print spooler

[Tearose]

I'm still trying to configure openSUSE to print to our network printer. I can tell it the name make and model of the printer, the IP address, etc. but when I try to test the configuration, I get a message that I am using a different print spooler. I have no clue what I can do about that. Also there are several choices of ways to configure the printer, all of which give the same message eventually. It says I need to install a couple things, then tells me that installing required packages failed. But it doesn't say what I can do about it.

 

[pentode]

Are you using CUPS? If this printer is on a windows network, you may have to go through the Windows print server to get to it.

 

[Tearose]

I would love to go through the Windows print server to get to the printer. How do I do that? I have CUPS, but it may be one of those things that doesn't install correctly, and doesn't tell me how to fix it. On Windows computers on this network, I just look up the server in My Network Places, and drag the printer icon into the computer's printer folder. I have no idea if this laptop even sees the server, or how I would be able to tell if it did.

 

[pentode]

To talk with Windows machines, you need samba-client on your linux box. I used to do this at home to print to a printer connected to a Windows XP machine. With samba and CUPS, it should be possible. Not fun, but possible.

If CUPS is running on your machine try this in your browser:

http://localhost:631/help

That should bring up a web-based CUPS configuration help.

You can try connecting directly to the printer through CUPS if it has an IP address and CUPS has a driver. To print through the Windows server, you'll need to configure samba as well.

If it's an HP printer, there are linux applications and drivers specifically for these (working through CUPS).

For more CUPS help:

http://www.cups.org

 

[Tearose]

Thanks, I got to the CUPS help- it'll take awhile to see if it gives me all the help I need. I already tried to install Samba, but don't know how to access it, or if the installation succeeded. If I have Samba, how do I use it?

 

[pentode]

Samba How-to:

http://samba.org/samba/docs/man/Samba-HOWTO-Collection/

 

[Tearose]

I decided to try Ubuntu instead of openSUSE, and it easily found the network printers and printed a test page.
Jill