Samsung CLP-415NW printer - how-to?

English Hardware
1

I just bought a new printer, a Samsung CLP-415NW which is a networked
laser printer. I’m now trying to figure out how to make it work with
opensuse. It’s my first time with a Samsung printer.

I know that Samsung produce a Unified Driver that self-installs but I’ve
also read that it is a bad idea to use that because it dumps files all
over the system. So I think the advice at

http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Installing_a_samsung_printer

is not very useful. I saw some comment in the opensuse forums about
switching from ipp to jetdirect for another Samsung printer but I
haven’t yet found a spec that says what protocols my printer supports. I
have discovered the site at

http://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/suld.html

which seems like it might be the gospel, but I haven’t so far located a
relevant part that explains how to find and install a PPD or what
alternative steps might be necessary. I’ll keep reading that site but I
thought I’d post here and ask if anybody knows exactly where the
information and files can be found.

2

Unfortunately, I don’t have direct experience with Samsung printers, so can only provide general advice. Hopefully, someone more familiar with this hardware can chime in with more specific information.

Have you tried configuring via the CUPS web interface?

http://localhost:631/admin

I would have expected the installer to place the ppd files in ‘/usr/share/cups/model’ directory, but I have read references (from googling) that the installer may place ppd files in the ‘/opt/Samsung/mfp/share/ppd’ driectory. Once the printer is configured the working ppd is located in the /etc/cups/ppd directory.

3

deano ferrari wrote:
> Unfortunately, I don’t have direct experience with Samsung printers, so
> can only provide general advice.

Thanks for trying anyway :slight_smile:

It’s all working now. Basically it’s the same as any other network
printer I’ve used. Grab a PPD (which I extracted from Samsung’s driver
tarball), tell YaST where it is, type the IP address in and default
everything else and it all just works.

> I would have expected the installer to place the ppd files in
> ‘/usr/share/cups/model’ directory

Yeah, the problem with the installer is that (a) it would install a
driver that is not needed for a network printer and (b) it apparently
dumps stuff pretty much at random all over your system. So there’s no
way I’d want to run it. The http://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/suld.html site
offers a sanitised version, but I didn’t need it.

4

It’s all working now. Basically it’s the same as any other network
printer I’ve used. Grab a PPD (which I extracted from Samsung’s driver
tarball)

Yes, that makes sense, especially when all you need is the PPD I guess. For completeness, I’d be interested in seeing the working network printer URI in /etc/cups/printers.conf (and it may be of use to others who come searching as well).

5

Personally as I have used Samsung printers for some time I would most definitely use the installer that comes with it and forget comments. What it actually does is install a driver and install the printer in cups for you. This can be a difficult thing to do manually even if you ask on the cups mailing list. Comments that I have come across over a number of years are basically down to it not being open source.

If you run into any problems with the install not working contact their support and tell them what OS you are using. I did that on my 1st one and an updated driver was provided in under a week. The latest universal driver installed in 11.4 without any problems at all. Even found the printer on the network. The web interface is good too as it shows wear levels and toner levels indicating when things need changing.

One problem I had on my 1st samsung printer was purely down to cups. It upset a number of people. Cups suddenly insisted that the printer control person had a number in their password so a root password without a number in it wouldn’t install. No sign of that on the latest driver but my root password does now have a number in it. Signs of this problem was a graphic that I couldn’t do anything with as root.

John

6

If some one want the printer def entries they changed some time ago. This is one

# Printer configuration file for CUPS v1.4.6
# Written by cupsd on 2013-07-16 15:18
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE WHEN CUPSD IS RUNNING
<DefaultPrinter clx3180>
AuthInfoRequired none
Info clx3180
MakeModel Samsung CLX-3180 Series (SPL-C)
DeviceURI ipp://192.168.10.177
State Idle
StateTime 1373984281
Type 8392780
Filter application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -
Filter application/vnd.cups-postscript 0 rastertosamsungsplc
Accepting Yes
Shared Yes
JobSheets none none
QuotaPeriod 0
PageLimit 0
KLimit 0
OpPolicy default
ErrorPolicy stop-printer
Attribute marker-colors none,none,none,none,none,none,none,none,none
Attribute marker-levels 99,99,82,100,94,98,98,87,94
Attribute marker-names Cyan Color Cartridge S/N:CRUM-01234567890,Magenta Color Cartridge S/N:CRUM-01234567890,Yellow Color Cartridge S/N:CRUM-01234567890,Black Color Cartridge S/N:CRUM-01234567890,Fuser life,Transfer Roller life,Tray1 Pickup Roller life,Imaging Unit life,Image Transfer Belt
Attribute marker-types toner,toner,toner,toner,other,other,other,other,other
Attribute marker-change-time 1373984277
</Printer>

There is also an entry in user/.cups to set default printers on a user basis and also a rather large file in the cups ppd directory to handle actual printer options. There was a cups dev kit available last time I looked. Might have changed again since then - good luck.

John

7

deano ferrari wrote:
>> It’s all working now. Basically it’s the same as any other network
>> printer I’ve used. Grab a PPD (which I extracted from Samsung’s driver
>> tarball)
> Yes, that makes sense, especially when all you need is the PPD I guess.
> For completeness, I’d be interested in seeing the working network
> printer URI in /etc/cups/printers.conf (and it may be of use to others
> who come searching as well).

Here you go:

DeviceURI socket://192.168.1.65:9100

FWIW, the rest of the file is


# Printer configuration file for CUPS v1.4.4
# Written by cupsd on 2013-07-18 21:08
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE WHEN CUPSD IS RUNNING
<DefaultPrinter samsung>
Info Samsung CLP-410 Series PS
MakeModel Samsung CLP-410 Series PS
DeviceURI socket://192.168.1.65:9100
State Idle
StateTime 1374177204
Type 8392780
Filter application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -
Filter application/vnd.cups-command 0 commandtops
Filter application/vnd.cups-postscript 0 -
Accepting Yes
Shared Yes
JobSheets none none
QuotaPeriod 0
PageLimit 0
KLimit 0
OpPolicy default
ErrorPolicy stop-printer
Attribute marker-colors none,none,none,none,none,none,none,none,none
Attribute marker-levels 100,100,100,100,100,99,99,99,-3
Attribute marker-names Cyan Toner Cartridge S/N:CRUM-12122830961,Magenta
Toner Cartridge S/N:CRUM-12122436350,Yellow Toner Cartridge
S/N:CRUM-12122483173,Black Toner Cartridge S/N:CRUM-12122782987,Transfer
Belt S/N:CRUM-12122433964,Fuser ,T2 Roller ,Tray 1 Retard Roller ,Waste
Toner Container
Attribute marker-types
toner,toner,toner,toner,transferUnit,fuser,other,other,wasteToner
Attribute marker-change-time 1374177203
</Printer>
<Printer Stylus-Photo-RX620>
Info EPSON Stylus Photo RX620
Location piglet
MakeModel Epson Stylus Photo RX620 - CUPS+Gutenprint v5.2.4 Simplified
DeviceURI usb://EPSON/Stylus%20Photo%20RX620
State Stopped
StateMessage Unplugged or turned off
StateTime 1373671557
Reason paused
Type 8425484
Filter application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -
Filter application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertogutenprint.5.2
Filter application/vnd.cups-command 33 commandtoepson
Accepting Yes
Shared Yes
JobSheets none none
QuotaPeriod 0
PageLimit 0
KLimit 0
OpPolicy default
ErrorPolicy stop-printer
Option fitplot True
</Printer>
8

Great, thanks for posting that info.