cups-pdf

[remus]

Hi all, I just had a crack at setting up cups-pdf

I got the extension installed but did not see the cups-pdf.ppd file in /etc/cups

did I do something wrong

Also I cant find the search feature on the forum to look for an answer ?

[tinypoodle]

Also I cant find the search feature on the forum to look for an answer ?

2 resp. 3 threads down.

[Juanito]

note that cups-pdf goes with cups, which uses /usr/local/etc

[remus]

Heres how I setup cups1311
http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php?topic=8991.0

After advice in the forum reference above i've put my cups files in /etc/cups

Just for the hell off it, I had a look at the info file for cups-pdf (I"m using cups-pdf1331) and see the following line

Code: [Select]

choose /usr/local/share/cups/model/CUPS-PDF.ppd
Sooo, I check out the dir and find a bunch of .ppd files, including the one i'm looking for CUPS-PFD.ppd and I think, no problem, i'll just copy the files to /etc/cups/ppd and get back to the cups browser interface for cups-pdf installation....

So I navigate to the dir i found and cp * /etc/cups/ppd and get a prompt to overwrite for each file....

So I think ooook, perhaps the files do infact exist and I have to be root to see them so I su and login as root, and ls at /etc/cups/ppd and Nothing....

Hmmmm ok i'm going to copy all the .ppd files I found at /usr/local/share/cups/model/ to /etc/cups/ppd

I then setup cups-pdf1331 as a printer using minefield in tinycore linux using the .ppd file I found

More surprises- according to the cups-pdf1331 info file jobs will be printed to /home/tc/cups-pdf I noticed the folder was not created when the extension was installed, so I thought, ok that must be linux efficiency, I bet the folder gets created when I print something to the virtual pdf printer, so I access cups admin via minefield in tiny core linux and run a test print on the cups-pdf printer, the folder is still not created, so I do a print from the minefield window and the folder and the print job get created I've also added home/tc/cups-pdf to my /opt/.filetool.lst file (By the way if /opt/.filetool.lst already has home in it, do all sub folders get added by default )

I also noticed that I do not have a /etc/cups/cups-pdf.conf file I also looked in /usr/local/share/cups/   I'm guessing that it must be somewhere,

Ok, the journey continues, i can print to pdf from tiny core linux. BUT thats not the real objective, I was trying to setup a cups pdf server for windows clients, I know I can get free pdf printer plugins for windows and am in fact already using them, I just want to see if linux can do it

From windows add new printer wizard I can connect to the printer with : http://192.168.157.133:631/printers/cups-pdf then windows asks me for a driver, duh of course it would right ?? So i'm hitting google right now. One guy says to use generic / MS Publisher Color Printer > and windows seems fine with it, but when I print from windows to that cups-pdf printer I get no response, checking the cups browser interface shows the jobs as completed, but nothing is turning up in /home/tc/cups-pdf

[Juanito]

all I can say is that cups-pdf (as opposed to cups1311-pdf) works fine with cups (as opposed to cups1311) when shared with windows machines for me...

[remus]

Thanks for the idea Juanito, I think I will download the newer extensions for cups and cups-pdf and stash them in my options folder.

I think my problem might have something to do with permissions.
I have used the cups browser admin interface and unticked "allow printing from the internet" and I have noticed in a few tutorials about serving cups-pdf to windows that the tutorial writer has ticked this. I've tried unticking the option in the cups browser interface from within tinycore linux via minefield and from my vmware host browser and I get a prompt for username and password, I use root, then I get an "Internal server error" message and the option is NOT ticked.

I might try manually editing the cupsd.conf file and see how I go.

[remus]

fixed one problem
The reason that I could not print was because I had a bunch of sym link files in /etc/cups again
cupsd.conf.N and cups-pdf.conf
So now the cups gui from a web browser works fine again.

However I still can't get a pdf If I print from windows.

I have made an assumption that if I printed from windows, I would get a window appearing asking me where I want to save the file. I'm wondering if this was an incorrect assumption.

[Juanito]

I have made an assumption that if I printed from windows, I would get a window appearing asking me where I want to save the file. I'm wondering if this was an incorrect assumption.

If I recall correctly, the pdf will be created in /var/spool/cups-pdf/{USER-NAME}

Edit: here's an example "printed" from a windows 7 machine:

Code: [Select]

$ sudo ls -l /var/spool/cups-pdf/pauline
total 5116
-rw-------    1 pauline  staff      5223203 Apr  1 13:00 smbprn_00000001_Microsoft_Word_-_tor.pdf

[remus]

Hi all,

sorting out the symbolic links for /etc/cups/cups-pdf.conf and /etc/cups/cupsd.conf.N is the only thing I did.

I have found jobs printed from a windows xp computer end up in
/var/spool/cups-pdf/ANONYMOUS

By the way, does anyone know what cupsd.conf.N is for ?

Is the best way to give windows uses access to the pdf files to setup the samba extension ?

[Juanito]

Is the best way to give windows uses access to the pdf files to setup the samba extension ?

Possibly - you could edit cups-pdf.conf to create pdf files in a samba share accessible to windows users

[grandma]

Getting Cups Print to PDF to Work with Firefox

ok

1. I used ap browser to complete the following operations

a) download cups-pdf.tcz and cups.tcz (which it said was already installed by the first operation)

Perhaps a "Printer Wiki" could walk through various printer installation steps?

A script "To Install" would be wonderful

b) tce-load -i cups-pdf - that seemed to work


2. Then I had firefox open - and to test the print to pdf feature I clicked FILE PRINT

no printers show up???

Is there a firefox setup process for this?

Thanks.

......... ok ............. retried the print process

Here is the confusion:

It says "PRINT TO FILE" - which in Windows leads to a "strange proprietary output" nothing can work with except Windows....and no "pdf printer" shows as a "device" to use for printing. A Windows utility called "PRINTTOPDF" shows as a physical device - but not with CUPS.

Instead - CUPS printer interface shows an option with the PRINT TO FILE screen - a radio box you click to print to a PDF file, then specify the folder and file name etc.

Just did that. Lets see if we got output....

...bingo - thar she be......