Author Topic: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?  (Read 41943 times)

Doug Bissett

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #15 on: March 08, 2018, 04:17:10 am »
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I just bought an HP OfficeJet Pro 8740 multifunction printer.  It supports Postscript 3 emulation, according to HP, and their Universal Postscript Driver does work in Windows 7.  Is it possible to extract a .ppd file from the Windows driver installer files that could be imported into the ArcaOS5 Postscript driver?  The printer works with the .ppd file from a Linux CUPS installation, but it doesn't offer the choices of which tray, which paper sizes, etc., that the Universal Postscript Driver does.

Is there any GOOD reason why you aren't using CUPS? At least CUPS, installed by ArcaOS 5.0.2, includes that printer.

ak120

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #16 on: March 08, 2018, 10:36:00 am »
I managed to copy the HP universal postscript driver from Windows 7, but apparently I managed to break something.  I imported the .ppd file with instPDR.exe.
No, you simply used an experimental tool that looks fine at a first view but can be quite dangerous. The default behaviour of this tool can be compared with heart transplantations done with a manure fork. It's better to put the files for the PS printer driver to modify in a temporary directory and to use PIN.EXE.

Pete

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #17 on: March 08, 2018, 04:05:32 pm »
Hi Michael

In the \sys\install\PRNDRV\PMDD_6 directory are updated versions of the tools needed to convert a ppd file to make it suitable for use with psprint/pscript drivers. Follow the instructions in the readme carefully.

@Doug
The only good reason for using cups is that the printer needing support is not postscript capable. As Michael has a postscript capable printer cups is not really required.


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Pete

Doug Bissett

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #18 on: March 08, 2018, 07:55:56 pm »
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The only good reason for using cups is that the printer needing support is not postscript capable. As Michael has a postscript capable printer cups is not really required.

Perhaps not "required", if you don't mind messing around, for days, to try to make it work. About 2 minutes with the Install Cups Printer applet, and it is done properly.

Pete

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #19 on: March 08, 2018, 09:03:23 pm »
Hi Doug

It only takes a few minutes to perform the ppd conversion and cleanup and add the ppd file to psprint/pscript.drv

OTOH: Several *months* later I am still trying to get my "supported" printer working with the rpm version of cups - must admit that I have not had time to check out some recent "rpm-cups" package updates which may make a difference.


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Pete

Dariusz Piatkowski

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #20 on: March 09, 2018, 12:23:07 am »
I see where one might want to try CUPS if the PPD driver import still fails to deliver a working printer configuration. In my case, I have a Brother HL5470DW, and even though that is a very capable PS printer and the driver import worked just fine, I still can TRAP the driver when attempting to use certain printer options.

Sooo....I have not tried CUPS, seems like way too much overhead to get a couple of extra features working, which really aren't all that critical in my case anyways. But...point is, yes, you may have to rely on something else even with a PS printer if the OS/2 driver simply can not handle it.

Pete

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #21 on: March 09, 2018, 01:50:46 am »
Hi Dariusz

If an imported  ppd file does not work with the psprint/pscript driver the chances are that installing cups will not help - you will still not have the OS/2 printer for applications to print to.


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Pete

Pete

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #22 on: March 09, 2018, 01:59:03 am »
Hi All

OTOH: Several *months* later I am still trying to get my "supported" printer working with the rpm version of cups - must admit that I have not had time to check out some recent "rpm-cups" package updates which may make a difference.


I made some time to check out recent cups related updates. After a little faffing around I now have a semi-working rpm-cups operated printer. The "semi-working" is that the OS/2 end of the print chain cannot switch between the A4 paper tray and Photo/Envelopes tray resulting in 4x6 photo output being printed on A4. Possibly a ppd file problem?

I guess we make progress...


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Pete

Pete

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #23 on: March 11, 2018, 01:45:37 am »
Hi Doug

Quote
The only good reason for using cups is that the printer needing support is not postscript capable. As Michael has a postscript capable printer cups is not really required.

Perhaps not "required", if you don't mind messing around, for days, to try to make it work. About 2 minutes with the Install Cups Printer applet, and it is done properly.


Hmmm... having discovered that the Install Cups Printer applet does a good job of creating the cups printer and then fails totally to create a working OS/2 printer I have to dispute your statement.

The reason that the app failed to create a working OS/2 printer is the required support did not already exist in psprint.drv so I had to select an existing driver, finish the Printer creation, manually add the required ppd file to psprint.drv and then set the created printer to use the correct driver.

However, I am using the version supplied with ArcaOS5.0.0 so it is possible it has been updated since then and is now more capable? - ie can do the intermediate steps of grabbing the required cups supplied ppd file performing the cleanup, conversion and adding to psprint.drv?


Regards

Pete





Doug Bissett

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #24 on: March 11, 2018, 07:07:53 am »
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However, I am using the version supplied with ArcaOS5.0.0 so it is possible it has been updated since then and is now more capable?

Yes, there is a problem in 5.0, that is fixed in 5.0.2. It didn't affect every printer, but you may have one that has the problem. It is, apparently a timing thing, where it tries to use the PPD file, before it has been created.  The fix is supposed to be released to the world, but I don't see any announcement. It may be going through the conversion to be a RPM package, which always seems to take a lot longer than one would expect. I noticed an announcement recently, that the BJNP RPM package had been created (that is for Canon wireless printers). If you have the 5.0.2 ISO file, install \CID\SERVER\ARCAPKG\CUPSGUI.WPI and you should get the update.

Pete

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #25 on: March 11, 2018, 07:25:37 am »
Hi Doug

Yes, already using the bjnp package - created at my request, no less :-) see http://trac.netlabs.org/ports/ticket/155 with followup report http://trac.netlabs.org/ports/ticket/181

Glad to hear there has been a fix (or more) to the "Cups Wizard", will have to test when the update is released - No 5.0.2 at the moment but that may change in the near future.


Regards

Pete

Alex Taylor

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #26 on: March 14, 2018, 03:51:27 pm »
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However, I am using the version supplied with ArcaOS5.0.0 so it is possible it has been updated since then and is now more capable?

Yes, there is a problem in 5.0, that is fixed in 5.0.2. It didn't affect every printer, but you may have one that has the problem. It is, apparently a timing thing, where it tries to use the PPD file, before it has been created.  The fix is supposed to be released to the world, but I don't see any announcement. It may be going through the conversion to be a RPM package, which always seems to take a lot longer than one would expect. I noticed an announcement recently, that the BJNP RPM package had been created (that is for Canon wireless printers). If you have the 5.0.2 ISO file, install \CID\SERVER\ARCAPKG\CUPSGUI.WPI and you should get the update.

The current versions of PRINTMAN and CUPSWIZ are both available from: http://www.altsan.org/os2/printing/index.html


Mike Snyder

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #27 on: March 15, 2018, 02:23:53 pm »
Is there a command to reinstall the just printer drivers from the installation CD?  I've tried updating the printer drivers with instpdr from the latest psprint zip file and copying files from \sys\install\prrndrv, and now I can't import any .ppd file at all.  I'd rather not reinstall the whole system, so is there a way to just install the printer drivers in the right places from the install CD?

Alex Taylor

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #28 on: March 15, 2018, 03:40:00 pm »
Is there a command to reinstall the just printer drivers from the installation CD?  I've tried updating the printer drivers with instpdr from the latest psprint zip file and copying files from \sys\install\prrndrv, and now I can't import any .ppd file at all.  I'd rather not reinstall the whole system, so is there a way to just install the printer drivers in the right places from the install CD?

First,

Assuming you have ArcaOS, just use the Printer Manager to delete ALL printers and drivers.  (Alternatively, use prndrv.exe with the -d switch from a command line, if you have it.)

Then start installing printers again, using the Printer Manager (PrintMan). 


Second,

Use the PSPRINT driver, not PSCRIPT.

ArcaOS 5.0 already includes the latest (30.906) version of PSPRINT, so do not try to install the version from my website, which is actually older.  (I really should update that, but since others did much of the work on 906 I need to get an OK from the appropriate people first.)  30.906 (in particular, PIN.EXE) has some critical fixes for importing PPDs that will cause older versions to crash.  (These are not guaranteed to fix every instance of this, but your odds are much better.)


Third,

Do not use the ancient and unsupported InstPDR tool.  (Where did you even find it? I'm pretty sure I removed it from my website years ago.)  This tool has been obsoleted and replaced by PrintMan.

Mike Snyder

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Re: How to find or extract a Postscript printer driver?
« Reply #29 on: March 17, 2018, 11:50:50 pm »
I've had instpdr since you either sent it to me or recommended it to me years ago when I needed to add a .ppd for my Lexmark e260dn.  But I understand that it won't work now.  I'll use Print Manager in the future.

Not knowing that the installed version from ArcaOS5 was newer, I think that I've overwritten it with the one from your web site in the several locations that it's in.  Is it possible to just install the printer drivers from the CD?  I've deleted and reinstalled printers with both prndrv and with Print Manager and can't seem to get a working printer.

Is it possible to update the installed version of hplip?  That has a driver for the OfficeJet Pro 8740 that works pretty well in Linux.