After Firefox upgrade, browser no longer prints without CUPS

[Joshua Tinnin]

On Fri 2 Dec 05 21:07, Joshua Tinnin <krinklyfig at comcast.net> wrote:
> On Fri 2 Dec 05 16:43, Micah <micahjon at ywave.com> wrote:
> > Joshua Tinnin wrote:
> > > On Thu 1 Dec 05 22:35, Micah <micahjon at ywave.com> wrote:
> > >>Joshua Tinnin wrote:
> > >>>What does Firefox use to recognize printers? Every other
> > >>>application recognizes and uses the generic UNIX lpd (with
> > >>>Ghostscript and hpdij), which is what Firefox used before I
> > >>>upgraded it to 1.5. Now it insists on using CUPS or PostScript.
> > >>>I've been Googling for two days and can't figure out how to get
> > >>> it back where it was.
> > >>>
> > >>>Have to say, I love FreeBSD, but printing is a serious hassle.
> > >>>Every time the smallest thing changes, it breaks and requires
> > >>>several days of maddening searching and tweaking to get it back
> > >>> the way it was. Am about to break down and get a print server,
> > >>> as this is way too much to deal with on a regular basis.
> > >>
> > >>Did you try printing using the "postscript/default" printer?  If
> > >> that is broken, the "properties" button on the print window
> > >> should allow you to specify lpd as the print command.
> > >
> > > Yes, I tried this, although lpd is the daemon, right? It's
> > > already running through lpd_enable="YES" in /etc/rc.conf, in any
> > > event. I used lpr. It tells me the paper size is not supported by
> > > the printer (8.5"x11"), which is definitely not true.
> >
> > You're right, I meant lpr.  And something is wrong with FireFox's
> > printer handling.  I used to have two printers setup in FireFox
> > (and Mozilla before), one for the default printer (lpr) and one for
> > kprinter (both are the same physical printer, just different
> > frontends to it). FireFox 1.5 added the cups printer and now
> > FireFox seems to be having trouble telling which printer is which. 
> > Clicking on propterties for PostScript/Default shows me the
> > propterties for PostScript/kprinter, and PostScript/kprinter's
> > properties shows me PostScript/Default.  Odd.  The settings in
> > prefs.js look fine.
>
> Well, there's yet another update for Firefox. Don't have time to look
> it over at the moment, but am going to portupgrade it and see what
> happens. I may have borked ghostscript the last time I updated it
> (missed ijs, which my printer needs, but I recompiled and reinstalled
> it), so I reinstalled it and then reinstalled apsfilter. Didn't seem
> to help, and not sure why Firefox would need correct printer drivers
> at compile time, but will see what transpires after this next update.

OK, that didn't do it, but I figured it out, at least my problem. There 
were several messages in the archives about this same problem, but this 
is the one that solved it: 
http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions/2005-October/101080.html

In about:config, print.printer_list had no string when I checked it. I 
entered the string (without quotes) "lp hpdjet" (hpdjet being the name 
of my printer in /etc/printcap), and I got my list back, including 
CUPS/lp (was there before the fix, and doesn't work, but I don't use 
CUPS), PostScript/default (was there before the fix, doesn't work), 
PostScript/hpdjet (reappeared, works), and another printer in printcap 
I entered previously, which I guess it couldn't see if there were no 
string in that particular preference, but I didn't specify it in 
print.printer_list. So, guess that string has to be set for any printer 
in /etc/printcap for it to work with the default UNIX print daemon, and 
somehow that string was stripped or not carried over with the upgrade 
to 1.5.

Incidentally, one of my printers on the drop-down list in Firefox 
from /etc/printcap is having the issue described here: 
http://www-math.mit.edu/~dave/bugs/#paper_mozilla  I am not sure how to 
resolve this, but it's a duplicate entry of another printer, so it's 
not a major issue.

- jt