WorkCentre XL2140df print server

[EricG1793]

I've rescued a WorkCentre XL2140df from being thrown out at my workplace -- it will come in very handy at home with the large scanning glass. They claimed it kept jamming, but it turns out that "J1" means "out of toner" -- contrary to intuition. Anyway, I'd love to use it as a printer as well, but it only offers a parallel port, which none of our computers have anymore.

So, I decided to go out on a limb and buy a D-Link DP-301P+ parallel print server to get the copier on our network. It seems that anytime I try to print to it, all it does is make the green light by the start button blink, and if I press that button, it prints a blank page. Then the light by the button that seems to indicate communication between the WorkCentre and the computer (in this case, print server) goes out, and if I try to print again, nothing happens, even after I presumably re-enable communication between printer and server.

Yet another obstacle is the fact that neiter Windows 7 or Ubuntu 12.04 provide the XL2140df as an option in the printer list. I've tried a few different Xerox printers hoping that the drivers would be similar, but they all produce blank pages.

If there's any way you can think of to get this thing working, let me know -- I know it's a long shot but it would sure be worth the trouble!

[EricG1793]

I've confirmed functionality of the parallel print server via my LaserJet 5M, so now it's a matter of finding the correct driver for the Xerox (substituting another machine, possibly?) and knowing how the buttons work in relation to print jobs.

[EricG1793]

I tried IPP as you suggested but I don't know what to type for the URI?

I've also tried LPD Host, and the test page was "processing" for a few minutes (both in the Ubuntu printer queue and the print server status), but again, nothing happened. Now anything else I send to it goes through immediately but nothing happens.

I've messed around with it more, and looked through the manual again. It turns out that the blinking green status light indicates that the machine is in power-saver mode; by pressing the green Start button, I was merely initializing a copy command, and of course there's nothing on the bed or in the feeder to copy hence the blank pages.

If I keep pressing buttons right up until I actually print a Ubuntu test page or Google test page, the Xerox has no reaction whatsoever. No noise,  no blinking lights... it'll just go into standby without a care.

Interesting that the LaserJet 5M works but not this Xerox. The LaserJet has the appropriate driver in Ubuntu and even Windows 7 (in spite being made in 1998), yet this 2001-made Xerox a distant memory.

Of course, the troubleshooting section of the Xerox manual says that using a pass-through device is a problem and to connect directly to a computer's parallel port. Baah humbug!

If I view the parallel print server's Web interface, I can see that the printer is online, and I can see when data is being sent and it returns to the ready state, and it keeps a job count. Still not sure what the problem is.

[EricG1793]

Any other ideas? Might a network expansion card exist that could be compatible with this machine in place of the parallel port? I've removed the back cover and part of the metal shield around the logic board and the parallel port is soldered to a small board with a ribbon cable hopping over to the main board.

[EricG1793]

I've given up on putting it on the network. Now I have a computer with a parallel port. Windows 7 32 bit and Ubuntu 12.04 64-bit, neither OS will print to it. Ubuntu recommends a different WorkCentre driver when installing the printer, but everything I print gets lost. It's gone from the queue but the printer shows no reaction whatsoever.

Windows 7 had no clue what to do with it. Xerox only gives Windows 2000 and XP drivers. The XP driver goes nowhere (no reaction after it extracts).

I thought I had success with the Windows 2000 driver. It was simply an INF, and I added a local printer via LPT1, it installed successfully, but whenever I try to print, the queue says Error - Printing.

I have a LaserJet 1100 manufactured in 2000 that worked right off the bat in both OS's, didn't even need to tell the printer to install. It just showed up.

Yes, the printers are old. But the Xerox was "only" made 6 years before Vista, yet even Ubuntu seems to have no good driver for it!

Any other ideas? I was hoping to eliminate one of the 5 printers I have laying around by getting the Xerox to print as well as copy, but I guess I'll have to use 3 printers (I prefer not to do my black and white printing with the expensive inkjet that I actually buy ink for [laser printers are free second-hand and come with toner that lasts ages]).