Installing HP Printer Driver on Linux Ubuntu

Ahaaa... a new HP Printer is in place !. It is a good laserjet printer with scanner capability. It works fine under windoze and Mac. What about the penguin? Can the penguin recognize and utilize the new printer instanly?.
Well it all depends on the model of your printer. Some models are seamlessly recognized from the moment you plug it in, but some are not !. So What to do when your linux doesn't print ?


Ofcourse the penguin can do anything of its counterparts capable of doing. Personally speaking, HP is the most linux-friendly Printer. So there should be no sweat connecting the penguin to the printer. There is an one-stop HP driver that should work with all HP Printer.

Simply Download http://sourceforge.net/projects/hplip/files/hplip/3.9.12/hplip-3.9.12.run/download and as its name suggests, run it !
At the time of posting, this is the latest installer. it is strongly recommended to download the latest driver.

Assuming that you download the file to Desktop, open up the containing folder ( desktop ) and change the .run file permission so that the file is now executable ( the command chmod a+x should do the trick !) and then, run it by typing its name. You might want to add sudo and ./ in front of the file.

sudo is needed when you access system-wide environment. Besides, the ./ command tells the penguin that the requested file is in current folder

Here is the summary of the installation process

cd ~/Desktop
chmod a+x hplip-3.9.12.run
sudo ./hplip-3.9.12.run

if it doesn't work, try this
sudo sh ./hplip-3.9.12.run

Simply follow the instruction on your screen.

Another way of installing the driver is through repositories. This is the easiest way people can find.

How to install the driver from repositories ?. Simply type the following command !

sudo apt-get install hplip

However, if your printer is a brand new latest series printer, the repositories might not update enough to get your printer works !. In this case, the first alternative is much better !.

Afterall, you might want to configure your new printer to maximize its functions

Type this

sudo hp-setup

There is a tutorial with some of screenshots. Here is the address
http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/install/install/index.html


I managed to install printer HP Laserjet M1319f MFP on my ubuntu 9.04. It works as fine as it does when it run on windoze (Printing and scanning).

Remember :
A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed. ~ (Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 1999)