Thanks.....seems I wuz searching for the wrong name....it's hpijs not hpij....apt-get solved it for us....rpmfind.net wasn't helpful in this case. Should have thought of apt-get in the first place...
So the solution seems to be: "apt-get install hpijs" and this will ONLY install the HP InkJet and LaserJet subsystem and filters...whereas the packages on the kde and debian site had the kitchen sink in them... This jumping through hoops is only necessary since the person that owns this laptop can't support her own system and has moved from the mainland ivy league to UH and her machine has been VERY customized...kinda scary how much stuff has been removed or moved....so rpms are making me hesitate. P.S. sorry for being a bit verbose...while most of this stuff is second nature to some, others might not have run into this kind of thing yet...better to share. /brian chee University of Hawaii ICS Dept Advanced Network Computing Lab 1680 East West Road, POST rm 311 Honolulu, HI 96822 808-956-5797 voice, 877-284-1934 fax