[cups.general] Zero Page Documents (DCTDecodeFilter Error)

[Helge Blischke]

Paul Ortman wrote:
> 
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> Helge Blischke wrote:
> > The error messages come from the printer itself (via the backchannel handler of the socket
> > backend). I tested the PDF with some printers at our site and got the same error message as you
> > on a HP 5000 printer (PostScript level 2, not an Adobe RIP); the other level2 and level 3 printers
> > I tested it on printed the file OK.
> 
> The original printer was a HP 4000 series and I was using the PS driver.
>  I've since been able to print the problem files on a several other
> printers (HP 4250 and HP 5100).
> 
> > At the bottom line: it is an issue of the printer you used. If you can't get a firmware update,
> > you only can buy another printer.
> 
> That definitely stinks.  The HP 4000 doesn't support firmware updates,
> so I'm afraid I'm up a creek on this one.  Would changing the driver
> possibly improve the situation (PCL)?  Could I force PS2 instead of PS3,
> and would that make a difference?
> 
> Thanks for your help.  I didn't know where that error was being
> generated or where to even begin looking.
> 
> - --
> Paul Ortman
> 

You didn't tell which CUPS version you are using and which pdftops filter (the original one
or the alternate one). To search for a workaround, you could do the following test,
using xpdf's original pdftops utility:

Convert the PDF to a level 1 ps file. This will result in a substantially bloated ps
file, as level 1 does not support any data compression and only allows hex representation
for binary data. 

If that succeeds with your printer, you could 
(a) modify your CUPS to use the alternate pdftops filter (download from the CUPS home page, 
    see the links there) and edit the filter's configuration file accordingly,
or
(b) modify your printer's PPD (or, better, set up a second queue with the modified PPD)
    to specify language level 1 only

Helge


-- 
Helge Blischke
Softwareentwicklung
SRZ Berlin | Firmengruppe besscom
http://www.srz.de