OT: Need Printer Reset Command
 

Occasionally something in a .ps document fails to translate (gs?) into a
printable document and my printers then spit out hundreds of pages each
containing one line of jibberish.

It does no good to clear the print queue, to turn the printer on and off
or even to re-boot the system. After all this the printer error light
keeps blinking and, if more paper is inserted, the printer resumes
printing pages each containing one line of jibberish.

I suppose the printer's memory is filled with instructions that cause
this and any command, if it exists, might be specific the make/brand of
the printer. I have encounter the problem with my Brother HL-730 laser
printer and my HP Deskjet 940c.

The only solution I have found is the refeed the pages until the memory
runs out. Then I print the offending document to a file, open it with the
gimp and then print the gimp image.

I hope there is a better way.

Tom


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OT: Need Printer Reset Command
 

Thomas H. George wrote:

Occasionally something in a .ps document fails to translate (gs?) into a
printable document and my printers then spit out hundreds of pages each
containing one line of jibberish.

It does no good to clear the print queue, to turn the printer on and off
or even to re-boot the system. After all this the printer error light
keeps blinking and, if more paper is inserted, the printer resumes
printing pages each containing one line of jibberish.

I suppose the printer's memory is filled with instructions that cause
this and any command, if it exists, might be specific the make/brand of
the printer. I have encounter the problem with my Brother HL-730 laser
printer and my HP Deskjet 940c.

The only solution I have found is the refeed the pages until the memory
runs out. Then I print the offending document to a file, open it with the
gimp and then print the gimp image.

I hope there is a better way.

Tom


I use an old HP 500C that has the same behavior. As I understand it,
when you press Reset or turn the printer off and on again, the reset
only clears a portion of the printer's memory - up to the next linefeed,
or something like that.


If the document is short enough, pressing Reset repeatedly will clear
the memory, but that can be tiring (and a bit silly).


Also a bit silly, but completely effective with the HP 500C, is to
unplug the printer briefly. That apparently clears the memory, which
doesn't happen when it's just turned off and on.


.... Rich


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OT: Need Printer Reset Command
 

On Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 11:37 AM, Thomas H. George <lists@tomgeorge.info> wrote:
> Occasionally something in a .ps document fails to translate (gs?) into a
> printable document and my printers then spit out hundreds of pages each
> containing one line of jibberish.
>
> It does no good to clear the print queue, to turn the printer on and off
> or even to re-boot the system. After all this the printer error light
> keeps blinking and, if more paper is inserted, the printer resumes
> printing pages each containing one line of jibberish.
>
> I suppose the printer's memory is filled with instructions that cause
> this and any command, if it exists, might be specific the make/brand of
> the printer. I have encounter the problem with my Brother HL-730 laser
> printer and my HP Deskjet 940c.
> ...

Sounds like the printer continues to print even after power cycling
with the USB cable disconnected.

You didn't tell us which make and model this is, but a basic reset for
many recent HP inkjet printers is to disconnect both ends of the power
cable and wait one minute.


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OT: Need Printer Reset Command
 

On Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 06:11:07PM -0500, microwaverich wrote:
> Thomas H. George wrote:
>> Occasionally something in a .ps document fails to translate (gs?) into a
>> printable document and my printers then spit out hundreds of pages each
>> containing one line of jibberish.
>>
>> It does no good to clear the print queue, to turn the printer on and off
>> or even to re-boot the system. After all this the printer error light
>> keeps blinking and, if more paper is inserted, the printer resumes
>> printing pages each containing one line of jibberish.
>>
>> I suppose the printer's memory is filled with instructions that cause
>> this and any command, if it exists, might be specific the make/brand of
>> the printer. I have encounter the problem with my Brother HL-730 laser
>> printer and my HP Deskjet 940c.
>>
>> The only solution I have found is the refeed the pages until the memory
>> runs out. Then I print the offending document to a file, open it with the
>> gimp and then print the gimp image.
>>
>> I hope there is a better way.
>>
>> Tom
>>
>>
> I use an old HP 500C that has the same behavior. As I understand it,
> when you press Reset or turn the printer off and on again, the reset
> only clears a portion of the printer's memory - up to the next linefeed,
> or something like that.
>
> If the document is short enough, pressing Reset repeatedly will clear
> the memory, but that can be tiring (and a bit silly).
>
> Also a bit silly, but completely effective with the HP 500C, is to
> unplug the printer briefly. That apparently clears the memory, which
> doesn't happen when it's just turned off and on.
>
> .... Rich
>
>
I had great hopes for this idea but no dice. Removed the power cable
for several minutes but this did not cure the problem. Surprizing as I
purchased the Brother HL-930 laser printer in 1997 for $200 - wow, how
declining tech prices have offset inflation - so I hoped it used older
memory technology which would not survive power off.
> --
> To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST@lists.debian.org with a
> subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org
>
>


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OT: Need Printer Reset Command
 

Thomas H. George wrote:

On Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 06:11:07PM -0500, microwaverich wrote:


Thomas H. George wrote:


Occasionally something in a .ps document fails to translate (gs?) into a
printable document and my printers then spit out hundreds of pages each
containing one line of jibberish.

It does no good to clear the print queue, to turn the printer on and off
or even to re-boot the system. After all this the printer error light
keeps blinking and, if more paper is inserted, the printer resumes
printing pages each containing one line of jibberish.

I suppose the printer's memory is filled with instructions that cause
this and any command, if it exists, might be specific the make/brand of
the printer. I have encounter the problem with my Brother HL-730 laser
printer and my HP Deskjet 940c.

The only solution I have found is the refeed the pages until the memory
runs out. Then I print the offending document to a file, open it with the
gimp and then print the gimp image.

I hope there is a better way.

Tom




I use an old HP 500C that has the same behavior. As I understand it,
when you press Reset or turn the printer off and on again, the reset
only clears a portion of the printer's memory - up to the next linefeed,
or something like that.

If the document is short enough, pressing Reset repeatedly will clear
the memory, but that can be tiring (and a bit silly).

Also a bit silly, but completely effective with the HP 500C, is to
unplug the printer briefly. That apparently clears the memory, which
doesn't happen when it's just turned off and on.

.... Rich




I had great hopes for this idea but no dice. Removed the power cable
for several minutes but this did not cure the problem. Surprizing as I
purchased the Brother HL-930 laser printer in 1997 for $200 - wow, how
declining tech prices have offset inflation - so I hoped it used older
memory technology which would not survive power off.


When I ran into such trouble some years ago, had to go to the CUPS
printer configuration

http://localhost:631/

and needed to eliminate all pending print jobs.



Hugo Wau

OT: Need Printer Reset Command
 

Op Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:37:20 -0500 Thomas H. George wrote:
> Occasionally something in a .ps document fails to translate (gs?)
> into a printable document and my printers then spit out hundreds of
> pages each containing one line of jibberish.
>
> It does no good to clear the print queue,

To terminate all processes still using the printer device even after
deleting the job from the queue, use this command:

fuser -k /dev/lp0 for a printer on the first parallel port, or
fuser -k /dev/usb/lp0 for the first USB printer.


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OT: Need Printer Reset Command
 

On Fri, Jan 30, 2009 at 10:07:19AM -0500, Thomas H. George wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 06:11:07PM -0500, microwaverich wrote:
> > Thomas H. George wrote:

> >> It does no good to clear the print queue, to turn the printer on and off
> >> or even to re-boot the system. After all this the printer error light
> >> keeps blinking and, if more paper is inserted, the printer resumes
> >> printing pages each containing one line of jibberish.
> >>
> >> I suppose the printer's memory is filled with instructions that cause
> >> this and any command, if it exists, might be specific the make/brand of
> >> the printer. I have encounter the problem with my Brother HL-730 laser
> >> printer and my HP Deskjet 940c.

> > Also a bit silly, but completely effective with the HP 500C, is to
> > unplug the printer briefly. That apparently clears the memory, which
> > doesn't happen when it's just turned off and on.

> I had great hopes for this idea but no dice. Removed the power cable
> for several minutes but this did not cure the problem. Surprizing as I
> purchased the Brother HL-930 laser printer in 1997 for $200 - wow, how
> declining tech prices have offset inflation - so I hoped it used older
> memory technology which would not survive power off.

Just to be sure that its the printer remembering rather than the
computer resending stuff, try unplugging the printer power and the data
cable, then powering on the printer again. If it prints stuff, then the
problem is in the printer, if it doesn't and you plug in the data cable
and it starts printing, then the problem in in the print queue
managment.

Doug.


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