After clicking print and processing pages.. it just stops

[Peter Flynn]

On 03/10/2024 16:29, David Fletcher wrote:
> Maybe a bit off topic, but....
> 
> Because printing problems have been mentioned, I'd like to say, after
> a certain amount of wasted time paper and toner I've never had much
> confidence in printing directly from LibreOffice 

Fortunately I have never have to print more than a trivial document from 
LibreOffice, but yes, it's tricky.

> [...] installed by the Brother installer script.

I didn't know this existed until I tried to install my mother's old 
Brother (sounds like a family company:-) on my laptop a few years ago. I 
was impressed that it found the right files and installed a working printer.

> My adopted method of getting it right first time

My PDFs are generated from XeLaTeX, so I am reasonably confident that 
they contain to PDF-related bugs. I print from qpdfview or evince 
without problems, and occasionally from within the Vivaldi browser (also 
without problems).

> I've no idea whether the bugs that affect me are living in the
> Brother driver or CUPS.
I *did* have a problem a few years ago on my HP OJ Pro 7720 whereby 
*every print job* would cause it first to perform its startup dance 
(printhead moves back and forth a dozen or so times, interspersed with 
various buzzes and clicks and long silences). Then it would print the 
job correctly. But as this started immediately after having let the 
printer self-install a firmware update, I knew the problem was theirs. I 
spend an hour and a half on the phone to them, finally finding someone 
who understood tech, and I sent them video of the problem. A few weeks 
later there was another firmware update and the problem went away -- but 
needless to say, no apology or explanation:-)

Peter