ubuntu says low ink level, although not empty, will not print

Where are you getting a low ink warning? HPLIP itself does not warn on
startup of low ink, and HPLIP will not prevent you from printing with low
ink, AFAIK. If you are receiving this message on the device itself, then it
is strictly a hardware or firmware issue, and will require a call to HP
support. Can you be more specific about how the message is appearing? Also,
please run hp-info and post the output.

On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 5:44 AM, iang <email address hidden>
wrote:

> New question #30592 on HPLIP:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/hplip/+question/30592
>
> When I start my computer and printer (K550) I am told that ink levels are
> low. I click away the warning, and sometimes I can print and sometimes not.
> I don't want to have to change the cartridges every time I receive this
> message because I can still print for months with this warning. Test page is
> fine. I see two problems. Ubuntu (7.10) (HPLIP 2.7.7) doesn't allow me to
> print when levels are low, or the warning system doesn't work correctly, and
> secondly, the K550 doesn't measure the levels correctly. Has anyone an idea?
>
> --
> You received this question notification because you are a member of HP
> Linux Imaging and Printing, which is an answer contact for HPLIP.
>

Thanks for the answer. I believe there at least two problems. That the K550 is showing low ink levels, much too early, is probably a printer problem. But that I still can't print seems to to me to have to do with the software, because sometimes it seems to me, that be clicking away the warning or the status sometimes seems to have helped. I have an icon for the printer status, which when I open it, it shows the files waiting to be printed and which never print, unless I turn of the computer and printer, then sometimes the printer starts automatically printing, sometimes it doesn't do anything. Usually I don't have trouble, my wife usually does!

HP Linux Imaging and Printing System (ver. 2.7.7)
Device Information Utility ver. 3.4

Copyright (c) 2001-7 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP
This software comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
This is free software, and you are welcome to distribute it
under certain conditions. See COPYING file for more details.

Using device: hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56

hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56

Device Parameters (dynamic data):
  Parameter Value(s)
  ---------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------
  agent1-ack False
  agent1-desc Black and yellow print head
  agent1-dvc 0
  agent1-health 1
  agent1-health-desc Not installed
  agent1-hp-ink False
  agent1-id 0
  agent1-kind 1
  agent1-known False
  agent1-level 0
  agent1-level-trigger 7
  agent1-sku HP 68 (C9381)
  agent1-type 14
  agent1-virgin False
  agent2-ack False
  agent2-desc Cyan and magenta print head
  agent2-dvc 0
  agent2-health 1
  agent2-health-desc Not installed
  agent2-hp-ink False
  agent2-id 0
  agent2-kind 1
  agent2-known False
  agent2-level 0
  agent2-level-trigger 7
  agent2-sku HP 88 (C9382A)
  agent2-type 15
  agent2-virgin False
  agent3-ack False
  agent3-desc Black ink cartridge
  agent3-dvc 0
  agent3-health 0
  agent3-health-desc Good/OK
  agent3-hp-ink False
  agent3-id 31
  agent3-kind 2
  agent3-known False
  agent3-level 85
  agent3-level-trigger 0
  agent3-sku HP 68 (C9396/C9385)
  agent3-type 1
  agent3-virgin False
  agent4-ack False
  agent4-desc Yellow ink cartridge
  agent4-dvc 0
  agent4-health 0
  agent4-health-desc Good/OK
  agent4-hp-ink False
  agent4-id 31
  agent4-kind 2
  agent4-known False
  agent4-level 22
  agent4-level-trigger 1
  agent4-sku HP 88 (C9388/C9393)
  agent4-type 6
  agent4-virgin False
  agent5-ack False
  agent5-desc Cyan ink cartridge
  agent5-dvc 0
  agent5-health 0
  agent5-health-desc Good/OK
  agent5-hp-ink False
  agent5-id 31
  agent5-kind 2
  agent5-known False
  agent5-level 45
  agent5-level-trigger 0
  agent5-sku HP 88 (C9386/C9391)
  agent5-type 4
  agent5-virgin False
  agent6-ack False
  agent6-desc Magenta ink cartridge
  agent6-dvc 0
  agent6-health 0
  agent6-health-desc Good/OK
  agent6-hp-ink False
  agent6-id 31
  agent6-kind 2
  agent6-known False
  agent6-level 55
  agent6-level-trigger 0
  agent6-sku HP 88 (C9387/C9392)
  agent6-type 5
  agent6-virgin False
  back-end hp
  cups-printer Officejet_Pro_K550
  cups-uri hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56
  dev-file
  device-state 1
  device-uri hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56
  deviceid MFG:HP;MDL:Officejet Pro
                                K550;CMD:MLC,PCL,PML,DESKJET,DW-PCL,DYN;CLS:PRINTER;DES:HP
                                Officejet Pro
                                K550;SN:MY6CC71B56;S:028090A880001000810002000300040005055
                                602d70378216;Z:031;1284.3M:f7f,f7f;1284.4DL:4d,4e,1;
  duplexer 0
  error-state 0
  host
  in-tray1 1
  in-tray2 1
  is-hp True
  media-path 1
  panel 0
  panel-line1
  panel-line2
  photo-tray 0
  port 1
  r 0
  revision 2
  rg 000
  rr 000000
  rs 000000000
  serial MY6CC71B56
  status-code 1000
  status-desc The printer is idle.
  supply-door 0
  top-door 1

Model Parameters (static data):
  Parameter Value(s)
  ---------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------
  align-type 1
  clean-type 1
  color-cal-type 5
  copy-type 0
  embedded-server-type 1
  fax-type 0
  fw-download 0
  icon officejet_k550.png
  io-mfp-mode 6
  io-mode 1
  io-support 14
  linefeed-cal-type 1
  model Officejet_Pro_K550
  model-ui HP Officejet Pro k550
  model1 Officejet Pro K550
  model2 Officejet Pro K550dtn
  model3 Officejet Pro K550dtwn
  panel-check-type 0
  pcard-type 0
  pq-diag-type 1
  r-type 0
  r0-agent1-kind 1
  r0-agent1-sku HP 68 (C9381)
  r0-agent1-type 14
  r0-agent2-kind 1
  r0-agent2-sku HP 88 (C9382A)
  r0-agent2-type 15
  r0-agent3-kind 2
  r0-agent3-sku HP 68 (C9396/C9385)
  r0-agent3-type 1
  r0-agent4-kind 2
  r0-agent4-sku HP 88 (C9388/C9393)
  r0-agent4-type 6
  r0-agent5-kind 2
  r0-agent5-sku HP 88 (C9386/C9391)
  r0-agent5-type 4
  r0-agent6-kind 2
  r0-agent6-sku HP 88 (C9387/C9392)
  r0-agent6-type 5
  scan-style 0
  scan-type 0
  status-battery-check 0
  status-dynamic-counters 0
  status-type 2
  support-released 1
  support-type 2
  support-ver 0.9.6
  tech-class DJGenericVIP
  tech-type 2
  usb_pid
  usb_vid

Status History (most recent first):
  Date/Time Code Status Description User Job ID
  -------------------- ----- ---------------------------------------- -------- --------
  24.04.2008 20:42:37 1000 The printer is idle. root
  24.04.2008 20:33:23 5012 Device communication error. root

Any ideas? Thanks,Iang

What dialog are you clicking away?

Also please run hp-check -t and post the output.

A

The dialog comes from the top of my screen, one of the printer icons and says that ink levels are low.
Here is hp-check -t:

HP Linux Imaging and Printing System (ver. 2.8.4)
Dependency/Version Check Utility ver. 14.0

Copyright (c) 2001-8 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP
This software comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
This is free software, and you are welcome to distribute it
under certain conditions. See COPYING file for more details.

Note: hp-check can be run in three modes:
1. Compile-time check mode (-c or --compile): Use this mode before compiling the
HPLIP supplied tarball (.tar.gz or .run) to determine if the proper dependencies
are installed to successfully compile HPLIP.
2. Run-time check mode (-r or --run): Use this mode to determine if a distro
supplied package (.deb, .rpm, etc) or an already built HPLIP supplied tarball
has the proper dependencies installed to successfully run.
3. Both compile- and run-time check mode (-b or --both) (Default): This mode
will check both of the above cases (both compile- and run-time dependencies).

Saving output in log file: hp-check.log

Initializing. Please wait...

---------------
| SYSTEM INFO |
---------------

Basic system information:
Linux hawes-desktop 2.6.22-14-generic #1 SMP Tue Feb 12 07:42:25 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux

Distribution:
ubuntu 7.10

HPOJ running?
No, HPOJ is not running (OK).

Checking Python version...
OK, version 2.5.1 installed

Checking PyQt version...
OK, version 3.17 installed.

Checking SIP version...
OK, Version 4.7 installed

Checking for CUPS...
Status: Scheduler wird ausgeführt
Version: 1.3.2
error_log is set to level: warn
note: For troubleshooting printing issues, it is best to have the CUPS 'LogLevel'
note: set to 'debug'. To set the LogLevel to debug, edit the file /etc/cups/cupsd.conf (as root),
note: and change the line near the top of the file that begins with 'LogLevel' to read:
note: LogLevel debug
note: Save the file and then restart CUPS (see your OS/distro docs on how to restart CUPS).
note: Now, when you print, helpful debug information will be saved to the file:
note: /var/log/cups/error_log
note: You can monitor this file by running this command in a console/shell:
note: tail -f /var/log/cups/error_log

Checking for dbus/python-dbus...
dbus daemon is running.
python-dbus version: 0.82.0

------------------------------------
| COMPILE AND RUNTIME DEPENDENCIES |
------------------------------------

note: To check for compile-time only dependencies, re-run hp-check with the -c parameter (ie, hp-check -c).
note: To check for run-time only dependencies, re-run hp-check with the -r parameter (ie, hp-check -r).

Checking for dependency: cups - Common Unix Printing System...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: cups-ddk - CUPS driver development kit...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: cups-devel- Common Unix Printing System development files...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: dbus - Message bus system...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: gcc - GNU Project C and C++ Compiler...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: GhostScript - PostScript and PDF language interpreter and previewer...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: libcrypto - OpenSSL cryptographic library...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: libjpeg - JPEG library...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: libnetsnmp-devel - SNMP networking library development files...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: libpthread - POSIX threads library...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: libtool - Library building support services...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: libusb - USB library...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: make - GNU make utility to maintain groups of programs...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: PIL - Python Imaging Library (required for commandline scanning with hp-scan)...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: ppdev - Parallel port support kernel module....
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: PyQt - Qt interface for Python...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: python-ctypes - A foreign function library for Python...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: python-dbus - Python bindings for dbus...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: python-devel - Python development files...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: Python 2.3 or greater - Required for fax functionality...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: Python 2.2 or greater - Python programming language...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: Reportlab - PDF library for Python...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: SANE - Scanning library...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: SANE - Scanning library development files...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: scanimage - Shell scanning program...
warning: NOT FOUND! This is an OPTIONAL/RUNTIME ONLY dependency. Some HPLIP functionality may not function properly.
To install this dependency, execute this command:
sudo apt-get install --yes --force-yes libsane

Checking for dependency: xsane - Graphical scanner frontend for SANE...
OK, found.

----------------------
| HPLIP INSTALLATION |
----------------------

Currently installed HPLIP version...
HPLIP 2.8.4 currently installed in '/usr/share/hplip'.

Current contents of '/etc/hp/hplip.conf' file:
# hplip.conf. Generated from hplip.conf.in by configure.

[hpssd]
# Note: hpssd does not support dynamic ports
# Port 2207 is the IANA assigned port for hpssd
port=2207

[hplip]
version=2.8.4

[dirs]
home=/usr/share/hplip
run=/var/run
ppd=/usr/share/ppd/hpijs/HP
ppdbase=/usr/share/ppd/hpijs
doc=/usr/share/doc/hplip-2.8.4
icon=/usr/share/applications
cupsbackend=/usr/lib/cups/backend
cupsfilter=/usr/lib/cups/filter
drv=/usr/share/cups/drv/hp/

# Following values are determined at configure time and cannot be changed.
[configure]
network-build=yes
pp-build=no
gui-build=yes
scanner-build=yes
fax-build=yes
cups11-build=no
doc-build=yes
shadow-build=no
foomatic-drv-install=yes
foomatic-ppd-install=no
foomatic-rip-hplip-install=yes
internal-tag=2.8.4.2

--------------------------
| DISCOVERED USB DEVICES |
--------------------------

  Device URI Model
  -------------------------------- ---------------------
  hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?seria HP Officejet Pro K550
  l=MY6CC71B56

---------------------------------
| INSTALLED CUPS PRINTER QUEUES |
---------------------------------

warning: No queues found.

----------------------
| SANE CONFIGURATION |
----------------------

'hpaio' in '/etc/sane.d/dll.conf'...
OK, found. SANE backend 'hpaio' is properly set up.

Checking output of 'scanimage -L'...
error: scanimage not found.

---------------------
| PYTHON EXTENSIONS |
---------------------

Checking 'cupsext' CUPS extension...
OK, found.

Checking 'pcardext' Photocard extension...
OK, found.

Checking 'hpmudext' I/O extension...
OK, found.

Checking 'scanext' SANE scanning extension...
OK, found.

-----------------
| USB I/O SETUP |
-----------------

Checking for permissions of USB attached printers...

HP Device 0x1812 at 006:002:
    Device URI: hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56
    Device node: /dev/bus/usb/006/002
    Mode: 0666

-----------
| SUMMARY |
-----------

error: 1 error or warning.

Summary of needed commands to run to satisfy missing dependencies:
sudo apt-get install --yes --force-yes libsane

Please refer to the installation instructions at:
http://hplip.sourceforge.net/install/index.html

Done.

A couple of days ago I tried updating HPLIP from 2.7.7 to 2.8, maybe that's the reason for the missing dependency.
Hope that helps. Look forward to hear from you.
iang

It doesn't appear that the printer is configured for using hplip.

--------------------------
| DISCOVERED USB DEVICES |
--------------------------

  Device URI Model
  -------------------------------- ---------------------
  hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?seria HP Officejet Pro K550
  l=MY6CC71B56

---------------------------------
| INSTALLED CUPS PRINTER QUEUES |
---------------------------------

warning: No queues found.

Please run:

sudo hp-setup

to configure the printer, then try to print to the new printer queue created. do you have the same problem?

A

Hello!
I ran hp-setup again, like I did after installing 2.8 (and before sending the last results) , now I have two printers listed. At the top of my screen I now have three printer icons! Two for status and one for configuration. In setup they ask for a memory place but don't offer a suggestion so I left it blank. Should I specify something? Since I installed 2.8 it seems to be working, though we haven't printed much. It is a problem that just happens sometimes. The low ink level warnings are there all the time, although we could probably print for weeks. That's how it was with the black cartridge anyway. Thanks for your help and I look forward to hearing from you. iang

P.S And I did just print again and it was OK. By status still the low ink level warnings.

Well, last evening it wouldn't print again. After following your suggestion (setup) I still have two printers (the same one actually), and none of them was designated as standard, which I then did. Still no designated place or folder. And it didn't print. I turned off the printer and turned it on again, then it printed. Very annoying and probably quite a waste of ink turning it on and off all the time. Any ideas? thanks, iang

Please run hp-info again and post the output. In your previous hp-info it says that some cartridges are missing...although if it's working sometimes and then not working there may be a hardware problem. If possible test on a windows system and see if you are getting the same results.

A

Hello again. Thanks for not giving up. I booted windows xp and printed with two programs and the printer worked fine. Then I switched to Ubuntu and could also print. Very strange. It is just sometimes that it won't print and when I look at the printer status the document(s) I am trying to print is listed, and at the bottom there is the low ink level message. Is there any other place I could gather information the next time it doesn't print (Maybe I should be more optimistic!) Here is the latest HP-Info:
HP Linux Imaging and Printing System (ver. 2.8.4)
Device Information Utility ver. 4.1

Copyright (c) 2001-8 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP
This software comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
This is free software, and you are welcome to distribute it
under certain conditions. See COPYING file for more details.

error: hp-info should not be run as root.
Using device: hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56

hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56

Device Parameters (dynamic data):
  Parameter Value(s)
  ---------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------
  agent3-ack False
  agent3-desc Black ink cartridge
  agent3-dvc 0
  agent3-health 0
  agent3-health-desc Good/OK
  agent3-hp-ink False
  agent3-id 0
  agent3-kind 2
  agent3-known False
  agent3-level 84
  agent3-level-trigger 0
  agent3-sku HP 68 (C9396/C9385)
  agent3-type 1
  agent3-virgin False
  agent4-ack False
  agent4-desc Yellow ink cartridge
  agent4-dvc 0
  agent4-health 0
  agent4-health-desc Good/OK
  agent4-hp-ink False
  agent4-id 0
  agent4-kind 2
  agent4-known False
  agent4-level 18
  agent4-level-trigger 1
  agent4-sku HP 88 (C9388/C9393)
  agent4-type 6
  agent4-virgin False
  agent5-ack False
  agent5-desc Cyan ink cartridge
  agent5-dvc 0
  agent5-health 0
  agent5-health-desc Good/OK
  agent5-hp-ink False
  agent5-id 0
  agent5-kind 2
  agent5-known False
  agent5-level 42
  agent5-level-trigger 0
  agent5-sku HP 88 (C9386/C9391)
  agent5-type 4
  agent5-virgin False
  agent6-ack False
  agent6-desc Magenta ink cartridge
  agent6-dvc 0
  agent6-health 0
  agent6-health-desc Good/OK
  agent6-hp-ink False
  agent6-id 0
  agent6-kind 2
  agent6-known False
  agent6-level 53
  agent6-level-trigger 0
  agent6-sku HP 88 (C9387/C9392)
  agent6-type 5
  agent6-virgin False
  back-end hp
  cups-printer Officejet_Pro_K550
  cups-uri hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56
  dev-file
  device-state 1
  device-uri hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56
  deviceid MFG:HP;MDL:Officejet Pro
                                K550;CMD:MLC,PCL,PML,DESKJET,DW-PCL,DYN;CLS:PRINTER;DES:HP
                                Officejet Pro
                                K550;SN:MY6CC71B56;S:028090A880001000810002000300040005054
                                602a70358212;Z:031;1284.3M:f7f,f7f;1284.4DL:4d,4e,1;
  duplexer 0
  error-state 0
  host
  in-tray1 1
  in-tray2 1
  is-hp True
  media-path 1
  panel 0
  panel-line1
  panel-line2
  photo-tray 0
  port 1
  r 0
  revision 2
  rg 000
  rr 000000
  rs 000000000
  serial MY6CC71B56
  status-code 1000
  status-desc The printer is idle.
  supply-door 0
  top-door 1

Model Parameters (static data):
  Parameter Value(s)
  ---------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------
  align-type 1
  clean-type 1
  color-cal-type 5
  copy-type 0
  embedded-server-type 1
  fax-type 0
  fw-download 0
  icon officejet_k550.png
  io-mfp-mode 6
  io-mode 1
  io-support 14
  job-storage 0
  linefeed-cal-type 1
  model Officejet_Pro_K550
  model-ui HP Officejet Pro k550
  model1 Officejet Pro K550
  model2 Officejet Pro K550dtn
  model3 Officejet Pro K550dtwn
  panel-check-type 0
  pcard-type 0
  plugin 0
  plugin-library
  power-settings 0
  pq-diag-type 1
  r-type 0
  r0-agent1-kind 1
  r0-agent1-sku HP 68 (C9381)
  r0-agent1-type 14
  r0-agent2-kind 1
  r0-agent2-sku HP 88 (C9382A)
  r0-agent2-type 15
  r0-agent3-kind 2
  r0-agent3-sku HP 68 (C9396/C9385)
  r0-agent3-type 1
  r0-agent4-kind 2
  r0-agent4-sku HP 88 (C9388/C9393)
  r0-agent4-type 6
  r0-agent5-kind 2
  r0-agent5-sku HP 88 (C9386/C9391)
  r0-agent5-type 4
  r0-agent6-kind 2
  r0-agent6-sku HP 88 (C9387/C9392)
  r0-agent6-type 5
  scan-style 0
  scan-type 0
  status-battery-check 0
  status-dynamic-counters 0
  status-type 2
  support-released 1
  support-type 2
  support-ver 0.9.6
  tech-class DJGenericVIP
  tech-type 2
  usb-pid 1812
  usb-vid 03f0

iang

The yellow ink cartridge seems low:

  agent4-ack False
  agent4-desc Yellow ink cartridge
  agent4-dvc 0
  agent4-health 0
  agent4-health-desc Good/OK
  agent4-hp-ink False
  agent4-id 0
  agent4-kind 2
  agent4-known False
  agent4-level 18
  agent4-level-trigger 1
  agent4-sku HP 88 (C9388/C9393)
  agent4-type 6
  agent4-virgin False

If you check the ink levels with the windows driver tools does it indicate that the ink level is normal?

A

I'm sure it would say low, because the printer itself has a low level light for yellow on. But I could probably still print dozens of coloured copies before it would really run out, and I don't want to have to replace cartridges when the printer says that they are low. It was that way with black. We got at least 50 - 100 pages more before we started noticing a difference in quality. I want to be able print until a loss of qualtity is apparent, and not have to rely on these warnings that come much too early. Is this printer designed to refuse printing when levels are low, or does the printing software, HPLIP or CUPS in someway connected to these inklevels?
Maybe the best thing to do is, the next time it doesn't print, is to change the cartridge. It wouldn't solve the problem, but maybe help in the diagnose? My wife now has school holidays (teacher) so we will hardly be printing in the next two weeks.
iang

Are the warnings preventing you from printing? it should print even with the warnings....

A

I'm not sure, that was my question.Because the printer status also always showed the low level warnings. To test it I'll have to wait until it doesn't print again, and then I'll change the cartridge. But like I said, that might take a couple of weeks, because we may not be doing any printing for a while. (holidays) If it's OK with you I'll let you know then how things are. Maybe the HPLIPupdate and the second setup did the trick. Oh, and there was a CUPS update recently too. Until then, iang.

Hallo again,
Printer is still inconsistently printing, now the printer status says that it is perhaps not connected, although it sometimes prints and sometimes doesn't. And when I delete the printer and look for a new one, Ubuntu has no problem in finding and identifying it. Here a the output from HP info:

HP Linux Imaging and Printing System (ver. 2.8.5)
Device Information Utility ver. 4.1

Copyright (c) 2001-8 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP
This software comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
This is free software, and you are welcome to distribute it
under certain conditions. See COPYING file for more details.

warning: hp-info should not be run as root.
Using device: hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56

hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56

Device Parameters (dynamic data):
  Parameter Value(s)
  ---------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------
  agent1-ack False
  agent1-desc Black ink cartridge
  agent1-dvc 0
  agent1-health 0
  agent1-health-desc Good/OK
  agent1-hp-ink False
  agent1-id 0
  agent1-kind 2
  agent1-known False
  agent1-level 83
  agent1-level-trigger 0
  agent1-sku HP 68 (C9396/C9385)
  agent1-type 1
  agent1-virgin False
  agent2-ack False
  agent2-desc Yellow ink cartridge
  agent2-dvc 0
  agent2-health 0
  agent2-health-desc Good/OK
  agent2-hp-ink False
  agent2-id 0
  agent2-kind 2
  agent2-known False
  agent2-level 12
  agent2-level-trigger 1
  agent2-sku HP 88 (C9388/C9393)
  agent2-type 6
  agent2-virgin False
  agent3-ack False
  agent3-desc Cyan ink cartridge
  agent3-dvc 0
  agent3-health 0
  agent3-health-desc Good/OK
  agent3-hp-ink False
  agent3-id 0
  agent3-kind 2
  agent3-known False
  agent3-level 39
  agent3-level-trigger 0
  agent3-sku HP 88 (C9386/C9391)
  agent3-type 4
  agent3-virgin False
  agent4-ack False
  agent4-desc Magenta ink cartridge
  agent4-dvc 0
  agent4-health 0
  agent4-health-desc Good/OK
  agent4-hp-ink False
  agent4-id 0
  agent4-kind 2
  agent4-known False
  agent4-level 49
  agent4-level-trigger 0
  agent4-sku HP 88 (C9387/C9392)
  agent4-type 5
  agent4-virgin False
  back-end hp
  cups-printer Officejet_Pro_K550,Officejet_Pro_K550_2
  cups-uri hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56
  dev-file
  device-state 1
  device-uri hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56
  deviceid MFG:HP;MDL:Officejet Pro
                                K550;CMD:MLC,PCL,PML,DESKJET,DW-PCL,DYN;CLS:PRINTER;DES:HP
                                Officejet Pro
                                K550;SN:MY6CC71B56;S:028090A880001000810002000300040005053
                                60277031820c;Z:031;1284.3M:f7f,f7f;1284.4DL:4d,4e,1;
  duplexer 0
  error-state 0
  host
  in-tray1 1
  in-tray2 1
  is-hp True
  media-path 1
  panel 0
  panel-line1
  panel-line2
  photo-tray 0
  port 1
  r 0
  revision 2
  rg 000
  rr 000000
  rs 000000000
  serial MY6CC71B56
  status-code 1000
  status-desc Idle.
  supply-door 0
  top-door 1

Model Parameters (static data):
  Parameter Value(s)
  ---------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------
  align-type 1
  clean-type 1
  color-cal-type 5
  copy-type 0
  embedded-server-type 1
  fax-type 0
  fw-download 0
  icon officejet_k550.png
  io-mfp-mode 6
  io-mode 1
  io-support 14
  job-storage 0
  linefeed-cal-type 1
  model Officejet_Pro_K550
  model-ui HP Officejet Pro k550
  model1 Officejet Pro K550
  model2 Officejet Pro K550dtn
  model3 Officejet Pro K550dtwn
  panel-check-type 0
  pcard-type 0
  plugin 0
  plugin-library
  power-settings 0
  pq-diag-type 1
  r-type 0
  r0-agent1-kind 1
  r0-agent1-sku HP 68 (C9381)
  r0-agent1-type 14
  r0-agent2-kind 1
  r0-agent2-sku HP 88 (C9382A)
  r0-agent2-type 15
  r0-agent3-kind 2
  r0-agent3-sku HP 68 (C9396/C9385)
  r0-agent3-type 1
  r0-agent4-kind 2
  r0-agent4-sku HP 88 (C9388/C9393)
  r0-agent4-type 6
  r0-agent5-kind 2
  r0-agent5-sku HP 88 (C9386/C9391)
  r0-agent5-type 4
  r0-agent6-kind 2
  r0-agent6-sku HP 88 (C9387/C9392)
  r0-agent6-type 5
  scan-style 0
  scan-type 0
  status-battery-check 0
  status-dynamic-counters 0
  status-type 2
  support-released 1
  support-type 2
  support-ver 0.9.6
  tech-class DJGenericVIP
  tech-type 2
  usb-pid 1812
  usb-vid 03f0

Done.

And here hp-check -t
Basic system information:
Linux hawes-desktop 2.6.22-14-generic #1 SMP Tue Feb 12 07:42:25 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux

Distribution:
ubuntu 7.10

HPOJ running?
No, HPOJ is not running (OK).

Checking Python version...
OK, version 2.5.1 installed

Checking PyQt version...
OK, version 3.17 installed.

Checking SIP version...
OK, Version 4.7 installed

Checking for CUPS...
Status: Scheduler wird ausgeführt
Version: 1.3.2
error_log is set to level: warn
note: For troubleshooting printing issues, it is best to have the CUPS 'LogLevel'
note: set to 'debug'. To set the LogLevel to debug, edit the file /etc/cups/cupsd.conf (as root),
note: and change the line near the top of the file that begins with 'LogLevel' to read:
note: LogLevel debug
note: Save the file and then restart CUPS (see your OS/distro docs on how to restart CUPS).
note: Now, when you print, helpful debug information will be saved to the file:
note: /var/log/cups/error_log
note: You can monitor this file by running this command in a console/shell:
note: tail -f /var/log/cups/error_log

Checking for dbus/python-dbus...
dbus daemon is running.
python-dbus version: 0.82.0

------------------------------------
| COMPILE AND RUNTIME DEPENDENCIES |
------------------------------------

note: To check for compile-time only dependencies, re-run hp-check with the -c parameter (ie, hp-check -c).
note: To check for run-time only dependencies, re-run hp-check with the -r parameter (ie, hp-check -r).

Checking for dependency: cups - Common Unix Printing System...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: cups-ddk - CUPS driver development kit...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: cups-devel- Common Unix Printing System development files...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: dbus - Message bus system...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: gcc - GNU Project C and C++ Compiler...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: GhostScript - PostScript and PDF language interpreter and previewer...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: libcrypto - OpenSSL cryptographic library...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: libjpeg - JPEG library...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: libnetsnmp-devel - SNMP networking library development files...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: libpthread - POSIX threads library...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: libtool - Library building support services...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: libusb - USB library...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: make - GNU make utility to maintain groups of programs...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: PIL - Python Imaging Library (required for commandline scanning with hp-scan)...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: ppdev - Parallel port support kernel module....
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: PyQt - Qt interface for Python...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: python-ctypes - A foreign function library for Python...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: python-dbus - Python bindings for dbus...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: python-devel - Python development files...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: Python 2.3 or greater - Required for fax functionality...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: Python 2.2 or greater - Python programming language...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: Reportlab - PDF library for Python...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: SANE - Scanning library...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: SANE - Scanning library development files...
OK, found.

Checking for dependency: scanimage - Shell scanning program...
warning: NOT FOUND! This is an OPTIONAL/RUNTIME ONLY dependency. Some HPLIP functionality may not function properly.
To install this dependency, execute this command:
sudo apt-get install --yes --force-yes libsane

Checking for dependency: xsane - Graphical scanner frontend for SANE...
OK, found.

----------------------
| HPLIP INSTALLATION |
----------------------

Currently installed HPLIP version...
HPLIP 2.8.5 currently installed in '/usr/share/hplip'.

Current contents of '/etc/hp/hplip.conf' file:
# hplip.conf. Generated from hplip.conf.in by configure.

[hpssd]
# Note: hpssd does not support dynamic ports
# Port 2207 is the IANA assigned port for hpssd
port=2207

[hplip]
version=2.8.5

[dirs]
home=/usr/share/hplip
run=/var/run
ppd=/usr/share/ppd/hpijs/HP
ppdbase=/usr/share/ppd/hpijs
doc=/usr/share/doc/hplip-2.8.5
icon=/usr/share/applications
cupsbackend=/usr/lib/cups/backend
cupsfilter=/usr/lib/cups/filter
drv=/usr/share/cups/drv/hp/

# Following values are determined at configure time and cannot be changed.
[configure]
network-build=yes
pp-build=no
gui-build=yes
scanner-build=yes
fax-build=yes
dbus-build=yes
cups11-build=no
doc-build=yes
shadow-build=no
foomatic-drv-install=yes
foomatic-ppd-install=no
foomatic-rip-hplip-install=yes
internal-tag=2.8.5.23

--------------------------
| DISCOVERED USB DEVICES |
--------------------------

  Device URI Model
  -------------------------------- ---------------------
  hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?seria HP Officejet Pro K550
  l=MY6CC71B56

---------------------------------
| INSTALLED CUPS PRINTER QUEUES |
---------------------------------

warning: No queues found.

----------------------
| SANE CONFIGURATION |
----------------------

'hpaio' in '/etc/sane.d/dll.conf'...
OK, found. SANE backend 'hpaio' is properly set up.

Checking output of 'scanimage -L'...
error: scanimage not found.

---------------------
| PYTHON EXTENSIONS |
---------------------

Checking 'cupsext' CUPS extension...
OK, found.

Checking 'pcardext' Photocard extension...
OK, found.

Checking 'hpmudext' I/O extension...
OK, found.

Checking 'scanext' SANE scanning extension...
OK, found.

-----------------
| USB I/O SETUP |
-----------------

Checking for permissions of USB attached printers...

HP Device 0x1812 at 006:002:
    Device URI: hp:/usb/Officejet_Pro_K550?serial=MY6CC71B56
    Device node: /dev/bus/usb/006/002
    Mode: 0666

-----------
| SUMMARY |
-----------

error: 1 error or warning.

Summary of needed commands to run to satisfy missing dependencies:
sudo apt-get install --yes --force-yes libsane

Please refer to the installation instructions at:
http://hplip.sourceforge.net/install/index.html

Done.

I did try the libsane command in synaptic and it said I already have it.

The only thing that occurs to me is to try to install the newest Ubuntu and hope that the printer will be installed better.
Or could it be a firmware problem?

Thanks anyway. I installed Ubuntu 8.04 after erasing the hard drive, now I don't have any problems anymore. I still get the low ink levels way too early, but now it prints. I guess that one of those numerous updates that Ubuntu keeps offering me had messed up the integration of printer and program or system. Maybe it's a better strategy just to ignore the updates and install the system new every year?!

I'm having the same problem on Ubuntu 8.10 . Although I can't do the technical stuff. This is what I have found. If you get a low ink warning on Ubuntu, it is coming from you printer. I agree that in windows and other OS you can continue to print even with the warning. This is not true in Ubuntu unless you print only one page at a time. What is apparently happening is that when you ask Ubuntu to print multiple pages or have multiple one page documents in the print que is that Ubuntu sees the low in warning and sees many pages in the que and decides that there is not enough ink to print to print the whole thing. It will print one maybe two pages and then stop.

The problem is how ubuntu is resolving the low print warning. What I end up having to do is email my documents and open windows. Then print everything out. What a pain!!!

This print issue and slow video issue are the two thing keeping me from being all linux. I can understand why most novices (me) don't stick with linux. Still to many bugs with no work arounds

Hello, in the meantime our printer works better and doesn't stop at the first low ink warnings, but at the second level, when they are supposed to be really empty, when the light blinks. Strange thing is the message, that the printer is eventually nicht connected. Stupid. Mabe it was some update from Ubuntu that did the trick. I also reinstalled a couple of times. Otherwise I am still pleased with Ubuntu. It's good that we can't download these stupid (Windows) games that the children want. Open office write still has some strange bugs in it, especially regarding tables and drawing. But think about all the people complaining about their Vista! Slower than molasses in January my mother would say.