[LINK] Linux printer installation not for newbies

Robin Whittle rw at firstpr.com.au
Thu Sep 21 12:51:53 AEST 2006


I eventually succeeded!

More Googling revealed that CUPS has a local web-based administration
interface:

   http://localhost:631

This is not accessible from other machines, by default.  I gave the root
password and was able to delete old printer connections and generate a
new one.  I selected:

   Internet Printing Protocol (http)

   Device URI: http://10.0.0.16:631/ipp/

(But this was not quite right.  I got "http://10.0.0.16:631/ipp" from
the Brother Network manual page 5-1 and added the trailing slash because
the CUPS admin page gave examples with trailing slashes.)

Perhaps because of previous installation attempts, I was able to select
the manufacturer and model without fuss, and then a test page was printed!

However, printing from applications failed until I removed the trailing
slash.

All these things should have been possible via the Gnome thing I wrote
about, but it was clearly broken in several respects.  So adding some
u-beaut nifty little interface with bugs only wastes a lot of time when
people should be directed to a robust system which works fine - the
web-interface.

I made the printer the default and set it to default to 1200 DPI, which
means it prints somewhat slower, but the quality is brilliant.  The CUPS
test page has 1 degree radial lines.  The lines are still clearly
resolved, at all angles, when spaced as close as 0.1mm.  This is an
extraordinary result for a laser printer.

This HL-5250DN cost me less than a replacement drum for my previous
printer.  So far, it has been really good.  It is completely silent when
in sleep mode and it prints clearly and fast.  To get it to work on the
network, in brief, I set its IP address to 192.0.0.192 by holding the Go
button at power on, releasing it after the 3 LEDs light, and then
pressing it 7 times.  Then I used a Windows program to set the IP
address they way I wanted, but I could have used a browser to
192.0.0.192, (user: admin pw: access) since it has its own web-based
administration interface.  The browser interface is probably best - just
like with CUPS.  I guess a central, integrated, web-admin system is more
likely to work than any approach which relies on other software.

 - Robin



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