Slow Printing on Linux? 87
sciguy125 asks: "I switched to Linux a few months ago and the biggest problem that I've had is with my printer. I've got a Canon S520 and Red Hat 9. It prints painfully slow. If I want to print word documents that are more than 5 pages, it's faster to reboot into Windows and print from there. I've scoured the Internet and found that many people are having this problem, but nobody has a satisfactory solution. The most common suggestion is to get a faster computer, thinking that GhostScript is running slow. I'm fairly sure that isn't my problem because the processor is only at about half load when printing. I'm not exactly sure how wide spread this problem is, but I do know that there is at least a decent sized handful of people struggling with it. At first, I was considering dropping Linux because this printing problem is a serious issue with me, but now I just leave a good chunk of my printing until after 2am." Has anyone run into the problem before? What could make a print job spool at unusually slow rates to the printer?
Possible cause of the problem: (Score:4, Funny)
Doubt it. (Score:2)
CUPS 1.1.20 on Mandrake 10.0 on an Athlon 2000.
Perhaps Epson haven't implemented the Halt and Catch Fire opcode [peacelink.de]?
Re:Doubt it. (Score:2)
lp0 printer on fire!
Go here for more info:
http://www.eeggs.com/items/1037.html
Re:Doubt it. (Score:2)
Re:Doubt it. (Score:2)
How To Flame Your Printer (Score:2)
Bandwidth perhaps? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Bandwidth perhaps? (Score:1)
Re:Bandwidth perhaps? (Score:2)
He is running RH9, so its a pretty safe bet since CUPS is the default.
Re:Bandwidth perhaps? (Score:1)
Re:Bandwidth perhaps? (Score:2)
I have a basic AMD 2500/512mb/gforce4 box with two swappable ata drives frames (not hot). I have tons of old 10,20,30gb drives, and have 12 trays loaded with them so I can install and check out all kinds of OSs, xp, debian, slack, rh, suse, fedora, 98, bsd, etc. Even have one with win 3.1 (1.6gb drive). Just uses one CD bay. I bought the trays/frame combos for less than $10 each from computergate.com. I have the spare frames in several other
Re:Bandwidth perhaps? (Score:1)
That one works for me and my Epson 760. What I did was make an extra printspool, one for high resolution (graphics), and one for low resolution (textdocuments). This works fairly well for my old inkjet printer.
Performance options (Score:5, Informative)
Try this (Score:4, Informative)
Possible USB issue? (Score:5, Informative)
I ran into this some time back... exactly as you describe - painfully slow printing with little CPU impact.
After some searching I found a hint that it might be related to my USB driver.
Try switching from uhci to usb-uhci (or vise-versa) and see if that makes a difference.
If they're built into your kernel, you'll have to configure them as modules both and rebuild it.
My disposable toy-printer (Lexmark Z35) now works great _and_fast_ in Linux.
Re:Possible USB issue? (Score:1, Redundant)
My USB modules (Score:2)
Re:My USB modules (Score:3, Informative)
The guy who posed the question said he's running RedHat 9, which is a 2.4 kernel based disto... not Mandrake running a 2.6 kernel.
If you're having the same issue, maybe it's because you're using 3 drivers at the same time.
If you have both USB-1.x and USB-2.0 ports on your box I can understand running ehci_hcd for the 2.0 card, but you only need one driver for the other interface.
Frankly, I'm surprized it even loaded both 1.x drivers at the same time.
USB 2.0 use separate USB 1.x controller(s) (Score:2)
Re:USB 2.0 use separate USB 1.x controller(s) (Score:2)
Yes, as I stated in my reply (to which you replied), I understand that the ehci would be needed for USB-2.0, and either ohci or uhci would be needed for USB-1.x.
My comment was about the fact that both ohci and uhci drivers were loaded.
Those two are for different chip designs.
Re:USB 2.0 use separate USB 1.x controller(s) (Score:2)
Doh! (Score:1)
You're right. I didn't read your post closely enough before delivering an unnecessary lecuture about USB2, which I hope helped enlighten some other reader, because otherwise I just wasted a lot of my time. I apologize for wasting yours.
I see from the original poster's follow-up that it looks like he has a dedicated ohci usb-1.x controller in a
Related problem (Score:1)
ghostscript is slow (Score:2)
Check this out:
http://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=68691
They are improving it, however.
David
(So basically, from my testing, it looks like ghostscript makes HUGE postscript files which it then sends to the printer, and takes much longer because the files are so huge).
Re:ghostscript is slow (Score:3, Informative)
Updates (Score:2)
I know when I had RedHat, I had an issue with UDMA/66 not working on my VIA chipset. It was a 686A soutbridge and the driver didn't let UDMA transfer rates go beyond UDMA/33. I had to download a driver from VIA to compile into the kernel to get UDMA/66 transfers.
Re:Answer: Mediocre OS (Score:3, Interesting)
The problem is that while Windows gets drivers made by the printer manufacturer, Linux and Mac get drivers that don't take full advantage of all the features of the printers. Of course, this has little to do with the OS.
hplj1200 example (Score:2, Interesting)
slightly unrelated (Score:4, Informative)
People don't realize that most consumer based printers in OS X go through a crazy amount of processing.
For example, If I'm printing a document from MS word, that gets converted into a PDF, then to PS, then to the native printers language, and finally out!
Crazy!
Now when you convert that to the windows, or OS 9 world,
PS straight to the native printers language, to the USB port.
Thats quick!
If you want a real test in linux to see if its spooling, or the pipe to the printer, "stop" the print queue, the job will spool, and then restart the queue.
When the queue starts, the files already spooled, and it just needs to be sent!
good luck
A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:5, Insightful)
Windows
Run the setup program. This installs an applet in the Control Panel along with the driver. The printer is detected on the USB port the first time I turn it on. Sharing is done in about five seconds with a right-click and a couple of selections.
Linux
Install Foomatic, install CUPS, install Ghostscript, fart around for thirty minutes making sure that they can all talk to each other. The total installation size for all of this is well over 50Mb and don't even talk to me about sharing the printer over my network, it isn't going to happen.
Wake up and smell the coffee guys !! We are now well into the 21st Century and Linux is still using a printing system that appears to have been written in the 1960's. This needs fixing with a solution that is small, fast and easy to use.
OK, rant over, feel better now.
Ed Almos
Budapest, Hungary
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:2)
I recently installed Fedora Core 1 for a coworker who wanted to try Linux but thought something like Slackware (what I run) looked too daunting.
I got his printer working by opening the printer control applet and selecting the printer type and connection. Sharin
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:2)
Unfortunately... (Score:2)
We just do like everyone else does and pony up for a real Postscript pritner and be done with it.
Re:Unfortunately... (Score:2)
I wonder how many people have tried Linux at home, found they couldn't get it to work with their existing printer, and have gone running back to Windows?
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:1)
The second time, with an HPDJ660C, already being familiar with the CUPS interface, I had it working in 2 minutes... no software needed to be installed. With a fancy network printer operating via jetdirect it took me another 2 minute
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:1)
A+ for CUPS from me, too. It seamlessly took the .ppd file for our Canon IR5500 "do-everything" printer at work here and CUPS (and KDE, by extension) knew all about the paper trays, duplexer and all the bells and whistles. No screwing around.
Well maybe a little -- you had to put the .ppd file in the right directory and restart CUPS for it to see it, but that was it.
CUPS is great but it ain't perfect (Score:2)
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:2)
Unfortunately that's not my experience. I'm running Red Hat 9, with CUPS, Foomatic and a fairly bog standard installation.
Setting it up for my HP990cxi was nice and straightforward.
But can you explain why when printing some simple documents from OpenOffice Writer, it doesn't send anything to the printer (the data light doesn't flash), and "lpq" shows that a file is spooled but nothing happe
Not everyone's experience (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:3, Interesting)
BTW, I can take a current SuSE, install it, and about 2/3 of the time it'll detect my printer and set it up for me even better than windows. Teh remaining third takes a couple of minutes to use the same setup procedure as windows, essentially - click "printers" in YaST, select the port, select the printer ty
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:2)
Preferably with a complete, end to end example of 2 or 3 major printer types from major manufacturers (say 1 HP, and 1 Epson printer).
I don't want a developers guide. I don't want to read code. I don't want to futz with foomatic vs. gimp-print (though I recognize that is required and not going to change soon). I
Printer install walkthrough, screen by screen (Score:5, Informative)
Works just as well for networked printers and printers attached to MS-Windows boxes (might need a username/password for an MS-Window box set up to require that), other CUPS printers are 100% automatic unless you tell CUPS not to.
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:2)
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:5, Insightful)
About 6 years ago, I had my first experience with a WinPrinter. A lexmark color inkjet. Of course it wasn't supported in Linux. It was almost 2 years later before support for it got into Linux. I had nothing but problems even then. Lexmark? Meet trashcan.
Since most of what I print was text, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new laser printer. I did a fair amount of research and found the Brother 1270N which was a network capable laser that supported postscript! Best decision ever. Postscript printers just work. No dinking around.
About a year ago, I decided it was time to get a color printer for photos. Again, more research. I found that Epson HAD A CLUE and that the printer drivers for Linux were great. I researched which models were currently available and which were supported in Linux, and everything just worked. No screwing around. It's as fast as windows and the output is just as good.
Moral of the story: STOP BUYING CRAP from manufacturers that refuse to cooperate with the Linux community and only support those willing to disclose the information needed to use their products!!!
Back in the days before "winprinters", printer manufacturers ALWAYS disclosed the programming info. In fact, it usually came WITH the printer right in the manual. There is no exuse for keeping it "secret." Next on my list is to replace my HP scanner that doesn't have good Linux drivers or documentation. Looking through the SANE supported list, I don't see many current gen scanners with any support. Any suggestions??? Scanners seem to be even worse than printers!
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:1)
Epson.
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:2)
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:2)
Scanner recommendation (Score:2)
One would hope this is obvious -- not doing business with organizations that don't treat you well -- but I'm pleasantly surprised to see someone else echoing this concern.
I have an Epson Perfection 1260 [google.com] and I've found that they are plug and play with Fedora Core GNU/Linux 1 and 2. I imagine any other free
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:2)
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:2, Insightful)
Naah. Here in the 21st Century we don't waste trees to convey or store information. That's what e-mail and PDF files are for.
[To the topic, though: CUPS/IPP is great. USB printers are great. My Lexmark 312foo is hooked to CUPS on my NetBSD box, and all of my other com
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:2)
Another printing experience (Score:2)
Microsoft Windows 2000 had a lot of problems with the supplied drivers and I had I not used the printer's native ability to connect t
Re:A Plea to the Linux Developers (Score:2)
Here's a driver from Canon (Score:2)
my solution (Score:2, Interesting)
It saved me a lot of hassle. And now Unicode characters print correctly, which is nice too.
It's not worth tweaking it on Linux, get another OS to do the dirty work. My opinion of course.
Re:my solution (Score:1)
I actually found the universal-ness of CUPS to be quite useful, in that I could print to a parallel-port-connected Epson on a Linux box from USB-only Macs running 10.3.
POSTSCRIPT (Score:4, Interesting)
With a PS printer, there is no complex setup involving filters and GhostScript and other stuff. You just send the PS documents straight to the printer. They print as fast as the computer can send the data, because the printer does all the rendering. It doesn't matter if you have a 386 or a P4 3.6, printing is at top speed.
Better yet, upgrade the printer with a print server and things get even easier. It looks just like a little computer on the LAN, it accepts jobs from others perfectly because it's running LPD (or something else). All your computers print!
I have fussed and fussed with printers over the years. It wasn't untill my brother got a Mac and we had to get a PostScript cartridge for my printer that I realized the wonders of PS. All my computers were printing faster because they weren't doing the rendering any more. And you should see how fast PDF files print in Windows because they are just passed on to the printer (since they are basically PS).
People complain about WinModems, where the CPU is forced to do all the labor. Why don't people complain about those $50 printers? They have no brains, it's up to your computer to do all the thinking, either with GhostScript or the driver in Windows. Get a REAL printer. Get a SMART printer. Get a PS printer and save yourself all the headaches.
Sorry if this sounds like an ad, I'm just a college student. But setting up my PS printer under Linux was a walk in the park. I've never gotten another printer set up well (with the exception of an old dot matrix, which didn't do graphics or anythign) because they are a pain. A printer with a brain (PS) is what we need.
PS: If there was another standard that worked like PS, I'd be fine with that. PCL is nice, but Linux prints using PS so with a PCL printer you still have to run GhostScript.
Re:POSTSCRIPT (Score:3, Funny)
Re:POSTSCRIPT (Score:2)
As for the print server, if you're like me you have a few computers in the house. With a print server the printer is available ALL the time, not only when one PC is on. It can go ANYWHERE there is an ethernet jack (in the case of my JetDirect card). It's ju
PS & TCP/IP == heaven (Score:1)
of the big name unixes convinced me that PS was
the only way to go. SGI, SUN, HP, Mac, Windows
all support Postscript, and especially networked
Postscript. A few will charge extra for drivers
that use resolutions greater than 600dpi, because
they figure you're working in a prepress shop
(and can afford the Hi-Res drivers). All will
make use of a human readable configuration file
called a PPD (Postscript Printer Definition) file.
With it, you can add a custom page size o
Same (Score:2)
Commercial printing driver, turboprint. (Score:1)
The driver is just working so well: Borderless printing, photos, anything. Gives you every feature you have from canon's windows driver and in some cases more.
Its also cups compatible, so you can share out your printer using this driver on your local network. There is a catch though, the driver costs $30. However its really full featured, and supports many printers, I f
Get a Cheap JetDirect card (Score:2)
That should simplify things greatly....
Oh, and use the KDE printing tools
I feel your pain (Score:2)
RedHat 9 and my Epson Stylus Color 600... (Score:2)
Re:RedHat 9 and my Epson Stylus Color 600... (Score:2)
What I do is use kprinter to spool all my print jobs (in kcontrol make sure that your printing system is set to CUPS at the lower right). I made a wrapper script that just has two lines and replaced my
#!/bin/bash
kprinter $* 2>
Keep your old lpr executable around (lpr.old) so you ca