CUPS Status Codes In the PaperCut NG/MF Print Provider

Help! I’m a Systems Administrator, and my print-provider.log just threw a 0x041C at me. What even is that? If you’ve just flicked on debug mode in the Print Provider, you might now be staring at a stream of logs sprinkled with mysterious hex codes. Don’t panic! You’re not alone, and you definitely don’t need to memorize them. These aren’t errors or typos. They’re status messages straight from CUPS (via IPP), logged by PaperCut NG/MF to give you the inside scoop on what’s really happening with your print jobs. This guide walks you through why these codes show up, what they mean, and what steps to take next. Why these codes show up When you enable Print Provider debug mode, PaperCut NG/MF asks CUPS for extra job details. (To enable debug in the Print Provider, check out this KB: https://www.papercut.com/kb/Main/HowToEnableDebugInThePrintProvider/ ) CUPS answers in IPP and returns a 16-bit status code. Print Provider writes that value straight to the log, so you see lines like: DEBUG 14:12:09 CupsRequest: Get-Job-Attributes returned status=0x0410 Decode the number, and you’ll know whether the job was accepted, held, or rejected. Understand the status-code classes High byte Class What it means 0x00 Success Job accepted - carry on 0x01 Informational Progress update (rare) 0x03 Redirection Printer wants the job sent to another URI 0x04 Client error Something wrong in the request - job paused or rejected 0x05 Server error Queue or device fault - jobs back up 0x06–7F Vendor codes CUPS- or device-specific extras *(Classes defined by the IANA IPP registry, 13 May 2025.)* Most common codes at a glance Hex Name Meaning What to check first 0x0000 successful-ok Job accepted Nothing - grab a coffee 0x0001 successful-ok-ignored-or-substituted-attributes CUPS tweaked an option but printed anyway Review driver defaults 0x0300 redirection-other-site Printer points to a different URI Confirm printer URI (harmless with Mobility Print) 0x0403 client-error-not-authorized User not authorized Check balance, groups, or Hold/Release rules 0x040A client-error-document-format-not-supported Wrong driver/PDL Change driver or enable RAW passthrough 0x040F client-error-compression-not-supported Printer can’t accept gzip/deflate Clear Compress print data in the driver 0x0410 client-error-compression-error Decompression failed Resend job uncompressed 0x041C client-error-account-info-needed Waiting for account or billing code User must pick an account 0x041E client-error-account-limit-reached Balance or quota exhausted Top-up credit or raise quota 0x0500 server-error-internal-error CUPS crashed or ran out of resources systemctl restart cups; read /var/log/cups/error_log 0x0507 server-error-busy Device reports busy Usually transient - clear the device queue 0x0509 server-error-multiple-document-jobs-not-supported Device can’t handle current job format Disable Send as one job / collate option Job state numbers (they’re different) Print Provider also logs state=<n> values. These come from IPP job-state enums, not the status-code table: State Meaning 3 Pending - waiting in queue 4 Held - needs release or account selection 5 Processing - printing now 6 Stopped-paused by operator/device 7 Canceled - user or admin killed it 8 Aborted - device or CUPS error 9 Completed - printed successfully Decode a real example DEBUG 14:12:09 CupsRequest: Get-Job-Attributes returned status=0x041C, state=4 0x041C > client-error-account-info-needed. state=4 > Held. Translation: PaperCut NG/MF waits for a billing code. User picks an account, and the job prints. Troubleshoot in five quick steps Grab the code. Turn on debug, reproduce, search for status=0x. Check the class. Refer to the high-byte table above: Understand the status-code classes . Find the exact hex in the table above ( Most common codes at a glance ) or the full IANA list. Fix it. Driver mismatch > switch driver or PPD. Account/quota > prompt user or add credit. Device fault > clear jams, load paper, reboot. CUPS crash > systemctl restart cups, then read error_log. Need a hand? Send the full debug log plus the status code to PaperCut Support. Happy decoding!