File fails to print when rendered with CUPS, prints fine when fed directly to printer

[Jonathan Kamens]

I have a printer named "duplex" configured to print through CUPS PostScript rendering ("MakeModel HP LaserJet 500 color M551 Postscript (recommended)", "DeviceURI socket://m551dn.kamens.brookline.ma.us:9100" in printers.conf) and the same physical printer configured driverless in CUPS with a different name ("MakeModel HP LaserJet 500 color M551, driverless, cups-filters 1.28.15", "DeviceURI implicitclass://HP_LaserJet_500_color_M551_1637DA/", "Option cups-browsed-dest-printer "1625 ipps://HP%20LaserJet%20500%20color%20M551%20%5B1637DA%5D._ipps._tcp.local/ pdf 600dpi"") in printers.conf.

The attached file prints just fine when sent to the latter printer, i.e., prints fine with driverless printing, but fails to print when sent through the CUPS Postscript renderer, i.e., the former printer. In particular, the file stops printing after four pages and then the printer spits out this error page:

ERROR:
typecheck
OFFENDING-COMMAND:
known

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 22.04
Package: cups 2.4.1op1-1ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.15.0-25.25-generic 5.15.30
Uname: Linux 5.15.0-25-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu80
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: unknown
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Tue Apr 12 08:21:44 2022
InstallationDate: Installed on 2019-01-02 (1195 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 18.10 "Cosmic Cuttlefish" - Release amd64 (20181017.3)
Lpstat:
 device for duplex: socket://m551dn.kamens.brookline.ma.us:9100
 device for HP_LaserJet_500_color_M551_1637DA: implicitclass://HP_LaserJet_500_color_M551_1637DA/
 device for simplex: socket://m551dn.kamens.brookline.ma.us:9100
MachineType: Acer Predator G6-710
Papersize: letter
PpdFiles:
 Error: command ['fgrep', '-H', '*NickName', '/etc/cups/ppd/simplex.ppd', '/etc/cups/ppd/duplex.ppd', '/etc/cups/ppd/HP_LaserJet_500_color_M551_1637DA.ppd'] failed with exit code 2: grep: /etc/cups/ppd/simplex.ppd: Permission denied
 grep: /etc/cups/ppd/duplex.ppd: Permission denied
 grep: /etc/cups/ppd/HP_LaserJet_500_color_M551_1637DA.ppd: Permission denied
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-5.15.0-25-generic root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-root ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: cups
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to jammy on 2022-02-20 (50 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 05/18/2016
dmi.bios.release: 5.11
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: R01-A4
dmi.board.name: Predator G6-710
dmi.board.vendor: Acer
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Acer
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrR01-A4:bd05/18/2016:br5.11:svnAcer:pnPredatorG6-710:pvr:rvnAcer:rnPredatorG6-710:rvr:cvnAcer:ct3:cvr:sku:
dmi.product.family: Acer Desktop
dmi.product.name: Predator G6-710
dmi.sys.vendor: Acer

[Jonathan Kamens (jik)]

Here's my printers.conf, since it doesn't look like ubuntu-bug attached it, and there's no sensitive information in it.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Do you have cups-filter 1.28.15 installed, which fixes bug #1967816? Or did you try the option "pdftops-renderer=gs" as described there and which you confirmed as fixing that bug? You do not need the option if you have cups-filter 1.28.15 installed. Or could it be that this file now needs the "pdftops-renderer=pdftops" option to print?

Generally, driverless printing is more reliable than PostScript printing. PostScript interpreters in printers often have bugs.

[Jonathan Kamens (jik)]

>Do you have cups-filter 1.28.15 installed

Yes, and I rebooted after installing it just to make sure. Problem persists.

>Or did you try the option "pdftops-renderer=gs" as described there and which you confirmed as fixing that bug?

I _also_ have this setting in my printers.conf. So clearly this bug is different from that one.

> Generally, driverless printing is more reliable than PostScript printing. PostScript interpreters in printers often have bugs.

These two statements seem to be contradictory. If driverless printing is more reliable, that would seem to imply that files sent directly to the printer print more reliably than files sent through the CUPS filters, which would seem to imply that it is the filters, not the printer, that have bugs.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

> These two statements seem to be contradictory. If driverless printing is more reliable, that would seem to imply that files sent directly to the printer print more reliably than files sent through the CUPS filters, which would seem to imply that it is the filters, not the printer, that have bugs.

Driverless printing does not mean sending PostScript files directly to the printer, it means that the client discovers the printer via DNS-SD, queries the printer for its capabilities via IPP, and then prints in one of the formats PDF, Apple Raster, PWG Raster, or PCLm to the printer, dpending what it supports. CUPS does this automatically if no "conventional" print queue exists (remove any queue for your printer). Or you can create a print queue with the lpadmin command and the "-m everywhere" model specification.

Does this perhaps work for you?

[Jonathan Kamens (jik)]

Yes, the print job in question works when I print it to the driverless printer.
I would not say that it is therefore reasonable to declare that this issue is resolved, but *shrug* whatever.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for cups (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]