I'm having some trouble installing three printers (Canon TR4520, Brother MFW-J985XL, and Epson XP-7100) on KaOS using CUPS. Each time I try to add them, I run into an error with the Driverless Driver; it keeps failing and says that the generated PPA is empty. It seems like some distributions might start phasing out printer support, which could be part of the problem. I can't find any documentation or PPAs for these specific printers, only RPM and Deb files, and I'm not sure how to work with those formats. While Debian-based systems automatically identify and install printers, I'm struggling with Arch-based systems like KaOS. What happens when a printer is retired from CUPS support? Do we just have to switch to new printers? Any help in setting up these printers on KaOS would be greatly appreciated, and I think this could help others facing similar issues!
2 Answers
All three of those printers support IPP. I've found that using the web interface is the most reliable method for adding them to CUPS. Avoid using auto-discovery via .local as it may cause issues later. Instead, reserve a static IP for each printer and add them through the web interface. Here’s a great guide that explains how to do that: [Guide Link](https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9/html/configuring_and_using_a_cups_printing_server/adding-a-printer-to-cups-by-using-the-web-interface_configuring-printing). If that doesn't work, you can attempt using different drivers, like Gutenprint, or even generics if needed. Good luck!
I had a hunch that something might be off with KaOS too. When I tried Endeavour OS, it installed all three printers without a hitch. I had to turn off the firewall during installation, but it handled everything smoothly! You might want to consider that route if KaOS continues to give you trouble.
Thanks for sharing! I've decided to reinstall KaOS and try your method, but if it fails again, I'll definitely check out Endeavour OS.
I had a similar issue but copied the driver from another distro; it worked perfectly. Might be worth trying if you have access to another Linux setup that works!