this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2026
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Hi,

I just can't get my printer (Dell 3330dn) to work properly under Linux with the generic drivers. That's why I went for a hunt to find the PPD files. The Dell webpage even has a section offering downloads for Linux. But when I unpacked the .zip, there was no PPD file, even when it was stated in the description. Am I blind? Or are the files in a format I don't recognize?

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[–] hallettj@leminal.space 2 points 1 week ago

An application package is a compressed file with extra conventions. I think rpm packages are usually compressed with xz, but might use a different compression program. If I'm understanding what I'm reading correctly, rpm2cpio does some introspection to determine with extraction program to use. Maybe 7zip does the same thing, or maybe it works if the rpm was compressed with a compatible program.