Problem with CUPS Kyocera FS-1061DN and Windows

Networking
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Hi Folks,

I seem to be in quite the pickle. I have a server running an active directory(ish) server basend on samba. It is not quite a distribution, but more of a sollution for schools. All running Ubuntu as basesystem. Part of this system is the automatic deployment of printers to the designated rooms and, if they so desire, the teachers on their laptops.
I got the cups part working no problem. I can install the printers und send testprints to them via Cups without a hitch. If I then install the corresponding driver package for the kyocera printer on the windows print management snap-in and try to print a test page I get an “Invalid handle” error.
I also have a Printer by HP and that worked like a charm. So I assume my overall system is working.

If I install the Kyocera directly on the machine, (still over lan) it works. That would be undesirable though since that means I would lose the ability to dynamically assign the printers to different machines. (Did I mention, that I have 4 of those printers?)
I tried different drivere versions, I’ve tried to extract the drivers windows uses when the printer is installed on the machine and workinga and I tried drivers for a different machine. I either get the “invalid handle” message or windows pretends to print a test page, but nothing ever gets sent to the printer.
I’m all out of ideas.

Please Help

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Without looking at network traffic etc I’d say it’s because they’re cheap host-based printers so the driver most likely tries to interact with the printer (firmware upload and whatnot) which throws CUPS off. Since you already have it setup why not just use IPP and have all clients send IPP jobs to CUPS?

Another more crude approach (which I guess would work in theory at least) would be to use a firewall to redirect print jobs based on IP to the correct printer.

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Hi diizzy,

thanks for the reply. I tried to go IPP but that didn’t work. When I try to print a testpage I get “error” in the status column of the print queue in WIndows. Just to be safe: do I have to connect the printer in cups using IPP? At the moment under connection in Cups it says socket://[IP of my Printer]?

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Can you use generic postscript printer driver on the clients and let CUPS translate to whatever?

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Hi vivante,

Do you mean the “Microsoft PS Class Driver”? I can’t. When I try to “install” the driver package I get an Access Denied message. I believe that is because those are Type 4 drivers and Samba can only acommodate Type 3 drivers.

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It can be any postscript printer that’s built into the client, for example I used some ancient Samsung Model Whatever PostScript printer on the client and CUPS was happy to print that out on the attached modern printer unsupported by the client.

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I managed to install a HP universal postscript driver. Is there anything i have to configure in CUPS to make it “translate?”

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Nothing as far as I know. You would just connect to the printer via http(s) or ipp and use any postscript driver on the client.

I’m just repeating what I’ve learned here couple of months back.

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The printer is a host based printer, it’s not aware of PCL/PS etc
https://dlc.kyoceradocumentsolutions.eu/index/products/product/fs1061dn.technical_specification.html

What I meant was using IPP to CUPS and have CUPS translate it into the printers “native” language that however depends on a CUPS driver being available for the series.

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Hi Folks,
The postscript approach worked! I installed the HP universal printer driver and now i can print on the little kyoceras. I know, that isn’t the ideal solution, but hopefully there are some new printers in the budget in our not too distant future and then I’ll pick them with that specific usecase in mind.
Thanks again for all your suggestions!

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