[PLUG] Communicating with USB-enabled Color LaserJet 2550L

[wes]

On Tue, Sep 6, 2011 at 5:00 PM, Rich Shepard <rshepard at appl-ecosys.com>wrote:

>   My HP Color LaserJet 2550L needed a new imaging drum which the Portland
> Printer Place sold me and then installed it. Now I'm trying to use the
> printer but cannot seem to communicate with it.
>
>   According to the CUPS Web interface, it's configured as:
>
> Description:    Color LaserJet 2550L
> Location:       office
> Driver: HP Color LaserJet 2550 Series Postscript (recommended) (color,
> 2-sided printing)
> Connection:     lpd://salmo/var/spool/cups
> Defaults:       job-sheets=none, none media=na_letter_8.5x11in
> sides=one-sided
>
>   When I try to print a test page it asks for a user and password, and says
> the system wants "CUPS" as the user. There is no such user in /etc/passwd,
> and it won't take 'root' and its password.
>
>   The printer prints a self-test page. The 'ready light' displays a steady
> green, but the Go light (with the Go button) stays dark.
>
>   The printer does have a local IP address: 192.168.55.194, but it's not on
> an Ethernet cable to a JetDirect card.
>
>   I'd like some suggestions for testing the situation to figure out where
> it's stuck.
>
>
Has this ever worked? Did this work previously in its current configuration?
If so, you likely don't have a CUPS problem, but a USB problem - let's see
your dmesg and lsusb output.

Assuming this is a new setup:

note the line:

> Connection:     lpd://salmo/var/spool/cups

this doesn't make any sense. CUPS appears to be trying to print to itself.
Hence, the password prompt. If it's connected via USB, (plugged in to a USB
port on salmo, I hope), the line should show the location of the printing
device. something like /dev/usblp0 or similar. CUPS does try to auto-detect
USB printers - if you click Add Printer, is it listed?

In my experience, USB is a less than ideal method to communicate with a
printer. I much prefer Ethernet whenever possible.

One other note: a quick search of my distro's package repository shows this:
printconf - automatically configures USB and parallel printers with CUPS
Perhaps yours has something similar available?

-wes