Network printer gets disabled occasionally

Question

I'm running Ubuntu 10.04 and have a HP-Laserjet-3005P network printer. Occasionally (perhaps related to rebooting) the printer, which is setup as the default printer, becomes disabled. After realizing that I'm not getting anything printed, I must then open printing preferences and click on "enabled". Then it prints happily until the next time that it becomes disabled...

Any ideas why this is happening and/or how I could fix it?

I know I'm giving very little information, I can't think of anything else to give...if there's something I should be providing, please let me know.

Solution

I have the same problem but I found a workaround with adding the command

cupsenable [PRINTERNAME]

to /etc/crontab to be executed every 5 minutes. I had to get it to work because this problem occurs even in 11.04 and 11.10 and we're using Ubuntu in a training classroom. The printer is never switched off so that cannot be the source of the problem. [PRINTERNAME] has to be replaced with the name of the printer in the settings. For example, if the printer is labeled "HP-Laserjet-3005P" you can type

sudo su
*type password*
echo -e "#Fix CUPS disabling\n*/5 *\t* * *\troot\tcupsenable HP-Laserjet-3005P" >> /etc/crontab

to make sure printing will start at least after 5 minutes (if you want shorter times just replace the 5 with a 2 for 2 minutes or 1 for 1 minute).

Comments

[Yossi Farjoun]

"disconnected" from what? it is a network printer, so I am not sure I should go and disconnect the departmental printer...

[papukaija]

I thought that you were using an USB connection. Maybe you should try to disable networking in your PC, then set your printer to enabled and finally re-enable networking. Did you try my second suggestion yet?

[Yossi Farjoun]

hmmm. I am not an admin on that machine....