how do i install a .ppd.bin file?

[c5vetter]

otay - have a relatively old laser printer that worked wonderfully until I moved to Ubuntu - trying to get it to work - got my HP ink jet to work, but not the Epson ActionLaser 1500 - have determined I probably need a driver and downloaded the following two files, but have NO CLUE where to go after saving them to my desktop!

/home/aleshire/Desktop/Epson-ActionLaser_1100-ljet3.ppd

/home/aleshire/Desktop/OmniEpsonVendor-0.9.2.tar.gz

I also attempted to use //localhost:631 to install cupsys and that failed miserably

So, what do I need to do to install one or the other of the above mentioned files? or, can someone give me step-by-step instructions to get my printer working

[oz]

.PPD files can be put in the following folder:

/usr/share/cups/model

You must have root permissions to move the file to that folder. If you've chosen the correct .PPD file and CUPS is properly installed, you should be able to reboot (or restart CUPS) after moving the PPD file to the above folder, then enter localhost:631 into your web browser location bar to use the CUPS interface for selecting and configuring the printer.

[c5vetter]

otay - understand where iI need to move the file to - but how do I get root permission to do what you suggest? newb here, so learning!

[oz]

Ubuntu uses sudo to gain admin privilages, so you should be able to go to a terminal and run the mv (move) command to move it to the proper folder:

sudo mv /current/path/to/file_name.ppd /usr/share/cups/model

Change the current path to part to where ever you currently have the file to be moved.

[c5vetter]

many thanks - will try that now

[oz]

If the ppd file still resides in your /home directory as indicated above, the command should be like this:

sudo mv /home/aleshire/Desktop/Epson-ActionLaser_1100-ljet3.ppd /usr/share/cups/model

Assuming that is the correct ppd file for your printer, you get the file moved to the folder as directed above, and cups in properly installed, you should be able to use the cups interface as directed in the prior post above to select and configure your printer.

Hope it works for you.

[c5vetter]

otay - still unable to get Ubuntu to recognize the printer - am at wits end!

am thinking perhaps a new printer, such as an ALL-in-One - what kind of printer do others use - notice that most manufacturers say nothing about supporting Linux, just Windows and MAC OS's

[oz]

You'll find that most Brother and HP printers work with Linux, but not all of them.

I personally use Brother laser printers (their HL series) and have been very happy with them. They actually provide Linux drivers for a number of their printers:

Brother Solutions Center : Brother Driver for Linux Distributions

...but most distros already have the drivers included so I rarely resort to the Brother website for any printer drivers.

[c5vetter]

Oz,

thanks for the quick response - was actually leaning toward a Brothjer laser

[oz]

Here's a better link for Brother drivers that shows at a glance which of their printers they have drivers for:

Brother Solutions Center : Brother Driver for Linux Distributions