How to install printer driver without printer connected.

[Tim Waugh]

On Thu, 2009-12-03 at 10:53 +0000, Joe Feely wrote:
> I use a Dell 1720 laser printer 13 miles away (when I visit there), with
> no IN connection.

Here's a user-contributed openprinting.org entry for that device (I
think):
http://www.openprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=Dell-1720dn

It looks like you have two main options: PCL and PostScript.  CUPS in
Fedora 12 already comes with drivers for both of these languages so it
shouldn't be too hard to set up.  It won't be automatic though, as far
as I can tell.  This is because that device is not specifically listed
as being supported by any of the main printer drivers.

> How can I "install the required driver" while at home, from which I have
> access to the IN (and the CD I installed from, though I've no handy
> means of using this where the printer is).

First, make sure you have installed the updates.

Next, take a look at this entry in the common bugs list:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Common_F12_bugs#foomatic-not-installed

As foomatic does contain some additional PCL and PostScript drivers, it
might be worth installing it.  Better to have it available to try than
not, especially with no Internet connection on site.

Also worth installing: gutenprint-cups, which has some PCL drivers of
its own.

Once you have all those installed there's not a lot more you can
usefully do until you have the device connected.  Once you have though
it should prompt you to select a driver for it, presuming it's a USB
device.  Otherwise:

System->Administration->Printing

Click New

The printer should already be shown and selected; if not, select the
connection type (e.g. LPT #1 or whatever).  Click Next.

Select Generic for the manufacturer. (PCL and PostScript are standard
languages supported by many different manufacturers, and as I said
earlier there is no driver with specific support for this model.)  Click
Forward.

Select PCL Laser Printer (this is the CUPS PCL driver), for example.
Click Forward, and follow the rest of the on-screen instructions.

It will ask you whether to print a test page -- do this.  If it doesn't
work, double-click on the printer icon in the printer configuration
window and click the 'Change...' button next to 'Make and Model:', and
try another driver.

Tim.
*/

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