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[Bug 2119052] [NEW] foo2zjs: Epson AcuLaser CX17NF filter fails on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, prints with incorrect colors with default PPD

To: debcrafters-packages@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From: Aleprex <2119052@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2025 21:32:54 -0000
Reply-to: Bug 2119052 <2119052@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sender: noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Public bug reported:

Hello,

This bug report concerns the Epson AcuLaser CX17NF printer on a fresh
installation of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. The printer experiences two distinct
issues depending on the driver configuration. This issue does not occur
on Windows, where the printer works perfectly with correct color output.

**System Information:**
- **OS:** Ubuntu 24.04 LTS "Noble Numbat" (fully updated as of July 2025)
- **Printer:** Epson AcuLaser CX17NF
- **Driver Package:** printer-driver-foo2zjs (version 20200505dfsg0-2ubuntu6)
- **CUPS Version:** 2.4.7-1.2ubuntu7.3

---

**Issue 1: Default Auto-Detected Driver (Incorrect Colors)**

1. When the printer is connected via USB, Ubuntu auto-detects it and sets up a print queue.
2. Printing a color document works, but the colors are extremely washed out and incorrect (e.g., pinks appear as faint grey). This suggests a generic driver is being used which does not correctly manage color or toner density.

---

**Issue 2: "Filter failed" with foo2zjs and Manual PPD**

To fix the color issue, I followed the standard procedure of using the
recommended foo2zjs driver.

**Steps to Reproduce:**
1. Installed the necessary packages: `sudo apt install printer-driver-foo2zjs ghostscript foomatic-db-engine dc bc`
2. Created a new printer queue via the CUPS web interface (`http://localhost:631`).
3. Manually supplied a known-good PPD file for the Epson AcuLaser CX17 from the foo2zjs source tree.
4. Set the default options for this new queue to `ColorMode=Color` and `TonerSave=Off`.
5. Attempting to print any document to this queue results in a "Filter failed" error.

---

**Debugging Investigation and Logs:**

After enabling CUPS debug logging (`cupsctl --debug-logging`), we
identified the root cause of the crash. The `foomatic-rip` filter fails
when calling the `foo2hbpl2-wrapper`.

**1. Initial Crash Log:**
The logs showed the renderer was crashing due to an invalid command line generated by `foomatic-rip` based on the PPD file. We identified two specific errors by progressively editing the PPD's `*FoomaticRIPCommandLine`:

- **Error A:** The command contained `-G %Z`. The log revealed the error: `No arg for -G option`.
- **Error B:** After removing `-G %Z`, the command contained `-r%R%A`. The log revealed the error: `foo2hbpl2-wrapper: Illegal resolution %R`.

This indicates that the modern CUPS/foomatic-rip stack on Ubuntu 24.04
is no longer correctly substituting the `%Z` and `%R%A` variables for
this PPD.

**2. Final PPD Modification and Result:**

We manually edited the `*FoomaticRIPCommandLine` in the PPD file to hardcode the resolution and remove the problematic options, resulting in this command:
`*FoomaticRIPCommandLine: "foo2hbpl2-wrapper -z3 -p1 -m1 -n1 -d1 -s7 -r600x600 -t"`

With this change, the **"Filter failed" error disappears.** The job is
processed by CUPS successfully, the queue shows it as completed, and the
backend sends data to the USB port.

**However, the printer does not print anything.** It remains idle,
suggesting that the data stream generated by the patched filter chain is
either empty or corrupt, and the printer silently discards it.

**Conclusion:**
There appears to be a critical bug/incompatibility between the `foomatic-rip` filter in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and the `foo2zjs` driver for HBPL printers like the Epson AcuLaser CX17NF. The variable substitution in the PPD's command line is broken, and manually fixing it leads to a silent printing failure. This renders the printer unusable for high-quality color printing on this OS version.

Thank you for your time and for maintaining these essential packages.

** Affects: foo2zjs (Ubuntu)
Importance: Undecided
Status: New

** Attachment added: "mio_log.txt"
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2119052/+attachment/5894440/+files/mio_log.txt

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2119052

Title:
foo2zjs: Epson AcuLaser CX17NF filter fails on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS,
prints with incorrect colors with default PPD

Status in foo2zjs package in Ubuntu:
New

Bug description:
Hello,

This bug report concerns the Epson AcuLaser CX17NF printer on a fresh
installation of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. The printer experiences two distinct
issues depending on the driver configuration. This issue does not
occur on Windows, where the printer works perfectly with correct color
output.

---

**Issue 1: Default Auto-Detected Driver (Incorrect Colors)**

---

**Issue 2: "Filter failed" with foo2zjs and Manual PPD**

To fix the color issue, I followed the standard procedure of using the
recommended foo2zjs driver.

---

**Debugging Investigation and Logs:**

After enabling CUPS debug logging (`cupsctl --debug-logging`), we
identified the root cause of the crash. The `foomatic-rip` filter
fails when calling the `foo2hbpl2-wrapper`.

This indicates that the modern CUPS/foomatic-rip stack on Ubuntu 24.04
is no longer correctly substituting the `%Z` and `%R%A` variables for
this PPD.

**2. Final PPD Modification and Result:**

With this change, the **"Filter failed" error disappears.** The job is
processed by CUPS successfully, the queue shows it as completed, and
the backend sends data to the USB port.

**However, the printer does not print anything.** It remains idle,
suggesting that the data stream generated by the patched filter chain
is either empty or corrupt, and the printer silently discards it.

Thank you for your time and for maintaining these essential packages.

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/foo2zjs/+bug/2119052/+subscriptions