Printer Driver not Available

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In the case of CUPS printing sub-system, as used by OS other than Windows, it is sometimes feasible to get a printer working satisfactorily without a specific driver being available

Getting Techhnical

The crucial "settings" file used by CUPS for printers is a plain-text dotPPD. In the case of printers having a Postscript or PDF page description language, it is technically feasible to create a dotPPD which provides at least basic functionality for such printer. A good starting point is the file:

/usr/share/cups/model/Postscript-level2.ppd.gz

Simply changing the "imageable area" definition for common page sizes in the above file to suit the specific printer can provide a working result, which could enable unsupported printers (whether old or new) to be utilised. Printable area tends to be well defined in the user manual for a printer.

Strictly for Geeks

In the case of printers that do not have Postscript/PDF page description language, the above work-around could be extended, but additionally requires knowledge of the "cups-filter" required by the printer. This parameter is also included towards the top of a dotPPD file and might be ascertained from the dotPPD file for similar printers.

--Rod 09:05, 7 October 2013 (EST) --

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