Bad Graphics Printing In Ubuntu

[Mel Thompson]

Any time I need graphics printed out, I run to the xerox shop across the way. I've only ever got good quality for text. Never got any Linux distro to print graphics well. I've been reading on the web that hardly anyone talks about it because it's pretty hopeless, and that Linux is mostly for just text folks. I'm on Ubuntu 10.04. I've tried all the drivers and all the print controls. I've got an HP 1012, one of the most common printers on the planet. I posted this problem of Ubuntu and most other Linux just not really being able to print even black and white graphics. Even just a black and white printout of a Map Quest page comes out so blurry. High-resolution photographs come out very dull. It all prints out way too light, except on text, which is actually sort of okay, in a limited sense. I had Apple, and it printed great. Of course Windows at work printed fine. Oddly, I'm stuck with a PC, and for the first time in my life I'm considering Windows, just because I can't really be burning a CD ROM and running over to Kinko's every time I need to print and black and white picture. I'm trying to get the real story on this. I posted on another forum specializing in my distro, but no one even responded to the bug report in any way, and those are lively forums. So I'm thinking no one wants to come out and tell me printing is really mostly a text thing in Linux and that people needy of graphics need to go elsewhere. One guy I read had to run Virtual Box and then run Windows in that in order to get graphics to print while still having Linux for other stuff. Please advise.

[Segfault]

Is this your printer? Printer: HP LaserJet 1012 | OpenPrinting - The Linux Foundation
Have you tried HPLIP driver?

[elija]

Is this your printer? Printer: HP LaserJet 1012 | OpenPrinting - The Linux Foundation
Have you tried HPLIP driver?

What I said

I'll also add that as it is a laser, how is the toner? try taking the cartridge out and tilting it from side to side a few times before re-inserting it. This redistributes all the stuff* inside. This is generally helps if you are getting uneven printing.

* Technical term.

[Mel Thompson]

Oh yes, I am a cartridge tilter, but alas, no luck that way. Some other posters noted that it's probably a hardware problem. I think they had newer printers and never had an issue. Mine is an old 1012, and perhaps I had not admitted to myself it's true age. Tried getting better drivers before and HPLIP and all that. Also, I'm noticing that I can't get certain commands to come up, like brightness and contrast that other posters were saying they were adjusting, and it may be that with my printer that's not available.

[Segfault]

Many moons ago I had a bunch of HP 5L printers at work and they printed just great. With Debian, that is.