Printing multiple pages per sheet doesn't work

Question

In Ubuntu 12.04, I added a network printer which I had previously used without any problems on a different machine (with the same release of Ubuntu).

Now, with the default generic driver installed, printing multiple pages per sheet from evince doesn't work properly. If I select 2 per sheet, be it long or short edge, it always prints 4.

Why is this?

It used to happen with non-pdf documents in the past, like from a browser. My workaround was to print to pdf file and then print the pdf itself. Now I'm clueless...

Edit: the same happens with a different network printer, in which I installed the driver specific to its particular model.

Solution

Just guessing from sparse / generic information provided, there basically are two places/points worth looking into:

• In "Printing" (configure printers, etc), check "page-per-sheet" settings there.

• In Evince, again check "page-per-sheet" settings there.

Further, you may want to try printing from yet another application like *office or gedit (and browse their resp. printing options) for comparison and to confine/define the problem.

Good luck ! (with saving paper :)

Comments

[Admin]

I have the same problem and its not resolved for me. Apparently, choosing "2 pages per sheet" in evince, changes both the behaviour of evince and the printer (or driver or cups), so that I always get 4 per sheet, which is not what I want.

[Admin]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with this issue...

[Ricky Robinson]

I changed the double-siding printing option to None (from Long Edge) and on Gedit it seems to work. From evince and the default dialog box it still prints 4 pages. I don't know what went wrong here. I checked everything: system-config-printer, http://localhost:631/ and of course the settings when I print. Nothing. Nada.

[nutty about natty]

re-install evince ?

[Ricky Robinson]

I did sudo apt-get remove evince, sudo apt-get purge evince, followed by sudo apt-get install evince, but I still have the same problem. :( I've been using and printing with evince for years, using all possible combinations of paper orientation and number of pages per sheet, so I know more or less what I am doing. I just have no idea why this is happening. I might attribute it the driver associated with the printer. I'll try changing that.

[nutty about natty]

sorry to hear! good luck. ps: afterthought: possibly re-install (or update/upgrade version of) CUPS ??? careful: haven't done it myself...