Linux Printing
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| ColonelPanik Nov 12, 2008 11:20 AM EDT |
Thanks TC, That hit or miss kind of printing experience does make the blood run hot.
But hey, there are a million work-arounds on every distros forum. We have just set up a newish HP LaserJet with HPLIP but had to find that work-around on the Ubuntu forum. Or maybe this is really the start of the "paperless" office? |
| vainrveenr Nov 12, 2008 1:26 PM EDT |
Much of the hit-or-miss type of experience seems to come about when one actually tries to use commonly available printing resources, e.g., following the instructions at the Linux Foundation's OpenPrinting site, http://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting (formerly known as linuxprinting.org) From Schroder's original linuxtoday blog: Quoting:There are now at least three main Linux printer driver projects: Gutenprint, Foomatic, and HPLIP.The current iteration of the OpenPrinting/Database/IndexFAQ (http://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/Database/Inde...) includes direct info on CUPS and the old LPRNG, predominantly focusing upon the Foomatic Linux printer driver project and about two-dozen printer manufacturers. If one wants to use a particular printer which works fine under Windows, then the following question invariably creeps up: Will this printer work fine under Linux, or does the printer have to be dumped and another one purchased ??? To help answer this question, the OpenPrinting site evaluates printer suitability using Foomatic drivers: Quoting:Perfectly [YESYES] Perfect printers work perfectly; everything the printer can do is working also under Linux and Unix. For multifunction devices, this must include scanning/faxing/etc.(from http://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/Database/Data...) .... And what non-HP Windows printers does one invariably have around?? More often the latter two than the former; you may very well have to throw away your printer !! Under OpenPrinting's guidelines using the Foomatic project, the whole process of getting any given printer to work REMAINS the "hit or miss kind of printing experience" that will "make the blood run hot". Indeed. |
| tracyanne Nov 12, 2008 5:05 PM EDT |
In practice I find that HP printing/scanning devices are simple plug and play, all the Cannon Printing devices I've tried, including the "iP' series work fine after one has located and installed the drivers from Cannon, Brother Printing devices should work fine, I've only tried one (our printer/scanner/photocopier/fax MFC-7420) after obtaining the drivers from Brother. After installing the drivers on our file/print server all of our machines recognise and aquire the printers just fine (provide one opens the firewall to allow scanning), at least that's the case on the Mandriva system I use, the one test Ubuntu system I set up recently seems fine too. I find the KDE printer configuration GUI confusing, but not as bad as it used to be, the Mandriva one is simpler and tends to be mostly superfluous, provided the firewall settings (that's on the client, not the server) allow a scan of the network on port 631, as the printers are usually aquired automagically. If the firewall hasn't been configured to allow port 631, Mandriva pops up warning messages about port scans. |
| ColonelPanik Nov 12, 2008 7:10 PM EDT |
ta, Try a HP 1020 LaserJet. |
| tracyanne Nov 12, 2008 8:37 PM EDT |
Bit of a problem are they? |
| Steven_Rosenber Nov 12, 2008 9:39 PM EDT |
I just posted my usual HP 1020 tale of woe in the OTHER printer thread. It's easy enough to fix in a hacky sort of way with the drivers and instructions at http://foo2zjs.rkkda.com/ ... but this continuing to be broken in Ubuntu, Debian and probably every other system that uses CUPS is just HP's way of saying that they either don't care or are fundamentally clueless. |
| tracyanne Nov 12, 2008 10:22 PM EDT |
what precisely is the problem? |
| ColonelPanik Nov 12, 2008 11:48 PM EDT |
Set it up in cups and it works then it just doesn't work.
Turn the printer or the computer off and that HP 1020 does not
work when you boot up again. We have fought this for two years! Ubuntu and PCLOS and for a day or two Debian. We tried HPLIP several times, no luck. But, now we have this: To fix it: 1) Install hplip-gui: sudo apt-get install hplip-gui 2) Remove/Delete your current printer setup in System > Administration > Printing 3) Set up the printer again: sudo hp-setup (It's mostly next > next > next - Be sure to have internet connection available) 4) Make sure the username is in lpadmin and scanner groups: sudo adduser $USER lpadmin sudo adduser $USER scanner 5) After you've done all this, switch off the printer, reboot your machine and switch on the printer once more. It should be working now I got that from the Ubuntu forum It worked, we had to reboot a few times but it has been working for two weeks. I cannot wait to move my HP LaserJet 4Plus out here. That one works. |
| Steven_Rosenber Nov 12, 2008 11:51 PM EDT |
I've got a LaserJet 5-something-or-other. The only reason I keep it is because I can get generic toner cartridges for about $30. |
| jdixon Nov 13, 2008 11:12 AM EDT |
We've had good luck with a Brother HL-1440 we purchased several years ago. It was broken very briefly in Slackware 12.0 (apparently a USB/Cups conflict) but has worked well before and since. |
| gus3 Nov 13, 2008 9:49 PM EDT |
Heh, I got a Brother HL-1240 as a castoff four years ago. It needed only a toner cartridge. Still working like a champ, and still on that first toner. |
| jdixon Nov 14, 2008 1:00 AM EDT |
> Still working like a champ, and still on that first toner. We replaced our starter toner cartridge this past summer. I expect this one will last at least 4 more years. Not bad for a $120 printer. |
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