SDB:Blank Pages When Printing with CUPS

Version: 8.1

Symptom

One or more additional blank pages are sometimes printed with CUPS. Apparently, this symptom depends partly on the Ghostscript driver used, partly on the data to print (PostScript or DVI, for example), and partly on the tool used to print (command line or printing from an application).

If a blank page were produced every time you print, it would be a different problem. In this case, you should use a PPD file better suited for your printer.

Cause

The actual cause has not been determined yet because so many factors are involved, but at least one cause lies in the cupsomatic filter script accounting functionality. The accounting functionality in the cupsomatic filter script changes the PostScript code in such a way that Ghostscript delivers a line similar to
PAGE: <page number>
on stderr (standard error output) for each PostScript page. After being processed by Ghostscript, the modifications in the PostScript code might result in the output of additional blank pages.

Solution

Because CUPS accounting information is usually not necessary, the accounting functionality can be disabled in the cupsomatic filter by changing the line

my $ps_accounting = 1;

to

my $ps_accounting = 0;

in the filter script /usr/lib/cups/filter/cupsomatic as the user root. If you use /etc/foomatic/filter.conf, disable ps_accounting there.

SDB:Printer Configuration from SuSE Linux 8.1 on

<keyword>printer,print,8.1,81,cups,formfeed,blankpages,printing</keyword>