Duplex printing options using lp or lpr

.lpcupsprinting

The default options for a Brother MFC-9340CDW printer, are reportedly (e.g. querried via lpoptions -l) set to:

PageSize/Media Size: *A4 Letter Legal Executive A5 A6 B5 JISB5 JISB6 EnvDL EnvC5 Env10 EnvMonarch Br3x5 FanFoldGermanLegal EnvPRC5Rotated Postcard EnvYou4 EnvChou3 210x270mm 195x270mm 184x260mm 197x273mm
BRDuplex/Two-Sided: DuplexTumble *DuplexNoTumble None
BRInputSlot/Paper Source: AutoSelect *Tray1 Manual
BRResolution/Print Quality: 600dpi *600x2400dpi
BRMonoColor/Color / Mono: Auto FullColor *Mono
BRMediaType/Media Type: *Plain Thin Thick Thicker BOND Env EnvThick EnvThin Recycled Label Glossy PostCard
BRColorMatching/Color Mode: *Normal Vivid None
BRGray/Improve Gray Color: OFF *ON
BREnhanceBlkPrt/Enhance Black Printing: OFF *ON
BRTonerSaveMode/Toner Save Mode: OFF *ON
BRImproveOutput/Improve Print Output: OFF *BRLessPaperCurl BRFixIntensity
BRSkipBlank/Skip Blank Page: *OFF ON
BRBrightness/Brightness: -20 -19 -18 -17 -16 -15 -14 -13 -12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 *0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
BRContrast/Contrast: -20 -19 -18 -17 -16 -15 -14 -13 -12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 *0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
BRRed/Red: -20 -19 -18 -17 -16 -15 -14 -13 -12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 *0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
BRGreen/Green: -20 -19 -18 -17 -16 -15 -14 -13 -12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 *0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
BRBlue/Blue: -20 -19 -18 -17 -16 -15 -14 -13 -12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 *0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
BRSaturation/Saturation: -20 -19 -18 -17 -16 -15 -14 -13 -12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 *0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Though a simple lp(r) command should make use of the default options, duplex printing does not work as expected, e.g., the option *DuplexNoTumble should result in a double sided print of the document so as to turn the paper along its long edge. The result, however, for a PDF document, is a DuplexTumble one!

Even manually setting the options of interest in the command line directly does not complete as expected, e.g.

lp -o PageSize=A4 -o BRDuplex=DuplexNoTumble -o BRInputSlot=Tray1 -o BRResolution=600dpi -o BRMonoColor=Auto -o BRMediaType=Plain -o BRColorMatching=Normal -o BRTonerSaveMode=ON -o BRImproveOutput=BRLessPaperCurl SomeDocument.pdf

prints a Short-Edge binded print-out.

Strangely, setting the BRDuplex to None, gives the same Short-Edge Binding. There must be some configuration option set to "Short-Edge Binding" somwhere that overrides the lpoptions.

Where (else) are Duplex printing related options set?

Details

  • Printer: Model Name Brother MFC-9340CDW, Main Firmware Version K, Sub1 Firmware Version 1.02, Sub2 Firmware Version F1309271100
  • OS: Funtoo
  • Printer Driver Installed via https://github.com/NikosAlexandris/brother-overlay
  • The http://localhost:631/printers/Brother_MFC-9340CDW reports, however:
    • Driver: Brother MFC-9340CDW CUPS (color, 2-sided printing)
    • Connection: lpd://192.168.10.6/BINARY_P1
    • Defaults: job-sheets=none, none media=iso_a4_210x297mm sides=one-sided
  • Section of interest in the file Brother_MFC-9340CDW.ppd:
*%=== BRDuplex ================================
*OpenUI *BRDuplex/Two-Sided: PickOne
*OrderDependency: 25 AnySetup *BRDuplex
*DefaultBRDuplex: DuplexNoTumble
*BRDuplex DuplexTumble/Short-Edge Binding: "          "
*BRDuplex DuplexNoTumble/Long-Edge Binding: "          "
*BRDuplex None/Off: "          "
*CloseUI: *BRDuplex

Best Answer

The right place to set options for the (/this) printer, is in /opt/brother/Printers/mfc9340cdw/inf/brmfc9340cdwrc. The problem of always resulting in a DuplexTumble printing, was forced by the respective code-line (BRDuplex=DuplexTumble) in this configurations file.

Setting the option in question to BRDuplex=DuplexNoTumble, and restarting the cupsd service (in my case, using rc-service cupsd restart for OpenRC) results in double-sided prints binded along a document's long-edge.

I came up to check for a file named like br(model name)rc only after reading this section of a relevant Ubuntu-Wiki page: http://wiki.ubuntuusers.de/Brother/Drucker#Problembehebung

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