kde4-printer-applet provides no way to configure printers?

English Applications
1

If I start and open kde4-printer-applet and select settings -> configure printers nothing appears. Could someone confirm?

I realize printers can be config’ed in Yast and using cups web ui (http://localhost:631/)

thanks,

11.4, kde 4.6.1

2

If I start and open kde4-printer-applet and select settings -> configure printers nothing appears. Could someone confirm?

I realize printers can be config’ed in Yast and using cups web ui (http://localhost:631/)

thanks,

11.4, kde 4.6.1
So if you really have updated to KDE 4.6.1 it could be a bug with a KDE version that does not come with openSUSE 11.4, it may need to be reported. Can you be more specific on how to navigate to the application in question and if you know the actual program name? Also, I must ask how many different ways do you need to configure your printer(s). I use HP and I use the hplip to install the printer at which point I can use cups to modify its setup, but no real reason to use anything else, working or not.

Thank You,

3

the program is printer-applet and the rpm is kde4-printer-applet

4

OK, after further investigation, the application printer-applet is not installed by default in openSUSE 11.4 but found in:

YaST / Software / Software Management / kde4-printer-applet

Which, if selected, installs the user program: /usr/bin/printer-applet, among other things and which when run, then shows up in the system tray, but only if you have a active print job running in the spooler. Once loaded, you may set the system tray option to show up it all of the time or auto hide (the default) it when no print activity is present. When run, It would normally be blank when no print jobs are active. Its description in YaST says:

kde4-printer-applet - System tray utility to show current print jobs
This package contains a system tray utility to show current print jobs.
Authors:
The KDE Team <kde@kde.org>

After sending a copy of this HTML page to my printer, the print job was listed as it should be. I found nothing wrong with the application as you suggest.

Thank You,

5

thanks, but did you actually read my initial posting? I never said it didn’t show print job activity I said “select settings -> configure printers” does nothing and asked for confirmation.

thanks,

6

thanks, but did you actually read my initial posting? I never said it didn’t show print job activity I said “select settings -> configure printers” does nothing and asked for confirmation.
And indeed when I now run that option from within the application

Show Icon Tray Applet and then pick Settings > Printer Configuration…,

I see that nothing appears, just as you suggest. So, for me, one issue was how you got to this point to see the issue, which required loading an application not loaded by default and so forgive me if it took a while to get there from here. I do wonder what just a setting would bring up, but I suggest you can report this as a KDE bug for this application if you would like.

Thank You,

7

Same here, I can not find a way to configure the pdf-printer.

Regards,
Alexander

8

you can configure your printer using:
Yast -> hardware -> printer
or in a browser using the web cups interface address: http://localhost:631/

sorry or do you mean how to print to a pdf file instead of a physical printer ? in that case there is a program called cups-pdf but there is no rpm that I know of

9

  1. KDE SC 4.6.1 ships with a print-option “print to pdf”, at least in my German version.

  2. You can not configure the KDE pdf-printer via Cups or Yast, and in KDE any dialog for configuring is missing as well as the programm announced in the printer-applet for configuring printers. To me it seems as a bug of KDE SC 4.6.1.

  3. Cups does not know of this printer, neither does Yast.

Alexander

10

not sure it’s a bug in KDE nor Yast, just a functionality that doesn’t exist by way of a gui

here’s an explanation of printing to pdf in openSuse SDB:Printing to PDF - openSUSE

cups-pdf, which is the program, has a config file /etc/cups/cups-pdf.conf that can be edited but nothing gui based. not sure exactly what you need to configure but it seems that it needs to be hand edited.

this really is a different topic and you should start a new thread for it

11

@google01103: I’ve had the printer applet installed for a few months now. Despite having Settings > Printer Configuration, it really is only a graphical status monitor. Maybe that will change in the future. (AFAIU, its still in development. Maybe it should launch the CUPS web config interface for now).

12

kde4-printer-applet or “Yast -> hardware -> printer” both don’t work if you want to set advanced option of your printer(s), i.e. duplex, trays and so on.
I managed to set this things only through cups web interface address: http://localhost:631/

It’s a problem related to printers management not “kde4 applet”.

13

kde4-printer-applet or “Yast -> hardware -> printer” both don’t work if you want to set advanced option of your printer(s), i.e. duplex, trays and so on.
I managed to set this things only through cups web interface address: http://localhost:631/

It’s a problem related to printers management not “kde4 applet”.

I only ever use the CUPS interface, as I’ve found the YaST tool problematic (through all the openSUSE relases since 10.X), but the kde4 printer applet is a different issue - it is not intended for printer configuration, only monitoring print status and jobs.

However, system-config-printer is a graphical (RH/Fedora-based tool) that some users may wish to try. It can monitor print queues and configure printers.

14

I just downloaded the system-config-printer app and stuck a link for it on my desktop. quick and easy works nice. a couple of meg download. the kde-printer-applet wanted me to download 590+ mb to get a little icon on my systray that doesn’t allow you to configure on the fly. meh.
Thanks for the tip!