My printer does not use both cartrigdes now

[Carlos Joel Delgado Pizarro]

Binary package hint: hplip

In further versions of Ubuntu and the corresponding HPLIP package, there was options that allow user to choose the print out mode, I mean a user could choose to use Color cartridge only or Black cartridge only or both cartridges, also there was option to choose the output printing quality, from 300dpi to photo quality.
Now I can't find that options, there is only few options like Normal color, Normal Grayscale, Draft color, Draft Grayscale and High-resolution photo, but the fact is that any option I chose, the printer use *only one* of the cartridges, and the printing has a poor quality, I don't know if you could compile a further version of HPLIP that implements the other options, because there were really usefull.
I use:
 * Ubuntu 10.04 beta1
 * Gnome 2.29.92
 * HPLIP 3.10.2-1ubuntu3

With my last Ubuntu (9.10) I had all that options, I want them back... :D

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
Date: Wed Mar 24 17:02:18 2010
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Alpha amd64 (20100224.1)
Lpstat: device for Deskjet_D1500: hp:/usb/Deskjet_D1500_series?serial=VN9154213R058V
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: hplip 3.10.2-1ubuntu3
Papersize: a4
PpdFiles: Deskjet_D1500: HP Deskjet d1500 Series, hpcups 3.10.2
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-17-generic root=UUID=1c203e6a-f96a-4000-ba3d-4c36b994537d ro quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=es_PE.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-17.26-generic 2.6.32.10+drm33.1
SourcePackage: hplip
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-17-generic x86_64
dmi.bios.date: 04/24/2008
dmi.bios.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.bios.version: F.30
dmi.board.name: 30CF
dmi.board.vendor: Quanta
dmi.board.version: 85.26
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Quanta
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnHewlett-Packard:bvrF.30:bd04/24/2008:svnHewlett-Packard:pn:pvrRev1:rvnQuanta:rn30CF:rvr85.26:cvnQuanta:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.version: Rev 1
dmi.sys.vendor: Hewlett-Packard

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

This is a problem of the upstream code of HPLIP developed by HP. As HP moved from the IJS driver architecture to CUPS Raster they most probably missed an option for telling which ink cartridges are installed.

As a workaround try the following: Install the "hpijs" package and then change the driver of your printer to the "hpijs" one. Then you will have the "Printout Mode" option back.

To the developers at HP: HP has some printers where the driver has to tell the printer which cartridges are installed. These are AFAIK very old PCL inkjets (DeskJet 970C and older) and all LIDIL inkjets. I suggest to add an "Ink Set" option to the hpcups driver for these printers. It should have the choices "Color only", "Black only", "Color and Black", "Color and Photo", "Color, Black, and Photo" (only the ones which the actual printer supports). The option should be in the "Installable Option" group and by constraints the setting should block certain other settings, like color printing when only the black cartridge is installed.

[madbiologist (me-again)]

Is this still occurring on Ubuntu 12.04 "Precise Pangolin"?