Documents Retrived as Tiff Images Print as Blank Pages

[Don Myers]

I print deeds and other documents from court house records. They are accessed by a browser through java. Both Firefox and Chrome work fine. Java is used to retrieve these documents for viewing. For printing, there is a special button to click for printing which allows page selection, printer selection, etc. The pages are retrieved to the printer as TIFF images. When printing them in 12.04 using cups 1.5.3-0ubuntu4 evertything is fine. When trying to print them in 12.10 with cups 1.6.1-0ubuntu10 the pages are blank. This happens whether or not I'm printing to a printer or using cups-pdf. When I click the print button in 12.04, the process says fetching page 1, printing page 1, fetching page 2, printing page 2, etc. In 12.10 the process shows the same thing, but the time fetching is about 3 times longer than in 12.04. As I said, In 12.10 the images are blank. In 12.04 the document prints perfectly.

In the lsb_release -rd in the terminal, the release just shows as Ubuntu 12.10. Since both 12.04 and 12.10 both appear to be using the same java release, and since I have the same browser versions and they are current on both systems, the only thing different is the version of cups between the two systems.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: cups 1.6.1-0ubuntu10
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-17.28-generic 3.5.5
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-17-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Oct 15 10:55:06 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Beta amd64 (20120926)
KernLog: Oct 15 10:33:01 don-NY553AAR-ABA-e9220y kernel: [ 2221.071917] SGI XFS with ACLs, security attributes, realtime, large block/inode numbers, no debug enabled
Lpstat:
 device for HP-Officejet-Pro-8000-A809: hp:/net/Officejet_Pro_8000_A809?ip=192.168.10.104
 device for ML-1710: usb://Samsung/ML-1710?serial=6101-03042537580
 device for PDF: cups-pdf:/
MachineType: HP-Pavilion NY553AAR-ABA e9220y
Papersize: letter
PpdFiles:
 PDF: Generic CUPS-PDF Printer
 HP-Officejet-Pro-8000-A809: HP Officejet Pro 8000 a809, hpcups 3.12.6
 ML-1710: Samsung ML-1710, 2.0.0
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-17-generic root=UUID=7376c9ea-59af-48b1-b54e-facecc160ff8 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: cups
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 01/22/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 5.09
dmi.board.name: ALOE
dmi.board.vendor: FOXCONN
dmi.board.version: 1.01
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr5.09:bd01/22/2010:svnHP-Pavilion:pnNY553AAR-ABAe9220y:pvr:rvnFOXCONN:rnALOE:rvr1.01:cvnHewlett-Packard:ct3:cvr:
dmi.product.name: NY553AAR-ABA e9220y
dmi.sys.vendor: HP-Pavilion

[Don Myers (donmyers)]

Here is some additional information. I've attached a view of the broswer. When viewing deeds, a separate toolbar comes up in the browser which is used to view different pages in the deed. This toolbar includes the printing button for the deed, which is used in place of the regular browser printing button. When a page is viewed in the browser, the browser is displaying a tiff image of the particular page. The second attachment is a pdf file printed on 7/5/12 with cups-pdf in Ubuntu 12.04. No problem. I've used Ubuntu continuously since 8.10, and I've never had any problem printing these pages until Ubuntu 12.10. The third attachement is a copy of the same deed printed with Ubuntu 12.10 today. Please note that the time stamp does print on the bottom of the pages, but the rest of the page, which is a tiff image, just shows up as blank. It is really annoying, and time consuming, to need to boot into Window just to print a deed. I updated both of my work computers to Ubuntu 12.10 and don't have access to 12.04 at the office. One computer at home still has 12.04 on. Deeds still print fine from it.

Your help in solving this would be greatly appreciated. I'm guessing I will need to send the second and third attachments as separate posts.

[Don Myers (donmyers)]

This is the second attachment which is a pdf file printed on 7/5/12 with cups-pdf in Ubuntu 12.04.

[Don Myers (donmyers)]

This is the third attachment. It is a copy of the same deed printed with Ubuntu 12.10 today. Please note that the time stamp does print on the bottom of the pages just as it did in the second attachment, but the rest of the page, which is a tiff image, just shows up as blank.

I'll be happy to do any diagnostics which would help.

[Don Myers (donmyers)]

One additional piece of information. If I print to a printer instead of cups in Ubuntu 12.10, I get the blank pages from the printer with just the time stamp on the bottom, the same as if I print to cups, so it is more than jsut a cups issue.

[Don Myers (donmyers)]

The cups updates to Ubuntu that were pushed out today did not fix the situation. The system which generates the pages is Acordex Imaging Systems.

[Don Myers (donmyers)]

This same bug is present in Ubuntu 13.04 Beta 2

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Can you please follow the instructions of the sections "CUPS error_log", "Capturing print job data", and "Getting the data which would go to the printer" on https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingPrintingProblems.

Does the problem occur for all your three print queues (Samsung, HP, cups-pdf)?

[Don Myers (donmyers)]

Thank you for your response!

Attached are the output files for the Cups error log and the Capturing print job data. The only thing printed on the Capturing print job data is text at the bottom of the page. The entire tiff picture area is blank.

I worked for about 3 hours trying to make the Getting the data which would go to the printer to work. There was already a line for FieldDevice No, so I would change it as root in gedit to FieldDeviceYes and save it. Here is the terminal input and output:
root@don-NY553AAR-ABA-e9220y:/home/don# lpadmin -p test -E -v file:/tmp/printout -P /etc/cups/ppd/Samsung-ML-2950.ppd
lpadmin: File device URIs have been disabled. To enable, see the FileDevice in "/etc/cups/cups-files.conf". This is in Ubuntu 13.04 Beta 2. I would then verify that the file was saved with FieldDevice Yes, and would still keep getting the message the message above. The test printer would show up as a printer. But when trying to print the file, no print job icon would ever appear in the bar at the top, but it would for the other printers. And no file could be found in the tmp folder.

I had three computers with 12.10 on whcih have now all been updated to 13.04 beta 2. It doesn't matter if I have 12.10 or 13.04, or if I'm printing to any of the attached porinters or to cups-pdf, or which computer I'm using. The results are the same - just blank pages with the text at the bottom. Above in one of my posts is the output from 12.04 using the cups printer. It worked perfectly in 10.04, 10.10, 11.04, 11.10, and 12.04. The issue happened in 12.10. I'm guessing it has to do with the updated cups version shipped with 12.10. I'm also guessing there is an issue with a filter telling the printer what to print. In 10.04 through 12.04, the printing was very fast. I'm guessing it sends each page as a print job. The cups error log attached should be showing multiple pages. What I see on the screen is Fetching Page 1, Printing Page 1, Fetching Page 2, Printing Page 2, etc. This process is 4 times slower in 12.10 and 13.04.

Please give me some tips on being able to get the getting the "Getting the data which would go to the printer" file to work properly so I can send it to you.

Thanks again for your help with this!

Don

[Don Myers (donmyers)]

Additional Attachement

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Don, your captured print job data is a PostScript file without the images, so the "Getting the data which would go to the printer" step is not needed any more as the images already get lost by the desktop application. In this case it is the Java engine. To print you have to click a button supplied by the Java application, not the usual "File"/"Print" of the browser, which means that the Java app generates the output stream (the stream would also be PDF if it comes from the browser). You should try to find a way to download or export the document and after that print the downloaded/exported file.

For me it looks like a problem of the Java engine. Are you sure that it did not change from 12.04 to 12.10?

[Don Myers (donmyers)]

Till, you hit the nail on the head!!!!!!! You are wonderful!!!!!!!!

I have no way of going back to my 12.10 installs since they have all been updated to 13.04. But I ran some tests on 13.04. Here are the results:
IcedTea-7-jre - current version from repository - fails
Oracle 1.7.0_17 - from http://www.webupd8.org - fails
IcedTea-6-jre - current version from repository - works perfectly
Oracle 1.6.0_43 - from http://www.webupd8.org - works perfectly
Windows 7 with Java 7, Update 17 - works perfectly

I have verified these results on two machines. Overall, I hadn't had any problems that I knew of with Java 7 on Ubuntu. But for doing this printing from the court house records (and your description of how it works is perfect - I just hadn't figured out that it might have been a Java problem instead of a printing problem) apparently there is a problem with how Ubuntu, or Linux in general, handles getting the images using Java 7, either IcedTea or Oracle. Using Java 7 in Windows to do the same printing works perfectly, so it seems like it isn't an issue with Java 7 on the court house end.

I am most happy now that I can print the documents again in Ubuntu without having to shut down and reboot in Windows just to print a deed.

Is there any additional testing I can do to help out the developers solve the issue with Java 7?

Thank you so very much for your assistance!!!!!!!

Don

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Don, I have added tasks for the Java packages in Ubuntu. If further information is needed, the Java maintainers will ask you for it.

[Don Myers (donmyers)]

Thank you again so much!!!!!!!

[Don Myers (donmyers)]

Hi,

I'm the person or initally reported this bug. This is an update. I've upgraded my computers to Ubuntu 13.10 Beta 2. The issue above still happens with openjdk-7 and 8, as well as the Oracle version of Java 7 and 8. When trying to print the documents in OpenJDK 7 or 8 or Oracle Java 7 or 8, the time frame for each image is about 5 times longer than the time frame when using OpenJDK6 or Oracle Java 6. The other thing that happens which I guessing is the real problem is that in all versions of 7 and 8, duing the capture process is says it is redrawing the images, which is probably why it takes so long compared to 6, and probably in redrawing the images, they become corroupted. I'm sure my time is limited as to how long I can continue to run OpenJDK-6 safely is coming to an end. It would be greatly appreciated if this issue could be dealt with.

Please let me know if you would like me to do more logging, or provide any additional information.

Thank you.