Brother Printer Problems Anew [SOLVED]

[WaltH]

I spelled out earlier what options I tried when using the script referenced in the Wiki (ipp, ipps, IP address).

Those are selection items when downloaded brother scripts get started - not script options.
Whatever script you may have run ..
And it doesn't really matter what you choose here, b/c the main point is
about the driver get installed.
Even if you choose a non-working protocol or ip-address.
Just ignore this and open the GUI to setup the "new" Printer.
And best as mentioned start first with the known IP address of the
printer and select the printer drive from the list to check the printer works.
You can add further "Printers" or change the printer network-protocol
instead of direct IP-address.
To check printer IP-address open in the browser,
otherwise you go in circles, when reusing an "old" one "found in MX-19" settings somewhere.

I ran your script from the Wiki. Toward the end, it asks if I will specify the DeviceURI. If I say no, the printer doesn't seem to work. If I say yes, it gives me 16 different options including ipp and ipps which return a Bad Device Name error, Auto, which didn't work, and Specify IP address, which worked (as I recall) in MX-19 but no longer works. None of the IP (or DeviceURI) addresses I have seem to work. Nor do I know what other IP addresses to try as I also cannot seem to log into my router (a separate problem I am also working on.) Now that I can no longer seem to boot into my existing system, I may be stuck installing MX-21 and hoping against hope that I can get things working again.

[fehlix]

I ran your script from the Wiki. Toward the end, it asks if I will specify the DeviceURI. If I say no, the printer doesn't seem to work. If I say yes, it gives me 16 different options including ipp and ipps which return a Bad Device Name error, Auto, which didn't work

OK, the Brother installer conatinas two parts:

1st: it installed the priner -driver this is the important to get the driver installed

2nd: It offers to setup a "new" "Printer" - ready to use,
which is nice but which I do normally just ignore.
Just presse enter, - and it will setup a USB-Printer - simply remove later with the Printer GUI Setup.

, and Specify IP address, which worked (as I recall) in MX-19 but no longer works. None of the IP (or DeviceURI) addresses I have seem to work. Nor do I know what other IP addresses to try as I also cannot seem to log into my router (a separate problem I am also working on.) Now that I can no longer seem to boot into my existing system, I may be stuck installing MX-21 and hoping against hope that I can get things working again.

Open the Printer GUI and first remove any "Printer shown.
Next add new printer, and see wether it can discover / find the printer.
If not, the bulletproof method would be if you know the IP-address of the printer.
Either with know IP-adress or with discoverd printer address select / change
the Printer driver and select Cups Brother HL.... you prinet modell.

Now, if you don't know the IP-adress of the printer,
you have lot's of options to find out:

* go to the printer an select on the printer menu: Printer INfo /Settings, it will print it's own IP-address

* Or if the printer has a display select to show the IP-address

* or open the router setup page and list know devicees to show your printer

* or scan you local network for printer devices lots of ways...
simples may be this open konsole-termina and run:

Code: Select all

arp -a

you may see the printer listed, if connected.

[WaltH]

And best as mentioned start first with the known IP address of the
printer and select the printer drive from the list to check the printer works.
You can add further "Printers" or change the printer network-protocol
instead of direct IP-address.
To check printer IP-address open in the browser,
otherwise you go in circles, when reusing an "old" one "found in MX-19" settings somewhere.

I'm not sure of the IP address of the printer (which I am trying to connect to wirelessly) since the IP address I have and the one I found on my wife's Windows computer don't seem to work. I also am unable to log into my router to look there since the password I have no longer seems to work. (I don't know what happened there.) I appear to be out of luck for the time being since I also am unable to boot back into my old system.

[WaltH]

I ran your script from the Wiki. Toward the end, it asks if I will specify the DeviceURI. If I say no, the printer doesn't seem to work. If I say yes, it gives me 16 different options including ipp and ipps which return a Bad Device Name error, Auto, which didn't work

OK, the Brother installer conatinas two parts:

1st: it installed the priner -driver this is the important to get the driver installed

2nd: It offers to setup a "new" "Printer" - ready to use,
which is nice but which I do normally just ignore.
Just presse enter, - and it will setup a USB-Printer - simply remove later with the Printer GUI Setup.

, and Specify IP address, which worked (as I recall) in MX-19 but no longer works. None of the IP (or DeviceURI) addresses I have seem to work. Nor do I know what other IP addresses to try as I also cannot seem to log into my router (a separate problem I am also working on.) Now that I can no longer seem to boot into my existing system, I may be stuck installing MX-21 and hoping against hope that I can get things working again.

Open the Printer GUI and first remove any "Printer shown.
Next add new printer, and see wether it can discover / find the printer.
If not, the bulletproof method would be if you know the IP-address of the printer.
Either with know IP-adress or with discoverd printer address select / change
the Printer driver and select Cups Brother HL.... you prinet modell.

Now, if you don't know the IP-adress of the printer,
you have lot's of options to find out:

* go to the printer an select on the printer menu: Printer INfo /Settings, it will print it's own IP-address

* Or if the printer a display select to show the IP-adress

* or open the router setup page and list know devicees to show your printer

* or scan you local network for printer devices lots of ways...
simples may be this open konsole-termina and run:

Code: Select all

arp -a

you may see the printer listed, if connected.

The Printer GUI from within System Settings shows the printer twice under Discovered Network Printers. When I click on the first entry, it is described as an IPP network printer via DNS-SD. When I click on the second entry, it asks for an address and queue, neither of which I have any clue of. So I'm not sure where to go from here. When I've tried clicking on the first entry, it asks me to choose a driver, but it does not show my driver, and I can't tell where the Live USB of MX-21 put it.

[WaltH]

* or scan you local network for printer devices lots of ways...
simples may be this open konsole-termina and run:

Code: Select all

arp -a

you may see the printer listed, if connected.

Running this shows me four IP addresses. The first is the router. The second and third may be my computer and my wife's (which is connected to the network via ethernet). The fourth is what I always thought the printer IP address was. The first three then show what appears to be a MAC address followed by "[ether| on wlan0," as in "at xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx [ether] on w;an0. The last IP address gives the IP address "at <incomplete> on wlan0." I'm guessing it is incomplete because I have not told your script for Brother printers whether I was going to specify the Device URI, which I have tried to do the several other times I've tried installing this networked printer.

[fehlix]

* or scan you local network for printer devices lots of ways...
simples may be this open konsole-termina and run:

Code: Select all

arp -a

you may see the printer listed, if connected.

Running this shows me four IP addresses. The first is the router. The second and third may be my computer and my wife's (which is connected to the network via ethernet). The fourth is what I always thought the printer IP address was. The first three then show what appears to be a MAC address followed by "[ether| on wlan0," as in "at xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx [ether] on w;an0. The last IP address gives the IP address "at <incomplete> on wlan0." I'm guessing it is incomplete because I have not told your script for Brother printers whether I was going to specify the Device URI, which I have tried to do the several other times I've tried installing this networked printer.

Just use or try those which do look like one from the printer and open in web-browser
the http:// address like
http://[here the ip-address]
The one of the printer would open the printers own setup page - normally.
At least you would see the printer is accessible and working.

[WaltH]

I found the correct IP address and was actually able to open the Brother page for the printer in the browser. I then reinstalled the printer using the ipp protocol with the printer's IP address and was able to print a test page. Before I mark this as solved, though, I will need to go ahead and install MX-21 (since I can no longer boot into MX-19 for whatever reason). Hopefully, I can do that tonight or tomorrow/ In the meantime, thanks for everyone's help and patience.

NOTE: Oddly enough, when I printed the self test page, the printout read "If you can read this, you are using the wrong driver for your printer." So I don't know whether or not to be worried.

[fehlix]

I found the correct IP address and was actually able to open the Brother page for the printer in the browser. I then reinstalled the printer using the ipp protocol with the printer's IP address and was able to print a test page. Before I mark this as solved, though, I will need to go ahead and install MX-21 (since I can no longer boot into MX-19 for whatever reason). Hopefully, I can do that tonight or tomorrow/ In the meantime, thanks for everyone's help and patience.

Good work.

[WaltH]

It looks like I am back to square one after installing MX-21_KDE. In the printer configuration, it shows the driver installed. The IP address for the wireless printer is correct, although when I run the arp -a command, it shows me the IP address and says it is "<incomplete> on wlan0." In the KDE system utilities, the device shifts between "In use - 'Connecting to printer.'" and "In use - 'The printer may not exist or is unavailable at this time.'"

I had trouble getting printing to work in MX-19_ahs as well, but I don't recall that it was this hard. I really liked MX-19 and like MX-21, but if I can't get printing to work, I'll have to go elsewhere.

EDIT: i went back into CUPS and tried to specify the IP address and had no luck. I tried both the script on the Wiki page and the approach suggested by Mauser without success. Rinse. Repeat. On and on. I then went back into CUPS and selected one of the two instances of my printer that CUPS discovered, something I had tried unsuccessfully several times previous. For some reason, this time it worked. I was able to print both a test page and a document. The mystery is why it worked now and did not work over the last few days. I will probably wait to mark this solved until I can reboot and try printing something else to see if the settings hold, but I think I may finally be on the road to success.

[Buck Fankers]

Interesting about the need to install certain Brother packages in order to get printer to work. I have HL-3170CDW, I installed latest MX21 few weeks ago, and printer worked OOTB!

Some additional info: MX21 and printer are connected via Ethernet cord. Printer has set static IP address. I have no network set up. With previous version MX19, I set this static IP address on printer (couldn't figure out, how to connect it wirelessly), connected with Ethernet cord and then I spent several hours fiddling, downloading brother files and at the end printer somehow started to work.

So, when it was time to install MX21 (clean install on new partition), I didn't look forward to mess with printer set up again. Luckily, after MX21 install, I tried to print and it worked without any input from my side.