver.

The printer is now installed, and can print the test page after
configuring for paper size, etc.

N.B. I've filed bug \# 21154 against the Gnome printer manager.
</quote>

-- 
H.A.J. Koster
"Behavioral axioms are right, but agents make mistakes..."
(attributed to L.J. Savage)