Notices

I have the sdk installed because Midnight Commander needed a few libs etc, which were not being loaded with the standard repositories active. Indeed with CUPS, the app mgr it claims it can't find libpaper1 without the sdk repository turned on.

Upstart does appear to be the offending item but it was installed on my device as part of PR1.3, from what I can see. Also, the versions on my device look the same as on the package pages so not sure why there's a problem.

Aaaarrgghh! Missing and conflicting dependencies really are linux's dll-hell! Overlapping and intertwined yet separate from the programmes they support, hence difficult to know what they do when alone; if one breaks, many fall! Fun. Not sure which other programme might have updated it. I can hear the tune of Space Oddessy 2001 getting louder...

Did you end up removing busybox, upstart or doing something else altogether?

libpaper1 is a coming with the nokia-applications repo, not the sdk.
I habe also mc installed, and no sdk repos enabled.
I did not remove busybox. You should disable the sdk repos. there's no
need for them.

As suggested, repositories set up as following:
extras
testing: contains CUPS server, bsd and client
devel*: contains ghostscript*
Nokia Applications: dependencies
Nokia SSU: dependencies

following repos are OFF to prevent conflicts
sdk
binaries
tools

Ovi repo is also off but not involved here.

* ghostscript is in testing. Just a problem when I was installing so Devel should not, in fact, be needed.

At first the 'apps' and 'mr0' repos weren't playing ball so re-imported them from HAM and all worked. I now have access to the setup screen. Now to get printing!
Thank you Mase. I'll report back when I get some results (and hopefully not with too many questions!)

ghostscript is also in testing. There is no need for the devel repos.
I hope, it works for you now.

If you have Google Cloud Print installed on your Windows PC, you can now print from mobile Firefox with this add-on:

https://addons.mozilla.org/mobile/addon/cloud-printer/

@Mase - yeah so I see from the package page. I just got errors when trying to install without devel active. I'll edit the post above.

@mbrubeck - good plan. But, I'd like to be able be able to print directly from my N900, without going through anything other than the printer itself.

My experience is not as lucky.

On trying to install cups, I got the error that it conflicted with fakedebconf and busybox.

Since you mentioned that you removed fakedebconf, I did an apt-get remove fakedebconf - & watched it delete all programs from the phone. The phone is now bricked, & must be re-flashed.

I think that when I get my phone back together, I will be unwilling to try installation of these packages without very lucid, orderly & complete
1.
2.
3.
[...].
algorithmic type instructions for installation.

Install debconf. Do NOT uninstall fakedebconf before! debconf replaces
fakedebconf.

Finally, I have managed to get CUPS to see my printer connected by USB. Quite tempestuous but done. For others using USB, be patient at each step of the connection - wait a moment between pressing each button in the h-e-n. The connection will take but do check in the kernel messages to be sure.

Firstly, is it correct to press 'raw' when goingb through the options? The alternative was to select an lpd file which I don't have, do I?

Secondly, I'm feeling a little stupid here because I'm sure the answer is supposed to be obviuos. However, I have completely missed it. What is the username - password pair to use with CUPS? I have tried what I think is the un-pw pair for root, as suggested on the CUPS page. I do not have a pw set on the device but I have reset the root and user passwords to make sure I'm definitely entering this correctly. Perhaps its the username? I have used 'root', 'user' and the name of the device (as set in the BT settings).

Assuming I can get this to connect, how do I print something? Is it possible in Maemo or do I need to do it from easy debian?

Help much appreciated...

Try the gtk libs I provided in this thread. Note, that not all of these
packages are needed, only libgtk... without -dev. Then you can also
install my rebuilt packages for abiword and leafpad with enabled
printing support. They work perfectly. Be careful with the gtk packages.
Any fault here can mess up your device, because nearly everything
depends on them.
If the cups packages are working, please vote.