[SOLVED] Printer prints random unicode text (Brother HL-5240)

pelegs · 2024-11-09 09:46:58

I got myself a good old Brother HL-5240 with USB connection (there's also a parallel port - oh, the nostalgia...).

I installed the following packages: cups, brother-lpr-drivers-laser (AUR) and brother-cups-wrapper-laser (AUR).

My system recognizes the printer, I set it up via CUPS and can send files to print via the "lp" command.
The printer actually prints - but only garbage information (random unicode text). I suspect this is a driver issue, but I'm a bit lost at how to proceed - the driver I installed is the official one as far as I understand.

I would appreciate any ideas and suggestions.

Last edited by pelegs (2024-11-09 20:26:31)

seth · 2024-11-09 15:55:56

"random unicode" sounds like you're sending data to the printer it cannot handle and prints as text.

Since there's a weird hack-a-round in https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/brot … vers-laser make sure you've https://archlinux.org/packages/core/x86_64/which/ installed.

Otherwise see https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS/T … #Debug_log enable debugging, restart cups, print some small file (selftest from http://localhost:631 ) and post the cups log so we can see what's going on at all.

pelegs · 2024-11-09 18:12:05

ok, here's the error log: http://0x0.st/XDIq.txt

seth · 2024-11-09 18:24:56

That does not seem to include any print job?

pelegs · 2024-11-09 18:58:49

weird. I printed an actual pdf this time: https://0x0.st/XDIt.txt

seth · 2024-11-09 19:16:26

There's no filter involved and you're using an IPP URI, not USB.
Did you setup an IPP Everywhere printer? (because it's not)

pelegs · 2024-11-09 20:26:16

ok, I used your advice to re-install the printer and now it works. Many thanks!

For other people / future reference: I simply installed, enabled and started the avahi daemon, went to the CUPS web interface (http://localhost:631), deleted the printer there, and re-installed it there. I usually hate GUIs but in this case it worked, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Last edited by pelegs (2024-11-09 20:31:11)

Arch Linux

#1 2024-11-09 09:46:58

[SOLVED] Printer prints random unicode text (Brother HL-5240)

#2 2024-11-09 15:55:56

Re: [SOLVED] Printer prints random unicode text (Brother HL-5240)

#3 2024-11-09 18:12:05

Re: [SOLVED] Printer prints random unicode text (Brother HL-5240)

#4 2024-11-09 18:24:56

Re: [SOLVED] Printer prints random unicode text (Brother HL-5240)

#5 2024-11-09 18:58:49

Re: [SOLVED] Printer prints random unicode text (Brother HL-5240)

#6 2024-11-09 19:16:26

Re: [SOLVED] Printer prints random unicode text (Brother HL-5240)

#7 2024-11-09 20:26:16

Re: [SOLVED] Printer prints random unicode text (Brother HL-5240)

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