Ubuntu – Can a printer user code be entered in the printer settings gui

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I managed to get my Ubuntu laptop to do wifi printing at the university in Australia where I study, I was told that only windows using only Internet Explorer can print (not even Mac) as they have a web interface that you use to select the available printer and then it installs the printer network settings etc through Internet Explorer.

Well, I managed to use the add printer GUI to search their printer hosting server for available printers after it prompted me to login using SAMBA when I entered the server site name (without HTTPS), the list came up and I selected the printer I needed. I then went through the list to pick the model etc which I got from the printer's network path as its name was the model number. Its a Ricoh Aficio MP C3300

This printer needs a user code unique to each person printing, the PPD file gives the settings GUI standard 4 digit user codes like 1001, 1002, 1003 etc, I had to hard code my extra code into the PPD file to choose it from the GUI. There is a CustomUserCode or similar in the PPD file, surely the printer settings gui can be modified for one to set your own unique user code? I have emailed the University's library with all instructions I used to get this working and I let them know it may work for Macs so at least that should get them to look into it as Macs are becoming quite popular.

Best Answer

It misses some information that should result useful. Nevertheless I see 3 family of solutions:

  1. You can install a Virtual Machine (Virtualbox) on your Ubuntu with a working Windows operative system, install the printer following the usual procedure from your university and after share the printer with your computer. There are many tutorial about different version of Windows. The advantage is that you can fully use the normal procedure. You emulate a machine (hardware) and not the operative system. If the Virtual Machine is up you can download a pre-made system too. Follow, e.g., this post to have other news about it.

  2. You can try to install the driver through wine. I see more problems because this time you go to emulate the system and explorer have to connect with a probably dedicated interface and install the driver in the emulated system. So it seems to be a specific task and I don't know how much it can be tested. This doesn't mean it cannot function.

  3. From another computer with installed that printer you can obtain the IP address and the other parameters you should need. Else, since you have the authorization to print, at least you have the possibility to put physically your hands on the printer: from the panel option on the printer you may see the IP address. Often in the universities this can be even more easy: the IP can be directly written on the printer, or on the network plug.

    • If it is a fixed IP, you can try to install in Ubuntu the printer as a network one. Via CUPS. With those parameter
      Driver: Ricoh Aficio yyy foomatic/plx mono (reccomanded) yyy is your model or one compatible
      Connection soket://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (the IP you read before) Fixing by hands the parameter for Media source, double side printing, quality and so on...
    • If it is a DHCP printer it should be more tricky. With Samba you can discover the printer in the network and after you should obtain a connection like
      Connection dnssd://RICOH%20Aficio%ZZZZZZZZ_pdl-datastream._tcp.local/ instead of "ZZZZZZZZ" there will be your model/id of printer.

The latter way is possible only if the administrators did not close the printer with a firewall, or did not set the printer to accept jobs only from their queue.

Note. Once that you obtain the IP of your printer you can probably enter in the internet page of your printer (!). http(s)://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx always the same IP of before. (I don't remember if it is encrypted or not, http or https). It's even possible that you can download from there the driver too.

General consideration: IMO it's impolite, even if not unusual, that a University forces the use of a proprietary software to access a shared resource.

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