under Kubuntu 9.10 amd64, cups-pdf creates files with no visible text

[Bruce Miller]

Binary package hint: cups-pdf

In my environment, cups-pdf consistently produces pdf files of length 2192 bytes that contain no visible text:

~$ ls -l PDF
total 20
-rw------- 1 bruce bruce 2192 2009-11-24 08:59 stufin-20090916.pdf
-rw------- 1 bruce bruce 2192 2009-11-24 09:02 stufin-20090919.pdf
-rw------- 1 bruce bruce 2192 2009-11-24 09:04 stufin-20090921.pdf
-rw------- 1 bruce bruce 2192 2009-11-24 09:06 stufin-20091022.pdf
-rw------- 1 bruce bruce 2192 2009-11-24 09:08 stufin-20091118.pdf

A sample of one such output file is attached.

Other details of my configuration should be provided by the ubuntu-bug utility which loaded this web page.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
CupsErrorLog:

Date: Tue Nov 24 10:05:24 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" - Release amd64 (20091027)
Lpstat:
 device for HPLaserJet4L: lpd://Cicero/P1
 device for Virtual_PDF_Printer: cups-pdf:/
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: cups-pdf 2.5.0-8ubuntu1
Papersize: letter
PpdFiles:
 Virtual_PDF_Printer: HP LaserJet 4L Foomatic/ljet4 (recommended)
 HPLaserJet4L: HP LaserJet 4L Foomatic/ljet4 (recommended)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_CA.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-14.48-generic
SourcePackage: cups-pdf
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-14-generic x86_64
XsessionErrors:
 (polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:9684): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_once_init_leave: assertion `initialization_value != 0' failed
 (npviewer.bin:10218): Gtk-WARNING **: /usr/lib/gtk-2.0/2.10.0/engines/libqtcurve.so: wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS64
 (npviewer.bin:10415): Gtk-WARNING **: /usr/lib/gtk-2.0/2.10.0/engines/libqtcurve.so: wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS64

[Bruce Miller (brm0423)]

Have also reported this problem as a bug in the CUPS bug tracking system:
http://www.cups.org/str.php?L3427+P0+S-2+C0+I0+E0+M20+Q

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Can you follow the instructions of the "CUPS error_log" and "Capturing print job data" sections on https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingPrintingProblems ? Thanks.

[Thomas Schweikle (tps)]

Same here, but with Gnome.

[Thomas Schweikle (tps)]

Ubuntu 11.04.

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

After careful examination, it appears that 3 superfluous lines in the PPD were added by the "PDF Workflow" patch that was used for 2.5.0 releases, but has been removed since CUPS-PDF 2.5.1. However, the PPD was not automatically upgraded by our package's maintainer script, which is probably what broke things for people upgrading to a 2.5.1 release. This has been fixed as of CUPS-PDF 2.5.1-4 which entered Oneiric today, by utilizing a feature of CUPS 1.5.0-3 and more recent to auto-update PPD files whenever a new version gets installed.

As a crude test, for older releases, could you try purging and re-installing the package and see if it fixes it?

sudo dpkg -P cups-pdf && sudo apt-get install cups-pdf

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

Accepted cups-pdf into natty-proposed. The package will build now and be available in a few hours. Please test and give feedback here. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

Accepted cups-pdf into lucid-proposed, maverick-proposed and natty-proposed. The package will build now and be available in a few hours. Please test and give feedback here. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

Released cups-pdf into lucid-updates, maverick-updates and natty-updates.