Install Drivers For More Than 2000 HP Printer Models Using HPLIP - Ubuntu

 If you find difficulties installing HPLIP (HP Linux Imaging and Printing) under Ubuntu, then this tutorial will be very useful for you. The latest version of HPLIP (3.12.2) provide support for about 2080 HP printer models including:

• Deskjets
• Officejets
• Photosmarts
• Business Inkjets
• PSCs
• LaserJet MFPs
•  LaserJets
•  Edgeline MFPs 

Thuis tutorial is workable for Ubuntu 12.04/11.10/11.04 or older. If you have already installed an older version of HPLIP, then remove it before proceeding with the installation. You can check current HPLIP version with this command:

dpkg -l | grep hplip

If your version is a bit older, then remove it with the following commands:

sudo apt-get purge hplip hplip-gui


sudo apt-get autoremove -f

Then go to your printer manager and remove any HPLIP driver installed on your system.

HPLIP Installation

To begin, let's install first these dependencies required by the installer:

sudo apt-get install gcc build-essential python-dev libcupsys2-dev  libusb-dev libtool libcupsimage2-dev

Then download and start the installer with these commands:

cd && wget -O hplip-3.12.2.run http://goo.gl/L56rl


chmod +x hplip-3.12.2.run


sh ./hplip-3.12.2.run

You will be prompted to select installation mode, type "a" without quotes and press Enter to select "Automatic Mode":

The installer will now try to detect your distribution version, if detected correctly, type "y" without quotes and press Enter:

Then enter your Ubuntu user password to start the installation process (it may take several minutes). You will be then prompted to restart or re-plug your printer, select the appropriate option and press Enter:

After finishing the installation of HPLIP, run this command to install the libhpmud-dev package:

sudo apt-get install libhpmud-dev

Then start hp-setup to configure your printer:

hp-setup

Then follow the setup wizard to add your HP printer. You can find here the download page for HPLIP.

Good Luck!