CX1500 Yet another Epson problem child.
Posts: 2
Hi folk,
Brand new to Mepis and fairly new to Linux.Just started with mepis after many weeks of problems with my previous distro. I wont mention what that distro is cause the problems are probably caused by my ignorance ,not the
distro.
However ,I am finding Mepis very easy to set up and use except for 2 real pains.
The first and worst concerns a MFP (Printer/copier/scanner).I have made more
progress with this on Mepis than with any other distro in as much that it will at least print a proper test page.
When i go to set the thing up with Print Manager Wizard I get offered a recommended driver of ;
Epson Stylus Color 1500 (Foomatic+gimp-print)
However if I try to install that driver I get error..
"Unable to load the requested driver":(does not exist or don't have permission)
So I try the second preference which is...
Epson Stylus Color 1500-CUPS+Gimp-Print v4.2.7
This driver installs but wont work ,I get the installed printer with a red cross and accordind to ipp report the driver hasn't been accepted,its still set to raw print.If I try to force the issue and get print manager to change the driver ,Print manager hangs,has to be closed down ,no go.
NOTE.. If ,before I hit "Install for the driver I run "Print Test Page"
the !@#$%^ thing prints out a perfectly fine test page !!!. ,go figure 
An extra confusion is cause in selecting printer model in Print Manager.
My unit is a Epson CX1500 ,however under EPSON there are listed a stylus color 1500 and a range of printers starting with the prefix "CX" but no 1500
As far as I can discover Epson only make one unit with the number 1500 associated with it and thats the CX1500 MFP .I can find no reference in Epson docs. to a printer only with the number 1500. I have tried installing with other CX options (i.e. CX3200 which goes through OK ,and uses the same
CUPS+Gimp-Print v4.2.7 driver ) but it still wont go.
As to the scanner function XSANE finds it but scanimage wont...
found USB scanner (vendor=0x04b8 [EPSON], product=0x080c [USB MFP]) at libusb:001:002
# Your USB scanner was (probably) detected. It may or may not be supported by
# SANE. Try scanimage -L and read the backend's manpage.
gaspode@1[~]$ scanimage -L
No scanners were identified. If you were expecting something different,
check that the scanner is plugged in, turned on and detected by the
sane-find-scanner tool (if appropriate). Please read the documentation
which came with this software (README, FAQ, manpages).
I've tried just about every combo. I can think of and my head hurts.Any suggestions ?.
AND , for something completly different , can anyone tell me of a mirror where I can get wxPython ,the only Google site I can find is
< deb ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian ../project/experimental main>
and it dosn't seem to be there.
Sorry about such a verbose first post but I really want to get to grips with Linux and my printer/scanner plays a big part in my computer use.
Any help very much appreciated,
gaspode
Running
Desktop PC with Celeron Coppermine 601 mhz
KDE 3.3.2
SimplyMEPIS 3.3
P.S. As you can see I'm having a bit of trouble wrangling this new K editor as well sorry the formattings all over the page, working on it 
g.
printer
Posts: 2280
Your printer is listed in the setup wizard as Stylus Color cx1500 just how many functions are working in Mepis i dont know. You have a good chance making it work i think Warren is partial to Epson. You will probably need the gutenprint driver its a relatively new printer BUT TRY them all as ROOT! Or click the administartor button at bottom and supply root password. Allso linux printing.org is a good source of info to see whats working or not.
jim
Epson, HP and Canon all supported by turboprint
Posts: 959
Turboprint offers a free version of their drivers for the purposes of testing to be sure your printer works before you buy it. Their drivers are excellent quality and in my opinion, well worth the money.
I use and prefer Canon, primarily because I can get my printing costs down to less than 2 cents per page by refilling my cartridges whereas Epsons are too prone to breakages through air-locks. If you want to run late model printers and multifunctions in Linux, turboprint is really good to have around.
Mike P
I have no recent experience
Posts: 169
I have no recent experience with Epson products but have gathered from other forums that Linux drivers do not in general support all the functions of multi-function printers yet. You may have to settle for printing only until someone develops a more talented driver.
There is a website which has a great deal of information on Linux-compatible printers and drivers. You might google "linux printers".
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Microsoft and Open Source can play well together. Just look at how well Orca and penguins play together.