How do I get Ubuntu to work with a LexMark x125 printer?

How do I get Ubuntu to work with a LexMark x125 printer?


I have recently installed Ubuntu on a system that had previously had Windows XP on it.
This is a summary of the hardware:
Processor: Intel (R) Celeron (TM) CPU 1200 MHz
Memory 243.8 MiB
Available Disk Space 101.6 GiB


Ubuntu has been successfully installed and I am using this OS to type this issue. The Printer I have is connected via a USB port. When I plugged in this printer, Ubuntu recognized it. I have yet to successfully print a Test Page, though.


I have already tried a couple of suggestions I have found after searching online:
http://ubuntu.forums.org/showthread.php?t=230496
http://ubuntu.forums.org/showthread.php?t=107987


These instructions do not work and some of the suggestions do not make any sense. The Lexmark x125 is connected via a USB port, so why does the instructions suggest to connect as a Network Printer? Also the print driver is a .pdd file and no such file exists in the zipped files that are suggested to be downloaded.


I continued to search and I found a PDD file that I thought might work:
http://www.openprinting.org/printer/...k/Lexmark-X125
This page contains a link to a PDD file which I downloaded and used in the setup configuration for the printer. But, after doing this, I was still unable to print a test page.


I know that my Ubuntu Operating System recognizes my Lexmark x125 printer. I know this because when I bring up the window, "Printer Properties -'x125' on localhost" there is a line of text that reads "Printer State: Idle" and when I pull the cable that connects the printer to the computer out of the printer, this line of text changes and reads "Printer State: Stopped -Unplugged or turned off". So I know that Ubuntu "sees" my printer. So why cannot I print something?


Please help. Please tell me what more information you need and how to get it.


According to the Lexmark support web site, there are no official drivers for this printer for Ubuntu and I should go back to Windows XP. (I am missing one of the system restore CD's and Sony no longer sells them which is why I am in this current situation.)


http://support.lexmark.com/index?loc...280899505683#1


Does this mean you ar going to let Microsoft win? Does this mean you are going to sit there and allow Linux to be beaten by Microsoft?!

http://s67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...Screenshot.png

Shows how I can Diagnose the problem.

Does this mean anything to you:

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...enshot-1-1.png

This window mentions the CUPS scheduler that you mention:
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...enshot-2-1.png

And, finally, I got this output:
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...reenshot-3.png

This text is too long to post here, but you can see it here:
http://www.gelsana.com/troubleshoot.html
Is there something I should look for?

I originally replied with a verbos comment but had my main system BSOD (Too broke to replace my dying motherboard). Here's the short and sweet answer about your printer.

Lexmark (Who makes Dells printers) doesn't offer their source code out and doesn't like to make new drivers because they think it will hurt sales of new devices. Your best bet for getting drivers is hoping someone can make their own drivers or making your own. Making your own requires machine language knowledge and programming.

If you can I would suggest HP (not the latest and greatest models). There is tons of support for their printers for linux and it's very easy to find the drivers within their installer software and in some cases you can even find the drivers on HPs website. The type of linux distribution you need to look for when acquiring drivers is Debian because that is the kernel type Ubuntu is based off of.

The people who told me to go ahead and forget XP and install Ubuntu mislead me. THey said I could get the Lexmark printer going with a little effort.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Xarzu

The people who told me to go ahead and forget XP and install Ubuntu mislead me. THey said I could get the Lexmark printer going with a little effort.

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THey said I could get the Lexmark printer going with a little effort

That is a very common comment with linux
Frankly it isnt unless you are fairly skilled.

XP is simple to replace on that laptop.
Find someone with the same XP cd. Use it to reinstall and use the correct legal Product Key found on the Microsoft Sticker on the bottom of the laptop. The drivers are not too difficult to find at the sony site.

I've found that a lot of the negative experiences with linux are caused by people recommending it without fully going over the details of what is invovled. With proper hardware choice, going linux is fairly painless, but as you've seen if it's not, it can be a royal pain to get working.

Frankly. I don't believe that Linux is ready to replace Windows as a desktop yet. In some environments, like certain servers, inbedded applications, linux is a fine choice.

Always choose the right OS for the right situation.

This is the kind of issue you see with any hardware or software update; nobody bothers to do their homework. I think it's an issue that goes way beyond Linux. A little research can save a lot of grief, and I don't mean talking to some buddy that's "really sure, for sure, for sure" that something will work because he heard it through the grapevine from the guy that grooms his cousin's dog that there ain't no problem. The problems of most users are self-inflicted, and they could save hours of grief and frustration if they spent a tenth the time on preparation that they do on remediation. Fortunately, that's never likely to happen, so I can count on a steady revenue stream. Since my older kid goes to college in about 2 years, that's very much appreciated.

Ubuntu isn't that bad. It's kind of like back in the days of Windows 98. You need to find what works and won't work with the OS. Some things just have better success than others. When things don't work you can either choose to forget it or learn how to fix it through the command prompt. I still have yet to learn how to fix linux in the command prompt since I know little of the file structure and nothing about the syntax for the commands.

Since it's a totally new OS to you it's going to take a lot of effort to get around it. Basically you have to realize you're back to the days of when you didn't know how to do anything with the computer. Sure you know how to use the mouse and keyboard but you have to re-master how to use the GUI/system. It can be very frustrating considering you feel like you should be able to achieve more knowing how you can manipulate windows but those techniques are useless for the most part in linux.

All in all I don't blame you if you throw in the towel on ubuntu. I have had to go through 4 times of trying to use linux to finally have reached the point of where I can use it decently but still am nowhere near proficient enough to fix 50% of my problems. I still am at the point that if something gets changed and I can't figure it out that I'll just reinstall kubuntu rather than pull my hair out for days undoing whatever I accidentally ruined.

Well typically in Ubuntu, printing is plug-and-play, but not all printers have linux drivers written for them. This error you're getting, Xarzu, might be because your printer and Ubuntu do not have working drivers. Most of the newest printers don't have Linux drivers.