Hi,

I've come up with a problem with inkscape and a HP photosmart c309a printer, it doesn't print when you press the "Print" button. The file appears in the print que, then my printer gives a short bleep sound it usually gives when it starts to print, but after that the que goes empty and nothing else happens. Inkscape doesn't crash nor does windows or any of the printer software or drivers. I've come to the conclusion that it's some kind of a general problem with HP printers and inkscape but I'm not sure, so I'm asking you is there something wrong with my system or not and is there a solution to this problem.

I know I can print a document by exporting it to a pdf and printing it then, but it gets a little annoying when you're trying to drafth something and need multiple prints in the process.

I'm running 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium and Inkscape 0.48.2 (The same problem occured also with v. 0.48.1).

Thanks beforehand for any help.

Hello again,

Perhaps I wasn't so clear with my question, my bad, so i'll refrase it:

Can I do something to try to get my printer work with Inkscape?

(I already tried changing the rendering settings with no results.)

Cheers

Welcome to the forum

Oh no, you were very clear! It seems that no one has an idea what might be going wrong. I actually have a different model of HP printer (an all in one type) but so far, haven't needed to print from Inkscape. I don't even have this computer connected to it.

But sometimes me fumbling around and trying to come up with....something....anything....it will lead someone to find the answer. So I'll start fumbling around, lol. It sounds like the print job is getting automatically cancelled. Is that how it seems to you? But usually a cancelled print job will spit out a message box, or something like "are you sure".

How large is the document? I mean kb or mb, not dimensions. In general, Inkscape can have trouble with very large documents, in many different circumstances (slowdown or crashing while editing doc, printing, exporting, etc.) especially on a computer with less than 2 gb RAM.

Since you're printing the document, it shouldn't matter if you export a PNG (File menu > Export Bitmap, not Save As Cairo png) as long as you save the SVG. If you export a PNG, you could print from your file manager, or local image viewer. I know that not's much better than your PDF techique. But it is something, if the problem can't be found.

I wonder if there could be a log somewhere, that shows printing errors, or printing history, or something like that, that might provide some clue about what's happening? I know Inkscape has an error log somewhere, but I don't know if it would show this kind of error. Oh ok, I looked up the message where I read about it, but it's and extensions error log, that shows errors importing other extensions. Here's how to find that log -- I'm just thinking that maybe there are other error logs nearby????? ["....check the extension-errors.log file (~/.inkscape/extension-errors.log for Linux or %userprofile%\Application Data\Inkscape\extension-errors.log for Windows) for details about what dependency was not met for the filetype."]

Have you checked out that the printer otherwise is working as expected? If the printer wasn't working right though, I think you'd be getting some sort of message about it (out of paper, out of ink, driver not working, etc.)

We could search Launchpad (https://launchpad.net/inkscape) Inkscape's bug tracker, to learn if anyone has ever reported something like this. I have the general impression that Inkscape does not have strong print support, and also that it's not a priority of the developers, at least not at this time. Many people have posted disappointment about printing from Inkscape, and I'm sure many more are disappointed, who don't post about it. I know it doesn't help to know that you're not alone, but there may be not much we can do about it, at this time.

I'll post again, if I find anything at Launchpad. But don't hesitate to search on your own, as well.

Edit
Ah-ha! There's at least one report on an HP printer: https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/382536

Still searching .....

Edit #2
Wow, looks like your suspicions are confirmed: https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/531342

Edit #3
Just search Launchpad using "HP print" and you'll find several well-supported bug reports.

Thanks for your response, I was beginning to think nobody had anything say about this...

So:
1)
The print job goes to the printing queue and then just vanishes there after the printer says "bleep" (normal behavioiur for the printer before a print). No dialog boxes, no "Delete print?", no "Are you sure?", it just disappears into thin air.

2)
The problem occurs with all sized inkscape files. I've tried printing with a simple circle, or a line and with more complex and larger images with embedded bitmaps, and the result is the same.

3)
No problems with the printer when it comes to printing otherwise, expect for Inkscape and Gimp. The rest of my programs print fine. Though the printer has had problems with its scanner function, but I don't recon they have any connection with each other.

4)
I couldn't find any error logs besides the extensions error log, which doesn't seem to contain any printing related errors.
But here it is anyways (That one part puzzles me. Do I have an invalid copy of Inkscape?):

Extension "Dia Input" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: extensions
string: dia2svg.sh
description: The dia2svg.sh script should be installed with your Inkscape distribution. If you do not have it, there is likely to be something wrong with your Inkscape installation.

Extension "Dia Input" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: path
string: dia
description: In order to import Dia files, Dia itself must be installed. You can get Dia at http://live.gnome.org/Dia

Extension "DXF Output" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: extensions
string: ps2dxf.sh

Extension "DXF Output" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: path
string: pstoedit
description: pstoedit must be installed to run; see http://www.pstoedit.net/pstoedit

Extension "LaTeX formula" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: path
string: latex

Extension "LaTeX formula" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: path
string: dvips

Extension "LaTeX formula" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: path
string: pstoedit

Extension "XFIG Input" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: path
string: fig2dev

Extension "GIMP XCF" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: path
string: gimp

Extension "Text Outline Input" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: path
string: perl

Extension "Sketch Input" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: extensions
string: sk2svg.sh

Extension "Sketch Input" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: path
string: skconvert

Extension "Text Input" failed to load because a dependency was not met.
Dependency:
type: executable
location: path
string: perl

5)
I stumbled upon this link https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/138810 via launchpad. The person says there that they were able to get it work with the help of Ghostscript and redmon after some "fiddling". Does anyone have an idea what that person might have done. (I think it has something to do with HP printers being only postscript emulated printers).

6)
And yes, launchpad seems to verify my suspicions that I'm not alone, but apart from that one piece of advice I couldn't find any useful tips there, just similar descriptions about the same problem.

So any further help is appreciated, especially if you know anything about section 5) and "fiddling" with ghostscript and redmon (What is redmon?).

Regards

There is a good chance your printer is not printing because Inkscape is asking for a custom size sheet EVEN THOUGH you document is not a custom size. In the advanced properties printing dialog check to that the paper size is not A4, which your printer interprets as 'custom' change this back to 'letter' or whatever size paper you have and try it again.

Your problem might be much more complicated but I thought this might be worth a try.

Unfortunately the problematic printer is at my office so I'll have to wait until Monday to test that one.

It might work, but my guess would be that it's something more complex. You see my printer uses A4s by default and my computer uses A4s and it's the overall default paper size on my system. When I open a new Inkscape document it gives me a blanc A4 canvas and when I scribble there something and print, it won't. Therefore in that case I would see it so that Inkscape tries to send an image the size of an A4 to my printer, which prints A4s by default. So I wouldn't see a problem there, but hey it wouldn't be the first time windows has some irrationalities in it, would it?

Any information regarding the subject is still appreciated.

All the info that you got from the extensions error log are irrelevant, because you're not having trouble opening or importing another extension. I was just thinking that there might be other logs somewhere, that might have some info. I wouldn't worry about the info contained in it -- i.e. your copy of Inkscape is fine

I think your best bet is info from the reported bugs. I would look into "postscript printers" that the bug reporter mentions. Personally, I'm not sure what that means. It might mean 'set up your printer to suit some kind of "postscript" requirements' (postscript, I think, refers to a certain image file format) or maybe it mean they bought a new printer. It sounds more like they found the right combination of settings, to me. You could post comments to that bug, asking for details, although you'd have to register at Launchpad to do so. That would prompt an email to the bug reporter (probably, unless they disabled email notifications) who could give you the best info about it. You could also report your printer model (also your operating system and INkscape version) and that you have the same issue (almost identical, lol, you could have written that report, lol). That way, you've provided info to help solve the problem, whatever it is, and hopefully you'll get a reply with the details you need.

Thanks for the advice. I'll be looking into those, though my preliminary investigations haven't brought up anything useful yet. But maybe I'll hit the jackpot...

btw. I couldn't find any other errors log, so I just put the extensions log there if there just might have been something useful, but apparently not.

I've had printing issues also, though I don't print my Inkscape files very often. While I don't have any answers for you, all I will say is that while trying to figure it out, I had opened the SVG file in GIMP and printed it from there (it did print in GIMP), once I did that, I went back in to Inkscape and all of a sudden would print now in Inkscape, no idea why, maybe Windows had to recognize some files, or shared files, I'll never know (this was with a different version of windows, not win 7). Can't hurt to try...

I am having this same problem except that my printer is EPSON. I've done as Flamingolady said but it didn't work in inkscape.

You might find some info at Launchpad, if the problem is related to a bug. Links are posted already in this topic, to LP (above).

Same type of problem(only worse): Latest Ubuntu, latest Inkscape, HP 8500A (PRO)
Print goes into queue and then vanish. No beeps or other life signs from printer. BUT: Now printing from ANY app is broken. !?!
The curious thing is: When (trying to) print from some other app, the print dialog now shows the printer status with a weird "Rendering completed" text.... Reboots, and all manners of trying to clean-out the printer status/queues etc have no effect.
I am certain the problem was caused by inkscape since I was in the middle of printing several things from diverse apps - once I asked Inkscape to print, no printing was possible thereafter.
Guess I'll try to rid the system of the HP printer driver et al and attempt a fresh re-install of it (which is a bit of a bitch with that HP model... but hey)

Any other suggestions / actual fixes anyone?
Thx in advance.

TMWords wrote:Same type of problem(only worse): Latest Ubuntu (…)

On latest Ubuntu, with latest GTK+ (>= 2.24.10), this is an upstream bug in the cups print backend of GTK+ bug (introduced when trying to solve a bug in Gtk+ 2.24.9 which caused inkscape and other apps simply to crash when trying to print…) - currently fixed upstream in latest GTK3, but I'm quite confident that Ubuntu will soon ship a backported fix for GTK2 too…

yes i have the same problem on unbuntu 12.04 and an HP laserjet 1100, so i change the driver from hpcups3.12.2 to CUPS+ gutenprint v 5.2.8 and now its work well

I've tested inkscape with GTK3 (experimental) and printing works for me. The problem remains - the experimental GTK3 version contains a lot of bugs and in lastest Ubuntu GTK2 library the bug has not been fixed yet.

I have an Epson Stylus R360 and I don't think I have ever been able to print from Inkscape.

Today I decided to try and find out why.

I checked to ensure that my printer settings where sensible in inkscape -> A4 Landscape

Here is the log output from CUPS.




The significant line here as far as I can see is

usr/lib/cups/filter/epson-escpr : **** ERROR **** : Custom.595.28x841.89 : Unknown PageSize.

Could this be a bug?

I have done a bit of digging on this and have added to an existing bug related to this problem.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/630635