cups-pdf prints blank pages

[mcwolf]

after updating from ubuntu 21.04 to ubuntu 21.10 the virtual pdf printer started to print blank pages (to create washed pdf files)

printer-driver-cups-pdf, version 3.0.1-10

Description: Ubuntu Impish Indri (development branch)
Release: 21.10

printer-driver-cups-pdf:
  Installed: 3.0.1-10
  Candidate: 3.0.1-10
  Version table:
 *** 3.0.1-10 500
        500 http://bg.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu impish/universe amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 21.10
Package: printer-driver-cups-pdf 3.0.1-10
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.13.0-16.16-generic 5.13.13
Uname: Linux 5.13.0-16-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu69
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: unknown
CurrentDesktop: KDE
Date: Thu Sep 30 15:56:51 2021
InstallationDate: Installed on 2020-03-17 (561 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 20.04 LTS "Focal Fossa" - Alpha amd64 (20200205)
Lpstat: device for PDF: cups-pdf:/
Papersize: a4
PpdFiles: Error: command ['fgrep', '-H', '*NickName', '/etc/cups/ppd/PDF.ppd'] failed with exit code 2: grep: /etc/cups/ppd/PDF.ppd: Permission denied
SourcePackage: cups-pdf
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to impish on 2021-09-28 (2 days ago)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Norbert (nrbrtx)]

Reproducible on fresh install of Ubuntu MATE 21.10 with printer-driver-cups-pdf package @ 3.0.1-10 .

Steps to reproduce:
1. `sudo apt-get install cups-pdf`
2a. `atril /usr/share/cups/data/default-testpage.pdf`
2b. `lowriter`, type some text in it
2c. `pluma`, type some text in it
3. Ctrl+P, choose PDF printer, click print

Expected result:
* /home/$USER/PDF has new PDF file with correct contents

Actual result:
* /home/$USER/PDF has PDF file with empty white page

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Martin-Eric, would your last changes fix this bug?

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

Till, the last changes at Debian only make Ghostscript's warning about deprecated options disappear.

As far as I can tell, either CUPS or Ghostscript are the cause of the blank page. See Debian Bug#990210, towards the end. Someone traced the issue and did some investigation work.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

As a quick test, can you check if downgrading ghostscript (ghostscript, libgs9, libgs9-common) to the previous version fixes it or not?

[mcwolf (mcwolf)]

With the versions from 21.04 everything works fine

ghostscript:
  Installed: 9.53.3~dfsg-7ubuntu0.1
  Candidate: 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2
  Version table:
     9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2 500
        500 http://bg.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu impish/main amd64 Packages
 *** 9.53.3~dfsg-7ubuntu0.1 100
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

libgs9:
  Installed: 9.53.3~dfsg-7ubuntu0.1
  Candidate: 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2
  Version table:
     9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2 500
        500 http://bg.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu impish/main amd64 Packages
 *** 9.53.3~dfsg-7ubuntu0.1 100
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

libgs9-common:
  Installed: 9.53.3~dfsg-7ubuntu0.1
  Candidate: 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2
  Version table:
     9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2 500
        500 http://bg.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu impish/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://bg.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu impish/main i386 Packages
 *** 9.53.3~dfsg-7ubuntu0.1 100
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

Thanks. That confirms my suspicions.

Debian already has a patch for CUPS-PDF (pending import into Ubuntu) that removes the warning about deprecated Ghostscript options.

However, it seems that Ghostscript 9.54 brought in even more unexpected changes that somehow break CUPS-PDF. This will require additional investigation.

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

The newest package (3.0.1-13) has just been imported. Please check whether this fixes the issue.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

I have synced cups-pdf 3.0.1-13 into Ubuntu Impish now (see bug 1945939).

As soon as you get this version with your updates, please re-test and tell us here how far it solves your problems. Thanks.

[mcwolf (mcwolf)]

Everything works, 10x

printer-driver-cups-pdf:
  Installed: 3.0.1-13
  Candidate: 3.0.1-13
  Version table:
 *** 3.0.1-13 100
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     3.0.1-10 500
        500 http://bg.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu impish/universe amd64 Packages

ghostscript:
  Installed: 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2
  Candidate: 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2
  Version table:
 *** 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2 500
        500 http://bg.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu impish/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

libgs9:
  Installed: 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2
  Candidate: 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2
  Version table:
 *** 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2 500
        500 http://bg.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu impish/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

libgs9-common:
  Installed: 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2
  Candidate: 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2
  Version table:
 *** 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu2 500
        500 http://bg.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu impish/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://bg.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu impish/main i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[renbag (renbag)]

I confirm that after installing printer-driver-cups-pdf 3.0.1-13 from impish/proposed the cups-pdf-printer is working properly.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Two confirmations that the problem is solved, so I close this bug as fixed.

Thanks for the bug report and the confirmations that it is fixed.

[Norbert (nrbrtx)]

Jammy is not affected, it is great.