xerox workcentre 7345 driver print thousand of white pages

This is the PPD downloaded on linuxprinting.org.

When used in system-config-printer, the printer will print one page with "<</Duplex false>>setpagedevice
then it will print continuously blank pages until cancelled.

This is the official PPD downloaded from Xerox website.

When used in system-config-printer, nothing happens. The printer icon appears and disappear, just like it was working, but nothing happens on the printer side.

As the two PPD have problem, it might be a problem with custom PPD handling by system-config-printer.

I installed foomatic-db from Intrepid and the workcentre 7345 is present (and automatically detected).

Unfortunatly, it has the same effect as the Linuxprinting.org one : the printer print continuously white pages of paper.

This make this bug relatively important in Intrepid.

the bug is in the PPD

I did some fixes on the "Postscript" driver upstream. This should fix this bug.

Till Kamppeter > Thanks for your work. Can you send me your new PPD (or post it here) so I can test and confirm ? Thanks :-)

This bug was fixed in the package foomatic-db - 20080904-0ubuntu1

---------------
foomatic-db (20080904-0ubuntu1) intrepid; urgency=low

  * New upstream release
     o Fixed generic PostScript driver to get working with the PDF workflow.
       The driver got broken in the upstream release from August 21 and it
       had already problems before (LP: #259318).
     o Ricoh has fixed several problems reported by "cupstestppd" in their
       PPDs (Upstream bug #164).
     o Changed recommended driver for the HP Color LaserJet 35xx/36xx from
       "pxljr" to "hpijs". The former driver has problems with some colors
       (LP: #228635) and duplex does not work, too.
     o Added entries for Lexmark E120 and E120n (LP: #135489), the
       Dell 3100cn (LP: #90718), and the Okidata B4350 (LP: #203358).
     o Fixed typos in printer model names which made some listed PPDs
       not accessible: HP LaserJet 4345 MFP, HP Color LaserJet 9500 MFP,
       Brother HL-2060, HP DesignJet 750, Apple 12 640ps, Ricoh Aficio 5206
       (Red Hat bug #459847).
     o Changed recommended driver of Brother HL-2060 to "hpijs" (Upstream
       bug #166, Red Hat bug #292021).
     o Fixed PPDs for the "pbm2l7k" driver (Upstream bug #167).
     o Added IEEE 1284 device ID for Lexmark E120n (Red Hat bug #201318).
  * debian/rules: Replace the wrong "*1284DeviceId" by "*1284DeviceID" in
    the PPDs (Upstream bug #164).

 -- Till Kamppeter <email address hidden> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:38:03 +0200

Lionel Dricot, please get the foomatic-db from Intrepid again, version 20080904-0ubuntu1. Note that I have uploaded it only minutes ago, so it will not be on your mirror yet. Download it from Launchpad if you need it quickly.

Till > I installed the last foomatic-db package 20080904-0ubuntu1. I've deleted the printer, rebooted, re-created the printer. The bug is still present, nothing has changed. Unfortunatly :-(

Then this printer is not a PostScript printer.

Lionel Dricot, can you try PCL drivers to find out whether the printer understands PCL? Try the "Generic PCL 5e printer" (or "Generic PCL 5c printer" if the printer is a color printer) and the "Generic PCL 6/XL printer". Which one of these works? If they do not work, try whether your printer is compatible to Samsung. Try the Xerox models for which the SpliX driver is offered. Does this help? But as your printer is capable of printing plain text (you told that it printed some text on the first page) it is most probably working with some sort of PCL. You can also let the printer print its internal configuration page (via the front panel menus). On this page it is often mentioned which page description languages the printer understands.

Dafydd, your Foomatic entry for this printer is not correct. The printer is not a PostScript printer out-of-the-box. There is perhaps a PostScript module available as an optional add-on, but not every user has it. Please check which languages the printer really understands, either by looking up the info on the manufacturer's web site or by waiting for Lionel Dricot's answer. Correct the entry in the Foomatic database appropriately.

Till > Like I said, the printer work fine in gray with the driver "Xerox workcentre M118". It might help you to know if the driver supports PostScript or not.

Generic PCL 5c and PCL 6/XL works well but only in black&white (no color) and the printer support color. Also, they are limited to 600x600 dpi (printer supports 1200).

The configuration doesn't tell me a lot but still the following might be relevant :
- mode = FHA
- image compression kit = installed
- PCL = installed
- PDF = installed
- XPS = installed

Because "PDF" was marked as installed, I tried the Generic > PDF file generator but then I have exactly the same problem than with the postscript driver.

Lionel Dricot, so you have tried the "Generic PCL5c printer" (NOT "PCL 5e") with HPIJS as driver and did only get gray output? Have you checked all options to be sure not to be in a gray mode? So you did not get your printer printing in color under Linux at all? The "Generic PCL6/XL printer" did not make your printer working? It has an option to switch to color mode.

Dafydd, seems that you have to assign the Gutenprint, ljet4 (also lj4dith, ljet4d), and HPIJS drivers to this printer and rate it as "Partially", as it prints only in grayscale.

No, I tried PCL5c with CUPS+Gutenprint (recommanded). It works but only in grayscale.

Indeed, PCL5c + hpijs works in color which is great ! (it's the first time I get color working on it under Linux).

Generic PCL6/XL works but only in grayscale (both CUPS/Gutenprint and hpijs).

So far, it seems that using PCL5c + hpijs is a good-enough workaround to have this printer working.

Lionel Dricot, thanks. Gutenprint only supports grayscale PCL flavors (PCL 3, 4, 5, 5e), not color PCL (PCL 5c). HPIJS is currently the most suitable driver for PCL 5c printers, as you have already found out.

Dafydd, can you make HPIJS the recommended driver for this printer and add the following line to data-generators/hpijs/hpijs-printermap in the foomatic-db-hpijs package:

Xerox-WorkCentre_7345|HEWLETT-PACKARD|hp color LaserJet|LJColor|Legal|

Please replace the "Legal" by the name of the maximum page size which can be used with the printer, if needed.

Set the rating of the printer to "Mostly" and list as working drivers Gutenprint, ljet4 (also lj4dith, ljet4d), HPIJS, and pxlmono, telling that all except HPIJS are grayscale-only.

Thanks a lot for your work and your prompt answer. I will report any trouble I have using the HPIJS driver (I still have to try A3 printing).

One point : HPIJS only allow 600DPI while the printer should support 1200. (not critical, just to be complete).

I'm really happy that, thanks to your efficient work, I can print in color today :-)

Lionel Dricot, if you use the Generic PCL6/XL printer you get even grayscale if you set the "ColorModel" option to "Color" (do not remember exact option and setting name)?

Dafydd, so the line which you should add must read:

Xerox-WorkCentre_7345|HEWLETT-PACKARD|hp color LaserJet|LJColor|A3|

I didn't find any PCL6/XL driver that all shows me a "color" option. (or whatever approaching)

Also, I just discovered that, when printing multiple pages with the PCL5c, each page will be printed separatly. (the printer will turn the engine off/on between each page, taking a few second). With the M118 driver, the output is really fast.

I checked the Xerox site, and it appears that PostScript is standard on the 7345. My guess is that the PPD they supplied isn't any good.
http://www.office.xerox.com/latest/W73SS-01.PDF

Lionel Dricot, try the following:

Set up your printer with the "Generic PCL6/XL printer". In system-config-printer right-click the printer and choose "Properties" in the pop-up menu. In the dialog appearing then, choose "Printer Options" on the left. On the right you will find the available options. Set "Printout Mode" to something without "Grayscale", or set "Color Mode" to "Color". Do you get colored output now?

Set up your printer with the "Generic PostScript printer". Try the two possible driver choices. Does one (or both) work? Which of them? Do you get color?

Dafydd, I have rebuilt the OpenPrinting web site now, so that you printer additions can be browsed on the site. There I have found a problem with your XML file for the Xerox Workcentre 7345: You have put the driver name "Gutenprint" into the driver list. It must be "gutenprint". The driver names are case-sensitive. Can you correct this and check this also for other printers which you have added? Thanks.

Fixed the typo, should be ok now.

Till > With the PCL6/XL driver (hpijs), I don't have any color option. All printout mode contain the word "black cartridge/grayscale".

Generic postScript Printer [en] (recommanded) : thousand of blank pages, the first one starting with %!PS-Adobe-3.0

Generic PostScript Printer Foomatic/Postscript : idem

Can you try the Generic PCL6/XL printer with the pxlmono driver? This one should have a switch for color printing.

The Generic PCL6/XL pxlmono works great in color, in 1200DPI and very quickly.

So it seems that using this driver would be a perfect solution. So far, I don't see any drawback. (any reason why using Postscript would be better than this ?)

Lionel, your printer was added with options for monochrome PCL-XL printers into the database. I am correcting this.

I have restructured the Foomatic XML data for the "pxlmono" and "pxlcolor" drivers to simplify the addition of PCL 6/XL printers to the Foomatic database now. This way it is avoided that color printers get accidentally added with the options for monochrome printers and vice-versa.

Dafydd, for any new PCL-XL printer which you add from now on, please assign monochrome to the "pxlmono" driver and color printers to the "pxlcolor" driver. Thanks.

Thanks for your work

This bug was fixed in the package foomatic-db - 20080915-0ubuntu1

---------------
foomatic-db (20080915-0ubuntu1) intrepid; urgency=low

  * New upstream release
     o On many PCL 6/XL color printers one could only print in grayscale.
       Fixed the database entries for these printers (example: Xerox
       WorkCentre 7345, LP: #259318).
     o Set recommended driver of Xerox WorkCentre 7345 to "pxlcolor"
       (LP: #259318).

 -- Till Kamppeter <email address hidden> Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:45:00 +0200

This bug was fixed in the package foomatic-db-hpijs - 20080915-0ubuntu1

---------------
foomatic-db-hpijs (20080915-0ubuntu1) intrepid; urgency=low

  * New upstream release
     o Added Xerox WorkCentre 7345 (LP: #259318).

 -- Till Kamppeter <email address hidden> Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:14:39 +0200

Xerox driver for 7432 is only Postscript for Linux.
We have a 7432 not Postscript machine but only PCL, so we use a HP PCL5 driver for it and it works.

We use Ubuntu 11.10