How-to
install
your
Epson AcuLaser C900
on
SuSE 9.0
The EPSON AcuLaser C900 is a
great, affordable Color Laser printer.
Almost only good qualities .... excepted one big problem : Installing
the
printer on Linux !
The printer does not support PostScript, PCL5 or 6 ... it uses
"ESC/Page S (host based)".
At this time ( 1Q 2004 ) :
- GhostScript has no support for this printer.
- No PPD file available.
- Impossible to use CUPS with this printer.
- No support from EPSON ...
|
 |
Only the Epson
Kowa Photo Image Print System Plus (PIPSPLUS) supports this model.
But, after many hours of tests, the conclusion is simple : the driver
provided by AVASYS ( version 1.1 ) would not work ...
The new version does not work on SuSE, Mandrake, RedHat ... and no
response from EPSON , nor AVASYS ...
Only the old version (0.1b) of
the driver ( impossible to download from AVASYS web site ) will work
with
the printer !
You can download them from here
( thanks to Toni Ronkko, Finland http://www.uku.fi/~tronkko for
the packages) :
Next problem : The
RPMs are for RedHat and some corrections must be done before you get a
printed page from your C900.
Installing
the C900 Driver :
You must be
ROOT on your system for the next steps ...
You must use LRPng ( PIPSPLUS does not support CUPS ) on your PC.
The access
to the printer must be done through parallel port or USB.
PIPSPLUS needs "a2ps", "psutils" and "ghostscript" packages installed (
install with YaST ).
SuSE
Printer Configuration
Before you install the PIPSPLUS driver, be sure that you have a correct
"LPRng" configuration.
Start YaST2 (or YaST in text mode), select "Hardware->Printer" and
be sure that "LPRng" is the default printing system
and that all need packages for LPNng are installed.
Install PIPSPLUS :
1) Download the packages from this page
2) Remove other PIPSPLUS packages (
version 1.1 ) from your PC
To check if pipsplus packages are installed on your system :
# rpm -qa |
grep pips
pipsplus-1.1-1
pipsplus-gtk-1.1-1
pipsplus-epson-alc900-1.1-1
pipsplus-epson-laser-1.1-1
To remove the packages :
# rpm --erase
pipsplus-epson-alc900-1.1-1
# rpm --erase
pipsplus-epson-laser-1.1-1
# rpm --erase
pipsplus-gtk-1.1-1
# rpm --erase
pipsplus-1.1-1
3) Check if you have a
"/etc/rc.d/init.d/" directory ...
If not ... create a link to /etc/init.d/
# cd /etc/rc.d/
# ln -s /etc/init.d init.d
4) Install the pipsplus base package
# rpm -i
pipsplus-0.1b-1.i386.rpm
error: Failed
dependencies:
lpr is needed by pipsplus-0.1b-1
The "lprng" package is installed, but the dependency is on "lpr"in
pipsplus ... does not exist on SuSE ...
Re-install, but ignore dependencies :
# rpm -i --nodeps
pipsplus-0.1b-1.i386.rpm
pipsplusd
0:off 1:off 2:off
3:on 4:off 5:on
6:off
/etc/rc.d/init.d/pipsplusd: line
30: /etc/rc.d/init.d/functions: No such
file or directory
error: %post(pipsplus-0.1b-1)
scriptlet failed, exit status 1
With a fresh installation of
SuSE 9.0, you could also get the following dependency message :
libstdc++-libc6.2-2.so.3 is needed
by pipsplus-0.1b-1
You can get this old version of
the library HERE and copy it
into "/usr/lib/".
The /etc/rd.d/init.d/pipsplusd contains some "Red Hat" commands and
must be corrected ...
A correct file is available here : pipsplusd.
Start PIPSPLUS ... with the new file :
#
/etc/init.d/pipsplus start
Starting
pipsplusd:
done
5) Install other packages
# rpm -i
/media/backup/pipsplus-gtk-0.1b-1.i386.rpm
# rpm -i
/media/backup/pipsplus-epson-laser-0.1b-1.i386.rpm
# rpm -i
/media/backup/pipsplus-epson-alc900-0.1b-1.i386.rpm
6) Almost done .... start the PIPSPLUS
configurator
#
pipsplus-config
You should get the following dialog on your screen :
Select "Add Printer" and enter infos on your printer :
Press on "Save" and restart "pipsplisd" and "lpd" ...
#
/etc/init.d/pipsplusd restart
Stopping
pipsplusd:
done
Starting
pipsplusd:
done
#
/etc/init.d/lpd restart
Shutting down
lpd
done
Starting
lpd
done
7) Check your installation
Start pipsplus-config and select your printer :
Click on "Configuration Printer" :
From this dialog, you can configure
all options of your printer ...
paper size, print quality, zoom, layout ( 1,2,4 pages on one page) and
some other options ...
Click on "Status Monitor" :
Yeah !!!! ....
You can also get this dialog as non-root user with the command
"pipsplus-monitor".
Use your new printer in all applications
Now that your driver has been installed and you have status for your
favorite printer, you have to make your C900 available in all
applications.
Restart SuSE YaST2 (or YaST in text mode) and go in
"Hardware->Printer".
You should see your C900 ( ALC900 ) in the list of "Already
installed printers and queues" :
* - not YaST -
Configured as:
ALC900
Press "Finish" and your C900 will be available in all printing
applications like "kprinter" and will be your default printer.
Enjoy your new
Linux printer ....
Install your C900 with a print server as a
network printer
Coming soon ...
Troubleshooting
:
After some months of use, you could have some trouble with your
printer. As a first sign of trouble, the printer driver sends a strange
e-mail message to root complaining about print job dying a horrible
death. Typically this is caused by the printer running out of
paper, a paper jam or the printer has run out of ink. Sometimes
the driver just sends the message without no apparent reason, and stops
functioning altogether.
To get the printer back on-line you need to restart both pipsplus and lpd.
Thank you very much to Toni Ronkko for his help.
Any comments are welcome !
Claude Gygax
