Linux/Cups/HP OJ Pro K550 printer

[dick thompson]

I am getting confused in trying to define my printer to the various CUPS/Linux distros.  I am currently using UBUNTU, KUBUNTU, Sabayon, Wolvix, Slackware, and Windows XP.

Windows, Ubuntu and Kubuntu all seem to have the printer in the database when I try to add it.  Sabayon, Wolvix and Slackware using the KDE database don't find the printer.  In all cases the HP OJ Pro K550 is identified as the printer located at USB#1.  To get the Sabayon, Wolvix and Slackware to print I have to select a printer that uses the same drivers as the K550.  When I do that I can print.  In the other cases I can print.

The next problem is the duplex operation.  With Windows and Ubuntu I have the option to select duplex off/on/manual.  With the others there is no indication of duplex operation at all for some reason.  At the same time with Ubuntu I cannot print duplex manual either.

Very strange.  I thought that the database of printer drivers would be a constant across all the distros and that if you found it in one of them you would be able to find it in all.  The distros all detect the proper printer.  You just can't select that printer to get the drivers.

The bit about the duplex printing is mystifying to me, especially between Ubuntu and Kubuntu, since those two use a common base of code.

This is all with the latest CUPS version so far as I can determine.

I am interested in this because I need to print out the manuals for the various distros, which is a lot of printing, and I want to print them duplex so as not to give all my hard earned money to the paper companies.