Bug#792514: foomatic-db: Problems when printing some pdf files in a Brother MFC-9465CDN

[Agustin Martin]

Package: foomatic-db
Version: 20150411-1
Severity: normal

Dear Maintainer,

Hi,

For some time I am having problems with some pdf files in a multifuncion
Brother MFC-9465CDN, using BRScript-3 Brother MFC-9450CDN and MFC9840CDW ppd
files shipped through foomatic. I am having the same problem with a
MFC-9465CDN ppd file taken from Brother disks. 

This does not happen with all pdf files, just with some of them containing
images. I am attaching one of the problematic pdf, in case it helps. It was
adapted from a previous document and includes a bitmap image. Modificacion
was done through LibreOffice and exported to pdf from it. When sent to a
Brother MFC9465CDN using the BR-Script3 ppd files mentioned above, printing
fails and a sheet is output with this error message printed:

ERROR NAME;
   typecheck
COMMAND;
   image
OPERAND STACK;
[ None or some of the lines below, depending on the ppd ]
­­--boolean­type­­
­­--boolean­type­­

The good news are that pre-processing the pdf file with pdfwrite seems to
work around this problem as well as printing it first to a pdf file with
cups-pdf, but this latter makes a far bigger file.

I noticed that for cups 1.3 or higher a pre-processing filter can be used.
If pstopdf cups filter is available, adding following lines to ppd file
seems to make things work here,


*% PDF pre­filter to work around a problem with some Brother printers
*cupsVersion: 1.3
*cupsPreFilter: "application/pdf 100 pstopdf"


pstopdf cups filter generates PDF 1.3, but the general gs+pdfwrite 
pre-processing seems to work with either 1.4 or 1.3 PDF output.

This hack seems to be working well here, but cannot discard other drawbacks.
For this reason I am filing this bug report mostly to make you aware of the
problem and asociated hack, as well as to have this info stored and
searchable through the web.

I am aware that the pdftops cups-filter already has some hacks for Brother
printers. If the source for this problem is identified fix may fit better
there, but in the meantime it is allowing me to print well in that box.

Regards,

-- 
Agustin

Sample-failing-unfiltered.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document