Where is all the printer utility software?

[RLynwood]

I forgot to give this link to the hplip site for reference: http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/index.html?

[RLynwood]

Thanks. I'm not coming from Windows, I'm transitioning from a Gtk world/experience. I've been using Ubuntu almost from its beginning, on different devices, box and laptop, so I'm well aware that one normally gets his software from the distro's repository; I always have. But, this time I didn't know that the software that included the Device Manager in gui form was available from the distro; I've never seen it and discovered it in an update message from HP. So that's what I've been using since getting this hand-me-down printer. And, as I said above, I know that software for running an HP printer comes with K-Ubuntu, but I hadn't seen the Device Manager in gui form. That's what threw me. In installing Ubuntu on the computers of others, who've had other brands of printers, I've found that the distro software was barely sufficient to run them, especially a Brother. I appreciate knowing that all necessary HP software comes with the distro and would like to know if equivalent software is available for a Brother and/or Canon printer is also available. Now I need to know how to recognise and what all to install. As I said above, even after installing the hplip software, it shows up in Muon Package Manager as not installed, but at least its there, installable. I hope you read and understand all of this. If you don't understand any of it, let me know.

[jlittle]

(You've posted in Kubuntu Transitioners, but please excuse me if this next bit of advice does not apply. I'm only mentioning it because it might be helpful.)

From How-to-geek:

Linux users don’t normally download and install applications from the applications’ websites, like Windows users do.

That page puts it simply and carefully, better than I could.

apt show skanlite and apt show hplipshow that they come with kubuntu-desktop, but apt show hplip-gui says it doesn't.

[RLynwood]

Yes and no. I went through the HP site by link to an independent foss hplip site, which gave explicit instructions for installing all hplip software for my specific printer. HP disavowed any responsibility for that software, but I'm virtually certain that it's their software, which they let the foss world take responsibility for. First I downloaded a .run program, then followed their instructions for using their commands in a terminal (apparently, the terminal protocol used the info in that .run file), doing what I was prompted to do along the way. It definitely installed a bunch of the programs that the Muon Package Manager says are not installed. That's confusing. I started to install all those packages in the pkg mgr that it says are not installed and that I knew were installed, then I though better, that that might screw up what's already installed.

Sorry for this mostly duplication. I didn't realize that I'd completed that last post. I've added some information in this one and excluded some that was in the earlier one.

[RLynwood]

Does that mean you downloaded something from HP?

Yes and no. I went through the HP site to a dedicated foss hplip site that nevertheless passes on what I believe is HP's software with their, HP's, disavowing any responsibility for it. The hplip site gives the installation instructions. And, btw, I've done this in Xubuntu (laptop) and MInt-Mate (very old desktop/tower) installations, and I don't remember its installing all that stuff. If you can show me how to do this with Muon's pkg mgr, I'll appreciate it. The value of going through the hplip site is that it narrows one down to his/her exact printer and gives the instructions for the hplip software for that exact printer.

[jlittle]

... done at its own site...

Does that mean you downloaded something from HP? No, I wouldn't have done that, I would have used muon or apt. I'm not on Kubuntu now, just Tapatalk, but I'll check the dependencies, recommendations, and suggestions in apt when I get home.

Regards, John Little

[RLynwood]

In saying you did a fresh install(ation) of Trusty, you didn't say whether you installed the full hplip utility. That's a separate installation, done at its own site and contains the Device Manager that doesn't come with either of the Ubuntus, though they both have some of hplip installed, enough to run an HP printer.

[jlittle]

Does Scanlite come with Kubuntu?

That's skanlite, so I think so.

I think the hplip-installation protocol installed it along with a slew of other graphically related programs: Acquire images, DNG converter, ExpoBlending, three Hugin programs, ImageMagick, Panorama, and PhotoLayout Editor. Do any of you who have HP's Device Manager have all this stuff installed?

No. I did a fresh install of Trusty, and have had to install the Gimp and Imagemagick since.

Regards, John Little

[RLynwood]

Does Scanlite come with Kubuntu? I have it. I think the hplip-installation protocol installed it along with a slew of other graphically related programs: Acquire images, DNG converter, ExpoBlending, three Hugin programs, ImageMagick, Panorama, and PhotoLayout Editor. Do any of you who have HP's Device Manager have all this stuff installed?

"OP likes words, and likes to learn this KDE stuff, right RLynwood? "
I don't know who OP is and so can't comment. As for me, it's not so much that I like words and that I am just verbal by nature. As for liking learn this KDE stuff, again it's not so much that I like it as that I want to know what I'm doing and how to do everything I want to do, and that's a pretty fair amount.

Qqmike: "but somehow I got the impression you didn't have any gui window on to the Device Manager."
No, I simply didn't have the Device Manager itself, with or without its gui. Once I removed and reinstalled hplip, the Device Manager was there, installed properly, including its gui display. All's well that ended well.

Now on to another problem, new thread.

[Qqmike]

'll store these instructions for the future. For now, they're unnecessary because the hplip protocol installed the Device Manager in the K menu

Exactly as it should do, but somehow I got the impression you didn't have any gui window on to the Device Manager. So, that's good, all is well, and we can start using up print cartridges galore!

[RLynwood]

No, I hadn't gotten the meaning of "for Command, use the path you get from Muon:
/usr/bin/hp-toolbox." Now, however, after reading your instructions, I see what you're telling me. That's really good to know. I'll store these instructions for the future. For now, they're unnecessary because the hplip protocol installed the Device Manager in the K menu in Utilities, the top of the Classic menu, which I prefer, and in Recently installed, together with a slew of graphically related programs having I believe to do with Xsane/scanning. It installed Gimp, too, which I removed, as I don't expect to be doing any graphical editing.

[Qqmike]

OP likes words, and likes to learn this KDE stuff, right RLynwood?

(Actually, I was told OP is "original post," but I always use it to refer to the poster, too.)

[jlittle]

Yes, Qqmike, I installed xsane and the HP Device Manager now shows a scan action for the printer. I think I prefer skanlite for simple jobs, though. Sorry, OP, this doesn't help you much.

[Qqmike]

Yeah, I just read your last part ... no scan option under actions. Or install xsane, maybe (it worked for me to get Scan to show up).

[jlittle]

...I see another, almost certainly related problem with it: Clicking on Settings in the System Tray's HP icon's context menu yields a window labeled HP Device Manager. It's middle section, Devices to monitor, is blanked out; I can't enter anything in there...

Here's mine:

My printer has it's IP address fixed on the printer, and is connected to my router by Ethernet. Note that if your printer is wireless, and connects to a wireless router, from the perspective of Kubuntu it's a network printer, not a wireless one.
Can you click Device->Add device?

I seem to remember I used to have either a scanner device, or a scan action, but it's not there now. The scanner works if I start Skanlite or run hp-scan in konsole.