cannot set default printer

[Skewray]

lpadmin will not set default printer:

# sudo lpadmin -d HP-Officejet-Pro-8600-2
# lpstat -d
no system default destination

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.04
Package: cups-client 2.0.2-1ubuntu3.2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.19.0-28.30-generic 3.19.8-ckt5
Uname: Linux 3.19.0-28-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.17.2-0ubuntu1.4
Architecture: amd64
CupsErrorLog: E [19/Sep/2015:11:29:30 -0700] [Client 182] Returning IPP client-error-bad-request for Send-Document (ipp://localhost:631/printers/HP-Officejet-Pro-8600-2) from localhost
CurrentDesktop: XFCE
Date: Sat Sep 19 11:36:34 2015
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-01-02 (625 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Lubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release amd64 (20131016)
KernLog:

Lpstat: device for HP-Officejet-Pro-8600-2: dnssd://Officejet%20Pro%208600%20%5BA9023B%5D._pdl-datastream._tcp.local/?uuid=1c852a4d-b800-1f08-abcd-843497a9023b
MachineType: MSI MS-7751
Papersize: letter
PpdFiles: HP-Officejet-Pro-8600-2: HP Officejet Pro 8600, hpcups 3.15.2
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 SHELL=/bin/tcsh
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.19.0-28-generic root=UUID=56c146b8-ca77-456e-8606-3395117a8441 ro quiet splash nomdmonddf nomdmonisw nomdmonddf nomdmonisw nomdmonddf nomdmonisw nomdmonddf nomdmonisw
SourcePackage: cups
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to vivid on 2015-04-25 (147 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 09/14/2012
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: V17.3
dmi.board.asset.tag: To be filled by O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: Z77 MPower (MS-7751)
dmi.board.vendor: MSI
dmi.board.version: 4.0
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: MSI
dmi.chassis.version: 4.0
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrV17.3:bd09/14/2012:svnMSI:pnMS-7751:pvr4.0:rvnMSI:rnZ77MPower(MS-7751):rvr4.0:cvnMSI:ct3:cvr4.0:
dmi.product.name: MS-7751
dmi.product.version: 4.0
dmi.sys.vendor: MSI

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Please follow the instructions on

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingPrintingProblems

especially of the section "CUPS error_log". With debug logging activated do the

sudo lpadmin -d HP-Officejet-Pro-8600-2

again and attach your error_log file to this bug afterwards.

In general, you do not need to use the "sudo" command when you are in a root shell ("#" at the end of the prompt instead of "$"). For "lpadmin" and other printing-related commands you do not need "sudo" when you are an admin user (usually the first user created during system installation).

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

I have checked your error_log file and it does not show any irregularities, according to it the setting of HP-Officejet-Pro-8600-2 as default printer should have been done correctly. Do you have one or more of the files

~/.lpoptions
~/.cups/lpoptions
/etc/cups/lpoptions
/root/.lpoptions
/root/.cups/lpoptions

If you have one or more of these, post the content of each of these files here.

[Skewray (ubuntu-skewray)]

None of the remaining files in your list exist.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Removing ~/.cups/lpoptions should solve your problem.

rm ~/.cups/lpoptions

[Skewray (ubuntu-skewray)]

It does fix the problem. The bug still exists: lpadmin is unable to change the default printer because it is either unable to alter ~/.cups/lpoptions, or it does not report an error when it fails.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Currently, this is the standard behavior of upstream CUPS. I think there should be at least an error message.

Scenario is that a non-existing print queue is set as (personal) default in ~/.cups/lpoptions and with this it is not possible to set a default printer with "lpadmin -d <printer>" and one does not get any warning or error message. Even if the lpadmin command has set the system default, it should warn that the calling user has a personal default in ~/.cups/lpoptions (and perhaps even that the personal default is an invalid, non-existing queue).

Please report this to CUPS upstream at

http://www.cups.org/str.php