[SOLVED] Printing to Cups server produces black pages

[Dapper Dan]

I've been Googling for days and cannot find a solution for this.

My home CRUX box is also a network Cups print server for other machines on the same network. For a long time now, I've used an HP OfficeJet V40xi. Recently, on a client machine, I installed CRUX 2.7 on the same drive as Ubuntu. From Ubuntu to the Cups server, printing works properly. From CRUX on the same machine I get only black pages from the Cups server's printer when sending it jobs.

Two days ago, I retired the OfficeJet V40xi and installed a new HP PhotoSmart D110 /printer/scanner. When printing from the above remote machine, I get the same result. Ubuntu produces print jobs correctly but CRUX on same machine still prints nothing but black pages. This is the only error I get from the CRUX client:

E [03/Apr/2011:21:41:26 -0500] Unable to open listen socket for address ::1:631 - Address family not supported by protocol.

The Cups server gives no errors. Can anyone venture a guess as to what is mis-configured on the CRUX client that would result in it's print jobs coming out as solid black pages? Any ideas appreciated.

[Dapper Dan]

It gets stranger still...

I hooked up the OfficeJet v40xi to another Ubuntu machine within the same network and the CRUX client in question prints to it perfectly! Yet, trying a print job again from this CRUX client to the CRUX Cups server, still, all black pages!!

The problem cannot be with the CRUX Cups server as all machines except the CRUX client print to it with no problems. I would really appreciate anyone's thoughts or ideas on this.

[Dapper Dan]

Sorted!

I started feeling like the Cups server just didn't like what this particular client was sending so I nuked and paved everything related to Cups printing on the server and re-compiled and installed. When done, the print server itself started making black pages when printing from the host machine! Digging further, I found this life saver tucked away in /usr/ports/opt/cups:

REQUIREMENTS

1. This version of cups no longer includes a postscript interpreter. Install
   the ghostscript port additionally.
2. In order to have more printer drivers available, the installation of the
   gutenprint port (formerly gimp-print) is recommended. HP DeskJet/LaserJet
   users should install the hpijs driver.
3. Build and install in the following order:
   - cups
   - gutenprint (optionally)
   - ghostscript
   - foomatic-filters (optionally)
   - hpijs (optionally)

Most common printers should be supported by the above configuration, if
NOT you must have foomatic-filters installed and must generate a PPD file
(Postscript Printer Description) for your printer:

1. Select your printer from http://www.linuxprinting.org/printer_list.cgi
2. Select a driver, be shure the driver is available within ghostscript.
   You can see all drivers included in ghostscript with a 'gs -h'.
3. Download the PPD file for your printer.
4. Save the PPD file to /usr/share/cups/model/<name>.
5. Restart cups with '/etc/rc.d/cups restart'


PRE-INSTALL

1. Remove a installed lprng package.
   Cups and lprng cannot be installed together.

POST-INSTALL

1. Configure your printer with the web-interface, http://localhost:631.

So I wiped both machines of everything Cups/print related, built and installed in the instructed order and now I have Cups printing again from all machines with no black pages!