# [solved] /usr/libexec/cups/filter/foomatic-rip failed

## OnlyTux

Hello, I am sorry to bug you for this problem so much discussed before.

I have an ancient Epson stylus 800 parallel printer.

I read the official Gentoo printing guide. I enabled the right kernel entries (not as module, because I am a noob and I did not want to risk).

I emerged cups, then things began turning wrong.

```
$ dmesg |grep -i print

drivers/usb/class/usblp.c: v0.13: USB Printer Device Class driver
```

USB? Mah... well, I have tried setting cups with both foomatic/stcolor and foomatic/st800 drivers, but, even if the next screen tells me the printer was properly configured, whenever I attempt printing something I receive the error: /usr/libexec/cups/filter/foomatic-rip failed

I have gone to linuxprinting.org and copied the ppd file for my printer to /usr/share/cups/model, but nothing has changed.

Then I have begun to read the posts within this forum, but after a whole day I am at the same point.

Here is the result of my gs -h:

```
GPL Ghostscript 8.54 (2006-05-17)

Copyright (C) 2006 artofcode LLC, Benicia, CA.  All rights reserved.

Usage: gs [switches] [file1.ps file2.ps ...]

Most frequently used switches: (you can use # in place of =)

 -dNOPAUSE           no pause after page   | -q       `quiet', fewer messages

 -g<width>x<height>  page size in pixels   | -r<res>  pixels/inch resolution

 -sDEVICE=<devname>  select device         | -dBATCH  exit after last file

 -sOutputFile=<file> select output file: - for stdout, |command for pipe,

                                         embed %d or %ld for page #

Input formats: PostScript PostScriptLevel1 PostScriptLevel2 PostScriptLevel3 PDF

Default output device: bmpmono

Available devices:

   bbox bit bitcmyk bitrgb bj10e bj200 bjc600 bjc800 bmp16 bmp16m bmp256

   bmp32b bmpgray bmpmono bmpsep1 bmpsep8 cdeskjet cdj550 cdjcolor cdjmono

   cfax cljet5 cljet5c cups deskjet devicen djet500 epswrite faxg3 faxg32d

   faxg4 hl1240 hl1250 ijs jpeg jpeggray laserjet lj5gray lj5mono ljet2p

   ljet3 ljet3d ljet4 ljet4d ljetplus nullpage pbm pbmraw pcx16 pcx24b

   pcx256 pcxcmyk pcxgray pcxmono pdfwrite pgm pgmraw pgnm pgnmraw pj pjxl

   pjxl300 pkm pkmraw pksm pksmraw png16 png16m png256 png48 pngalpha

   pnggray pngmono pnm pnmraw ppm ppmraw ps2write psdcmyk psdrgb psgray

   psmono psrgb pswrite pxlcolor pxlmono rinkj spotcmyk tiff12nc tiff24nc

   tiff32nc tiffcrle tiffg3 tiffg32d tiffg4 tiffgray tifflzw tiffpack

   tiffsep uniprint xcf

Search path:

   . : /usr/share/ghostscript/8.54/lib :

   /usr/share/ghostscript/8.54/Resource :

   /usr/share/fonts/default/ghostscript/

For more information, see /usr/share/doc/ghostscript-gpl-8.54/html/Use.htm.

Report bugs to bug-gs@ghostscript.com, using the form in Bug-form.htm.
```

Here is my tail /var/log/cups/error_log:

```
E [22/Mar/2007:21:15:08 +0000] PID 30617 (/usr/libexec/cups/filter/foomatic-rip) stopped with status 3!

I [22/Mar/2007:21:15:08 +0000] Hint: Try setting the LogLevel to "debug" to find out more.

I [22/Mar/2007:21:30:56 +0000] Started "/usr/libexec/cups/cgi-bin/printers.cgi" (pid=30676)

I [22/Mar/2007:21:41:23 +0000] Started "/usr/libexec/cups/cgi-bin/admin.cgi" (pid=30705)

I [22/Mar/2007:21:41:25 +0000] Started "/usr/libexec/cups/cgi-bin/admin.cgi" (pid=30707)

I [22/Mar/2007:21:41:26 +0000] Started "/usr/libexec/cups/daemon/cups-deviced" (pid=30708)

I [22/Mar/2007:21:41:28 +0000] Started "/usr/libexec/cups/cgi-bin/admin.cgi" (pid=30719)

I [22/Mar/2007:21:41:29 +0000] Started "/usr/libexec/cups/daemon/cups-driverd" (pid=30720)

I [22/Mar/2007:21:41:31 +0000] Started "/usr/libexec/cups/cgi-bin/admin.cgi" (pid=30721)

I [22/Mar/2007:21:41:31 +0000] Started "/usr/libexec/cups/daemon/cups-driverd" (pid=30722)
```

And here is my lpinfo -v:

```
network socket

network beh

network http

network ipp

network lpd

direct parallel:/dev/lp0

direct scsi 
```

I even emerged foomatic and ghostscript, but nothing changed, as well.

I do not know what else to do.

Ah, the kernel recognizes the printer, because I can print from the command line ($ echo hello >> /dev/lp0)

My configuration is an Athlon64 with ASUS K8NE-Delux mobo (nForce3 chipset).

Many thanks to anyone will have the patience to help me, and excuse me for the lenght of this post and/or the banality of my problem. The fact is that, though this is my first installation, everything went smooth, and I have an almost perfect system but for the printer.Last edited by OnlyTux on Fri Mar 23, 2007 2:22 pm; edited 1 time in total

----------

## wynn

I think the problem is having GPL GhostScript rather than ESP GhostScript installed.

ESP Ghostscript is being merged into GPL Ghostscript but I don't know which version this will be.

One good thing though, instead of four GhostScripts (ESP, GPL, GNU and AFPL) there will now only be one as the author of GhostScript has decided to put it under the GPL. Before there was the current AFPL and, after a year, this became GPL or GNU. ESP was a version modded by the CUPS developer (CUPS comes from Easy Software Products).

----------

## OnlyTux

Thank you very very much!!!!!!!!!

With ghostscript-esp it is working perfectly. It doesn't even seem that it is 14 years old   :Very Happy: 

Side note: the linuxprinting.org recommended driver did not work for me: the printer produced completely black pages.

I had to use the st800 driver.

Just in case someone else sitill owns some jurassic working printers.

Thank you again.

OnlyTux

----------

