Printer Woes Please Help

English Hardware
#1

Hi
I’ve recently decided to switch the first of four machines on my LAN from windows to Linux (PB I Media 1gb ram, 160hdd Intel Core2 Duo 6300 1.86ghz. After a couple of weeks distro hopping I have decided that I like OpenSuse 11.4.

I have an Epson Styus SX515w connected to my router via wifi. I googled the subject and downloaded this driver from the Avasys website. epson-inkjet-printer-stylus-tx550w-series-1.0.0-1lsb3.2.i486.rpm. I checked the documentation and my model is supported. So I installed the rpm from a local directory via Yast.

Then I go into Yast > Hardware > Printers, (I have to disable the firewall first so Yast can find the printer on the LAN.) The New Printer Config Wizard shows it as Model: Epson sx510w Connection: ipd:/192.168.2.4.515/PASSTHRU Description: Epson Epson Stylus SX510w. (mine is a 515w). Anyho, Yast cannot find any matching drivers. If I click “Find More” Yast finds Epson drivers but no for my model. I’ve tried different search strings too.

So my question is. How do I tell Yast to use the driver I have installed?

I checked in Yast > Software and it lists the driver as installed I also ran this command in terminal

user@linux-rk0o:~> rpm -qi epson-inkjet-printer-stylus-tx550w-series-1.0.0-1lsb3.2.i486

The resulting output confirms the package is installed.

Name        : epson-inkjet-printer-stylus-tx550w-series  Relocations: (not relocatable)
Version     : 1.0.0                             Vendor: Seiko Epson Corporation
Release     : 1lsb3.2                       Build Date: Mon 24 May 2010 10:22:43 BST
Install Date: Tue 17 May 2011 02:06:35 BST      Build Host: build
Group       : Applications/System           Source RPM: epson-inkjet-printer-stylus-tx550w-series-1.0.0-1lsb3.2
Size        : 2810284                          License: LGPL and SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREE
Signature   : DSA/SHA1, Mon 24 May 2010 10:23:13 BST, Key ID e5e86c008aa65d56
Packager    : Seiko Epson Corporation <linux-epson-inkjet@avasys.jp>
URL         : http://avasys.jp/english/linux_e/
Summary     : Epson Inkjet Printer Driver - Epson Stylus TX550W Series
Description :
This software is a filter program used with Common UNIX Printing
System (CUPS) from the Linux. This can supply the high quality print
with Seiko Epson Color Ink Jet Printers.

This printer driver is supporting the following printers.

Epson Stylus TX550W
Epson Stylus SX510W
Epson Stylus SX515W
Epson Stylus NX510
Epson Stylus NX515

For detail list of supported printer, please refer to below site:
http://avasys.jp/english/linux_e/
Distribution: LSB
user@linux-rk0o:~>

At the mo my printer works but spits out pages of text (looks like some kind of commands)

Thanks Lee

#2

I’ve configured a couple of Epson printers (without issue) with the Avasys drivers. Try using the CUPS web interface (via a browser) instead:

http://localhost:631/admin

Then ‘Add Printer’ (supply root credentials when prompted). From there you can configure manually, including selection of the appropriate driver. Hope that helps.

#3

Thanks Deano.

Maybe you wouldn’t mind giving me a little more help.

I login to Cups click admin > manage Printers> Then select my printer (sx510W) > Admin drop down menu and modify printer. Then I click through to the page where I can select the make or browse to a PDD file. (this where I get stuck.)
If I select Epson from the list, CUPS suggests drivers as Yast did. None of which are for my machine.

I don’t know how to tell CUPS to use the driver I downloaded and installed from the AVASYS site. Should it be in the list of driver when I select Epson or do I have to use the “Or Provide PDD file” box? I guess I don’t point it to the rpm I downloaded. Where should I point the “Or provide PDD file” box?

Thanks Lee

#4

Are you sure you installed the avasys package(s) successfully?

rpm -qa|grep epson

For reference, I have

epson-inkjet-printer-escpr-1.0.2-1lsb3.2.i486

containing many PPDs for different epson models (including yours).

If installed correctly, it should appear in the list of models available under Epson.