PDF's printed with kpdf add extra white page on HP Color laserjet 2550

[mrvanes]

Steps to reproduce:

1. Create single page A4 pdf test-document (attached)
2. Open with kpdf
3. Print to HP Color LaserJet 2550 (CUPS PS driver/recommended, default papersize A4)
4. Watch 2 pages coming out of the printer, the last one blank.

5. Open pdf again, print preview shows only 1 page

6. Print test pdf to PS file
7. View with KGhostview: 1 single page

Ubuntu version is: Kubuntu/Gutsy, printing system: CUPS.

[wolfger (wolfger)]

Can you print the document with another program, and tell us if it still prints as two sheets? That will help determine if the problem is kpdf or cups/printer.

[mrvanes (mrvanes)]

1. Opened the test.pdf file with xpdf and export/save as test.ps
2. lpr -P HPCLJ2550 test_xpdf.ps prints 1 page

3. Opened test.pdf with kpdf, print as ps (test_kpdf.ps)
4. lpr -P HPCLJ2550 test_kpdf.ps prints 2 pages

Attached are test_xpdf.ps and test_kpdf.ps in test.tar.gz

[mrvanes (mrvanes)]

1. Should read: export/save as test_xpdf.ps

[Albert Astals Cid (aacid)]

Open test_xpdf.ps and test_kpdf.ps files with kghostview/ggv/anyOtherPsViewer -> 1 Page

So printer driver bug.

[mrvanes (mrvanes)]

Did some further testing:
test_kpdf.pdf + Foomatic printer driver prints only 1 page, but kills the printer afterwards.
test_kpdf.pdf + CUPS+Gutenprint driver 5.0.1 prints only 1 page

[mrvanes (mrvanes)]

But Gutenprint driver for HPCLJ2500 can only print B&W so that's no option...
http://gutenprint.sourceforge.net/p_Supported_Printers.php3

[janning (vygen-kicktipp)]

I had the same problem. but printing the same file under debian sarge just printed fine without an extra blank page.

the difference was the pdf > ps converter

do an
  aptitude install xpdf

uninstalls some other tool and uses xpdf for rendereing to ps.

[mrvanes (mrvanes)]

This doesn't help for me. Would be nice to know what's changed so I may check by hand if I have the same setup?

[Tanker Bob (tankerbob)]

I have this exact same problem with kpdf under KDE 3.5.9, Kubuntu Hardy 8.04.1 up to date, and a Brother HL-5240 laser printer. It always prints an extra blank page after each job. Sometimes it prints an extra page in between multiple copies of a page, which is particularly annoying when printing 2 sided. I had this bug under Kubuntu Gutsy as well. The CUPS upgrade in Hardy didn't make any difference. KGhostView doesn't have this issue.

[mrvanes (mrvanes)]

Today I was totally fed up with the by now notorious extra white page and hinted by the original kpdf developer that the ubuntu version of kpdf is too heavily modified to support from his side, I compiled and tried the original version, distributed with kdegraphics-3.5.10. To my surprise the extra white page is now gone!
So my plea to the ubuntu maintainers would be: PLEASE stay away from the kpdf code and leave it as it is, it looks like you're breaking more than you're fixing!

The difference between the .ps files generated by the two versions are:
--- kpdf_ubuntu.ps 2008-10-24 16:43:38.000000000 +0200
+++ kpdf_original.ps 2008-10-24 16:51:39.000000000 +0200
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
 %%PageMedia: plain
 %%EndDefaults
 %%BeginProlog
-%%BeginResource: procset xpdf 3.00 0
-%%Copyright: Copyright 1996-2004 Glyph & Cog, LLC
+%%BeginResource: procset xpdf 3.02 0
+%%Copyright: Copyright 1996-2007 Glyph & Cog, LLC
 /xpdf 75 dict def xpdf begin
 % PDF special state
 /pdfDictSize 15 def
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@
 %%EndProlog
 %%BeginSetup
 xpdf begin
-595 842 true pdfSetup
+595 842 false pdfSetup
 %%EndSetup
 %%Page: 1 1
 %%BeginPageSetup

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

Is this symptom still reproducible in 8.10 or 9.04?

[mrvanes (mrvanes)]

I'm running Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) with experimental KDE 4.1.80 packages and the problem seems solved in Okular.

[Jonathan Thomas (echidnaman)]

Reported fixed.

[Tanker Bob (tankerbob)]

It is NOT fixed in kpdf in 8.04.1 LTS. Okular is a different program in Intrepid. The latest kpdf in KDE 3.5.10 for Hardy still has this bug.