[kde-linux] KWrite/printer problem

[Bruce Miller]

Reply at bottom of text

 --
Bruce Miller, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
bruce at brmiller.ca; (613) 745-1151


No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets.



----- Original Message ----
> From: Anne Wilson <cannewilson at googlemail.com>
> To: For people using KDE on Linux with related questions/problems <kde-linux at kde.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 4:13:36 AM
> Subject: Re: [kde-linux] KWrite/printer problem
> 
> On Tuesday 06 October 2009 03:17:25 Bruce Miller wrote:
> > I have had this problem with every version of KDE 4 since the 4.0 beta. A
> >  few months ago, I was able to work around it by setting specific page
> >  margins as well as header and footer sizes. However, I noticed the problem
> >  again with a kate document which I printed last week.
> > 
> > This glitch affects all applications using the KDE print engine.
> > 
> > Since I use kubuntu, I have filed a bug on the Ubuntu Launchpad. There is a
> >  bug on the KDE bugzilla which I have also commented on.
> > 
> > It would be useful if you could look these up and add an "Affects me too"
> >  comment.
> > 
> >  --
> > Bruce Miller, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
> > bruce at brmiller.ca; (613) 745-1151
> > 
> > 
> > No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of
> >  policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > ----- Original Message ----
> > 
> > > From: James Tyrer 
> > > To: For people using KDE on Linux with related questions/problems
> > > Sent: Monday, October 5, 2009 7:53:13 PM
> > > Subject: Re: [kde-linux] KWrite/printer problem
> > >
> > > jim wrote:
> > > > Running Fedora 10, KDE 4.1.2
> > > > Printer EPSON C-62 ink-jet, LP0
> > > >
> > > > Hope someone can help me with a problem I just noticed.
> > > >
> > > > When I print a text file of more than one page ,
> > > > the last line of each page is missing, as well as the footer.
> > > >
> > > > I have been using KWrite with this printer since RedHat 9 with
> > > > no problems.
> > > > KWrite and the printer have all default settings.
> > > >
> > > > To test, I created a text file consistig of "This is line: 1","This is
> > > > line:
> > >
> > > 2"
> > >
> > > > etc, for a total of 69 lines.
> > > >
> > > > Fonts are default at Monospace/Regular/10
> > > >
> > > > Initially it would print the default header, and 52 lines (no footer)
> > > > on page 1, Page two would start with the header and line 54.
> > > > (line 53 missing)
> > > >
> > > > There is nothing in KWrite Settings->'Configure editor' dealing with
> > > > margins. If I do Ctrl/P->'Printer Properties', and set top and bottom
> > > > margins,
> > > >
> > > > the printing is fine but the settings are not retained between
> > > > printings.
> > > >
> > > > If I go to Administration->printing->printer->properties I can set
> > > > margins that are preserved, but the bottom margin is ignored. I set it
> > > > to 100 points and the last line (52) is still printed at the bottom of
> > > > the page and line 53 and footers are missing.
> > > >
> > > > Since Kedit seems to be missing in this release, I have no editor
> > > > (except vi and openoffice) to print text files, program listings, etc.
> > > > (not convenient).
> > > >
> > > > Really getting bummed with this release of Fedora and KDE.
> > >
> > > Do you have the paper size set correctly?
> > 
> For instance, if a document thinks it's printing to A4, but the paper size is 
> set to Letter, you'd see this.  There seems to be several places where 
> something could interfere.  There are the settings in CUPS, the settings in 
> some specific vendor software (such as hplip), the settings in the printer 
> applet (which normally are single-document settings) and the settings in the 
> document itself.
> 
> Don't rely on the printer applet for defaults - it's not designed to do that.  
> Check out the CUPS and any vendor-supplied software.  If you can find a mis-
> match there that will solve the problem permanently.

This is a plain-vanilla install of a very plain-vanilla printer --- an old HP LaserJet, to be precise, the model 4L.

There is no vendor-installed software.

CUPS reports that the settings are for North American letter, 8.5 x 11, which is exactly what I am using.

I am *_not_* an IT professional and, above all, I do not *_do code_*. This said, I am analytical by nature and have been troubleshooting userspace computer problems since 1982. This is all to say that I have some experience.

It would not surprise me if a KDE developer in Europe has inadvertently hard-coded somewhere a reference to A4 rather than $user's-papersize$. This is only a hunch but it could readily cause the nature of problem we are facing. I have faced this problem for over two years, and I can remember working around it briefly some months ago, by playing with the KDE printer engine margins and header and footer sizes. The outcome was rather ugly output, but at least nothing was missing.

I will have some more time in a couple of days, and will see if I can recreate the workaround.