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  • #2152157

    network printer is ready but there’s error when printing

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    by wandersick ·

    Hi there.

    We’ve set up a Canon MP988 network printer (connected to router) in the
    printer server (running Windows Server) of a company。We can see its status
    is ready, which I suppose should mean the driver has been properly installed
    and everything is OK, even its management web page can be accessed fine.
    However, it gives error when printing.

    What could be the cause?

    Sorry for sounding newbie-ish, but I would really like to know the ports the
    network printer uses for sharing, as I want to telnet to the port to see if
    there’s anything (e.g. strict firewall rules) that is blocking the
    communication between the network printer and the Windows server.

    If that path is not blocked, then maybe we need to send the printer to
    repair; if the path is blocked, then it should be firewall, correct?

    “How Network Printing Works”
    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc783789.aspx#w2k3tr_prntt_how_fxbi

    I checked this Technet article for the ports I need but I really lack this
    knowledge. Is this what should be tested? Port 9100 for “Standard TCP/IP
    port monitor” (RAW)”

    I don’t think it is about SMB / RPC ports as the network printer is not a
    Windows OS. Am I wrong in saying so?

    Thanks and sorry for my ignorance.

    mixty

All Answers

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    • #2981487

      Clarifications

      by wandersick ·

      In reply to network printer is ready but there’s error when printing

      Clarifications

    • #2981476

      Printing

      by bfilmfan ·

      In reply to network printer is ready but there’s error when printing

      Install the print drivers on a PC.

      Print directly to the IP address that is assigned to the printer.

      If that works, the issue is between the server and the printer.

      If that does not work, you have an issue at the printer.

      • #2968205

        Thanks, I’ve refined my questions.

        by wandersick ·

        In reply to Printing

        I wondered how exactly to do what you suggested as “print directly to the IP address”, so I did some Google search below.

        Let me state again that it is a network printer directly connected to a Windows Server (not shared to client PC yet since we’re at testing stage, so I think it is not related to RPC/SMB ports)

        I’ve found some ways to troubleshoot network printing issues. Please correct me if there’s something else we should do.

        1) [Do a lowest-level test print] I’d like a method (maybe command) to print directly to the printer by IP rather than first setting it up. Something like “dir > IP_192.168.0.123” would go to printer directly at the lowest possible level to eliminate any other causes.

        Then I found that it can’t be done without first sharing the printer (that means passing though RPC/SMB, not lowest-level):

        a) Remapping printer to LPTx by “net use LPTx \\host\share” and printing with “copy abc.ps LPTx /b”.
        b) print /d:IP_192.168.1.123 c:\abc.txt (no response, unless again first sharing it – print /d:\\192.168.1.133\Canon1 c:\temp.txt)

        Later I found some more ways that works without sharing:

        i) ‘Enable printer pooling’ for both LPTx and IP_192.168.1.123 ports. Then printing to LPTx by the copy command would go to the IP port.

        ii) LPR command seem to do it the lowest level as the name suggests?
        LPR -S 192.168.1.133 -P “Canon MP988” -o c:\abc.ps

        iii) Or, simply setting up the printer by Standard TCP/IP and do a “Print Test Page” in the printer properties would be low level enough?

        (by ‘works’ I mean it gives response, errors are still there tho)

        2) [Firewall issue] If the driver’s fine, maybe the communication between Windows and the network printer is blocked. I was looking for the listening port for TCP/IP network printers to telnet/netcat to. It should be 515 (network printer should use LPD/LPR implementation), yet I’m confused HP JetDirect and others seem to use 9100 or others as listening port (informed by a web page below).
        http://members.cruzio.com/~jeffl/sco/lp/printservers.htm

        PS: I wish to have a way to reproduce this problem and test it at home but could not… there’s no such thing as virtual IP printer. I only found a Virtual Printer at best.

        3) [Confirm driver is working by examining the raw output] First print to file using “Keep printed documents” or “FILE:” port with the Canon driver, then use PCLReader / PostScript viewer (GSView) to view the raw printout to check if it is the driver that makes bad printouts that causes the error.

        However, during the test of both programs using another working Canon printer, both PCLReader and PS viewer (GSView) can’t decode the file but show weid codes. I went on and checked a .pcl file printed by a HP printer. It works tho. What could be the issue here? Isn’t the Canon using either PCL or PS?

      • #2986193

        Firewall issue; allowing 9100 port through works

        by wandersick ·

        In reply to Printing

        Thanks again. Just to report the results. The culprit we found is Windows
        Firewall (of Windows Server 2003).
        After allowing port 9100 (TCP) through, the error is gone.

        Windows Firewall should not block outgoing connections, so it must be
        incoming connection that it has blocked.
        But I wonder why there’s incoming connection, shouldn’t it be just outgoing
        as the server is provided on the TCP/IP network printer?
        it seems to need the port open both on the Windows side and the network
        printer side, bidirectionally, in order to work.

        And I think was wrong saying it should be port 515, because that is for the
        legacy LPR/LPD no longer used, though may be supported by the network
        printer; for RAW (Standard TCP/IP Port Monitor), port 9100 is used by
        default.

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