Postscript prints as text when coming from app, but OK when coming from file.

Robert Washburne rcw15 at turing.hbg.psu.edu
Thu Jan 7 13:12:19 PST 2010


> Robert Washburne wrote:
>
> > Issue
> > =====
> > Using the Print command from Firefox, OpenOffice3, etc. sends a Postscript
> > file to the printer which prints out as Postscript source rather than the
> > requested page.
> >
> > If I tell Firefox to Print-to-File it creates a Postscript file.  If I
> > then print that file using "lp -d printername filename" the file prints
> > correctly and I get my web page printed.
> >
> > I cannot find any difference between the source which printed out and the
> > file.
> >
> > Environment
> > ===========
> > HP LaserJet 4000 tn network printer with JetDirect card.  IP on same LAN
> > as server. Printer personality set to Auto. Server is Sunfire x86
> > architecture running Solaris 10u7 CUPS 1.3.10 precompiled for Solaris x86
> > from blastwave.org
> >
> > I can print any plain text file with "lp -d printername filename"
> > I can take any plain text file and convert it to a Postscript file with
> > "enscript"  Any Postscript file, including those made with enscript, sent
> > to printer with "lp -d printername filename" prints correctly. Only when I
> > request that something print directly from an application does it come out
> > in Postscript source.
> >
> > Does anyone have any suggestions?  I am running out of hair to pull out.
> > :-)
> > TIA!  Bob W.
>
> For a first diagnosis step, set the log level to debug, print something from
> your firefox or OOo 3, and post (an URL to) the respective portion of the
> cups error_log.
>
> Helge
>
Thank you, Helge, for the suggestion.  Unfortunately, it didn't show anything we didn't already know.

I requested two jobs, one a simple Postscript file which printed correctly and a print request from Firefox which printed as source text.  The debug output from the two were identical until about a hundred lines down.

First, argv[0]-argv[6] are displayed then envp[0]-envp[24].  It includes this line:
D [07/Jan/2010:15:02:52 +0500] [Job 17] envp[21]="CONTENT_TYPE=application/postscript"
Then the comments and prolog are examined and then the argv and envp lines are repeated, but this time the line looks like this:

D [07/Jan/2010:15:02:52 +0500] [Job 17] envp[21]="CONTENT_TYPE=text/plain"

For the file which worked, all of the debug lines are identical, but the content type remains application/postscript.  No indication is given as to why the content type should change for the one case but not the other.

Unfortunately, I do not have a URL to post the logs to.  But I have extracted the parts containing just these two jobs and they are quite small.  I can email them to whoever would like to look at them.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Bob W.




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