Wednesday 3 July 2013

Linux Printer Drivers - Fuji Xerox DocuPrint P255 dw

The Fuji Xerox DocuPrint line of printers are not officially supported on Linux. But it is possible to get them working under Ubuntu Linux using the PPD file from the Windows Drivers.

Here's how I got my Fuji Xerox DocuPrint P255 dw working under Ubuntu 12.10:

  1. First, download the Windows PostScript Printer Drivers from the Fuji website:
    http://www.fujixeroxprinters.com.au/en/Downloads.aspx?product=11252&category=5726&dl=1
  2. Extract the zip file to a local directory.
  3. Find the folder which matches your architecture - x64 for 64-bit machines, or x32 for 32-bit machines.
  4. Inside this folder you'll find a .cab file. Open this with your favourite archiver (I used Ark), and extract the contents.
  5. One of the extracted files is called "fxtpn1a.ppd". This is the PPD file you'll need to install the driver on Linux.
    NOTE: You may need to run dos2unix over this file, to convert from Windows to Unix line endings. I also had to correct one line which was supposed to begin with an asterisk, but had a single space preceding it at the start of the line.
  6. Under Ubuntu settings, open Printers, and click "Add".
  7. Find the network printer, and connect using AppSocket/HP JetDirect.
  8. When asked for a driver, choose "Local Driver", and "Provide PPD file".
  9. Browse to the PPD file extracted earlier, and click through the rest of the wizard to finish adding the printer.
  10. Print a test page to verify the drivers are working properly.