HPLIP Install Decision Tree
Description: HP Linux Imaging and Printing - HPLIP is an HP developed solution for printing, scanning, and faxing with HP inkjet and laser based printers in Linux.
Keywords: HPLIP, HP, Linux, Printing, HPIJS

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# Should you install the latest HPLIP?

Step 1: Is HPLIP currently installed?

Debian package based distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, Mepis, etc)

RPM package based distributions (Fedora, SUSE, Mandriva, RHEL, etc)

Step 2: Should you install the latest HPLIP?

Do you have a newer printer that is not supported by your older version of HPLIP?

Do you want new features or need a version that has a s specific bug fixed?

If you answered "yes" to either of the above questions...

# Is HPLIP currently installed?

Most current Linux distributions include HPLIP pre-installed when the operating system was installed. However, some distributions may not have an updated version that you may need to support a newer printer model or one that contains a feature of bug fix that may be important to you.

To check if HPLIP is already installed you can try one of these commands, however your distribution may have specific package manager commands that are not described here.

Note: You may want to refer to your distribution documentation for the correct way to configure and use HPLIP with your distribution. However, these commands should work in the majority of cases.

Debian package based distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, Mepis, etc):

Run in a terminal window:

    dpkg -l hplip

You may see something that looks like this:

    Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
    | Status=Not/Installed/Config-files/Unpacked/Failed-config/Half-installed
    |/ Err?=(none)/Hold/Reinst-required/X=both-problems (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
    ||/ Name             Version                  Description
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ii  hplip            1.7.3-0ubuntu1           HP Linux Printing and Imaging

If you see "ii" in the first column before "hplip", then HPLIP is already installed. If you want to use the currently installed version of HPLIP, try running hp-setup in a terminal shell. See below to deterime if you need to install a newer version.

RPM package based distributions (Fedora, SUSE, Mandriva, RHEL, etc):

Run in a terminal window:

    rpm -qa hplip

You may see something that looks like this:

    hplip-1.6.7-4

Output that lists "hplip" and a version number indicates that HPLIP is already installed on your system.

If HPLIP is already installed try running hp-setup to configure your printer. See below to deterime if you need to install a newer version.

# How to determine if you should install a newer version of HPLIP

Note: The current version of HPLIP is 2.8.4.

Do you have a newer printer that is not supported by your older version of HPLIP?

Check the Supported Devices page to see what version of HPLIP is required for your printer.

Do you want new features or need a version that has a specific bug fixed?

If your printer is supported by an older version of HPLIP, perhaps you want the newer updated features that the latest verion of HPLIP has to offer. Check the Release Notes page for new features and specific bug fixes.

If you answered "yes" to either of the above questions...

Determine if a newer pre-packaged version of HPLIP is available. Use your distribution tools (Synaptic, Yum, Apt-get, YasT, Red Carpet, etc) to check. It is preferrable to use a pre-packaged version of HPLIP as it is simplier to install and upgrade.

If a newer version is not available from your distribution or the version they offer doesn't have the printer support you need, continue with the download and installation of HPLIP.

Page last updated: Wed Apr 2 15:18:10 2008; HPLIP Version: 2.8.4