The software setup for my Brother DCP-L2640DW driverless laser printer is
confusing the hell out of me. I'm running bookworm.
The printer is connected via USB only (not wireless). When I first connected
it, CUPS (apparently) set up a printer Brother_DCP_L2640DW_USB automatically.
A corresponding file in /etc/cups/ppd was there only when the printer was on.
Because of a font-rendering problem, I also installed the driver supplied by
Brother. Now there is a printer DCPL2640DW. It and its PPD file are always
there, even when the printer is off. Sometimes there is also a third
printer, DCPL2640DW_drx (drx being the desktop's name).
Sometimes I want to use DCPL2640DW and sometimes Brother_DCP_L2640DW_USB;
they have performed with some differences I won't go into (e.g. note default
paper sizes below). The problem is that Brother_DCP_L2640DW_USB is by
default absent. If I open a file in firefox and call print,
Brother_DCP_L2640DW_USB and its PPD file appear. If I cancel the print job,
it disappears within 10 seconds. If I try to just ask lp to use
Brother_DCP_L2640DW_USB, it may say there's no such printer.
Once I set Brother_DCP_L2640DW_USB as the default printer, but as soon as
that printer vanished, there was no default printer.
Below are some descriptions I've captured. You'll see some inconsistencies,
but I don't know which ones to correct. Can I make DCPL2640DW and
Brother_DCP_L2640DW_USB both be available full-time, with
Brother_DCP_L2640DW_USB as the default? Thanks.
-----------------------
localhost:631
DCPL2640DW
Description: Brother DCP-L2640DW (USB)
Location:
Driver: Brother DCP-L2640DW for CUPS (grayscale, 2-sided printing)
Connection: ipp://Brother%20DCP-L2640DW%20(USB)._ipp._tcp.local/
Defaults: job-sheets=none, none media=iso_a4_210x297mm sides=one-sided
Brother_DCP_L2640DW_USB
Description: Brother DCP-L2640DW (USB)
Location:
Driver: Printer - IPP Everywhere (grayscale, 2-sided printing)
Connection: ipp://localhost:60000/ipp/print
Defaults: job-sheets=none, none media=na_letter_8.5x11in sides=one-sided
DCPL2640DW_drx
Description: {printer_info}
Location: {printer_location}
Driver: {printer_make_and_model} (grayscale, 2-sided printing)
Connection: {device_uri}
Defaults: job-sheets={job_sheets_default} media=unknown
-----------------------
/etc/cups/ppd:
-rw-r----- 1 root lp 12450 Mar 20 16:19 Brother_DCP_L2640DW_USB.ppd
-rw-r----- 1 root lp 11268 Mar 20 16:19 DCPL2640DW_drx.ppd
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 17898 Mar 20 16:14 DCPL2640DW.ppd
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 17898 Mar 20 16:13 DCPL2640DW.ppd.O
-----------------------
printers.conf shows just this
Info DCPL2640DW
MakeModel Brother DCP-L2640DW for CUPS
DeviceURI ipp://Brother%20DCP-L2640DW%20(USB)._ipp._tcp.local/
even when Brother_DCP_L2640DW_USB is available
