HP Smart Tank 5101 on AlmaLinux/RedHat Linux 9.5

[Lucy243534654]

My OS AlmaLinux 9.5 installed the driver for my new HP Smart Tank 5101 printer. It does not print. What is a compatible driver name that will work with this printer?

[Sneha_01]

Hi @Lucy243534654 

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It's great that you've installed your HP Smart Tank 5101 printer on AlmaLinux 9.5, but it can sometimes be tricky to get the right driver working, especially on Linux-based systems like AlmaLinux or RHEL.

Here are some potential solutions to get your HP Smart Tank 5101 working:

1. Use HPLIP (HP Linux Imaging and Printing)

HP provides an open-source driver for HP printers called HPLIP. This is the most widely used solution for HP printers on Linux, and it should work with your HP Smart Tank 5101 as well.

 Please check this link: https://developers.hp.com/hp-linux-imaging-and-printing

Install HPLIP: First, make sure HPLIP is installed on your system. You can install it using the following commands: sudo dnf install hplip
 

Check for Printer Compatibility: After installing HPLIP, you can check if your HP printer is supported by running:  hp-check -t

This command will check if your printer is compatible and if any dependencies are missing.

Add Your Printer Using HPLIP: After installation, you should be able to set up the printer via HPLIP's command-line tool or GUI tool:

Command-line tool: hp-setup

Follow the prompts to configure your printer.

GUI tool (if you have a graphical environment):hp-toolbox
 

Test the Printer: Once HPLIP is installed and your printer is configured, try printing a test page using: lp <file-to-print>

To send a print job, use:

Or, you can use a GUI program like LibreOffice or GIMP to print a test page.

2. Check for Driver Versions

HP has continuously updated its driver packages, and newer printers might require a specific version of HPLIP. You can download the latest version of HPLIP from the official HPLIP website. You can also download the latest .run installer from there if the packaged version in your distro is outdated.

3. Ensure Proper CUPS Configuration

Another part of getting printing to work on Linux is ensuring that CUPS (the Common Unix Printing System) is properly configured. CUPS is responsible for handling print jobs.

Install CUPS (if it's not already installed):- sudo dnf install cups
 

Start and enable the CUPS service: sudo systemctl start cups
                                                                 sudo systemctl enable cups
 

Check CUPS for your printer: Open a browser and go to http://localhost:631 to access the CUPS web interface. From there, you can manage printers, including adding or troubleshooting your printer.

Set Up Printer in CUPS:

• Go to Administration > Add Printer and follow the prompts to add your HP Smart Tank 5101.
• Choose the correct driver (it should appear in the list if HPLIP is installed).

4. Reboot the System

After configuring everything, it might be helpful to reboot your system to ensure that all services (CUPS, HPLIP, etc.) are properly initialized.

I hope this helps.

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