Most businesses I've seen use networked HP Laserjet printers for their laser printing. These printers are just about as standard (and Linux-compatible) as you can get. No drivers (other than a network card driver which you should already have) necessary.
That used to be a good rule of thumb (HP printers just work under Linux). However, there are several printers that don't work with Linux. The HP 1012 (crappy single user printer), and the HP 3500 Color LaserJet printer. They use JetReady as the printer language. They don't work under Linux. We bought one for work assuming it'd work under Linux. Wrong! Fortunately, Linux can still queue for it, but it you print from a Windows machine.
It's the oddities that cause problems. For example, we have a check-printer here that comes with windows drivers, and despite spending a LOT of time (even had RedHat support try), we were unable to get Linux to cooperate...
When the CFO can't print a check, you can't use Linux on his desktop (or his assistant's). You can, though, put it in engineering (depending on the company, in reception, and in many of the administrative offices).
until you do realize you can't print to the latest laser printer your boss bought because it's simply not supported by any driver on linux
Run that one by me again. You're saying that after going to the hassle of Linux migration the IT deprtment isn't going to spend the 1 minute required to heck if the new printer they would like to buy is supported?
And then ignoring that issue for a minute - you said "laser printer". I think you're confused. It's the inexpensive home desktop inkjet printers that don't work with Linux. Pretty much all laser printers speak either PostScript (which any UNIX based OS has zero issues with, no extra drivers of any kind required) or PCL which again Linux has no problems with. I dare you to find any decent laser printer that doesn't work flawlessly immediately with Linux.
HP makes any number of LaserPrinters that don't do PCL/PostScript in hardware. They are done in software. I'm not going to claim they are decent printers. They are mostly single user, small user group type printers. The HP 1012 (not claiming it's decent).
I know I bought a printer about 5-6 years ago that was the same thing built by somebody else (Sony I think?). It used a SourceGear driver. The ghostscript guys said they'd actively write a driver for it's language because they were such nice printer
Really, in the parent post I never even claimed the HP 1012 didn't work under Linux. I just said it was a non-PCL/PS printer. I did however in other places in this thread say that the HP 1012 doesn't work. I could be wrong on that. I've never used the 1012 in my life. However, I know several linux savvy people who couldn't make a low-end HP printer work via cups, print-tool, or hand munging the printcap files. I just went and found the lowend one that doesn't list Linux as supportable, that doesn't li
> spend the 1 minute required to heck if the new printer they would like to buy is supported?
As a sysadmin (who used to use Sun HW) I had to buy a SCSI card, the vendor when asked if the card was compatible with Linux, proposed a 5 times more expensive board which was compatible, to avoid spending more I spend 2 hours checking compatibility with Linux and let's just that website indicating compatibility for Linux suck big times (even distribution's one) and finally made a student check for me if it was
Any laser printer that doesn't support a sensible set of printing protocols (postscript, for example) does not belong in an office. It's fairly hard to find one, but if you're looking for something that will be absolutely no use to anyone, look no further than the Epson Acculaser C900 [epson.co.uk]. One of our clients bought one of these for their accounts office, where they have a high printload. Once they realise how much it would cost them, they sent it into the MD's office (which does very little) and replaced it wit
Can you do the fancy stuff like toggle duplex printing (printing on both sides of the sheet) and change the print quality? I find I can do basic printing from Linux to most printers, but can't normally change many of the printers' print settings.
At my home, on my network, we have several computers and several printers. We can change the print quality, and turn duplexing on and off for our DeskJet 970C.
Most of our applications are GNOME applications, and the GNOME native print dialogs let you choose most of the settings you want.
For applications that don't have GNOME print dialogs, such as FireFox, we use gtklp [sourceforge.net] for printing. This collects the print job in a file and then pops up a nice dialog interface that lets you select options.
Yes. I can change paper tray preferences, not only toggle duplex but deside which edge it flips on, and more. I can choose print quality settings, orientation, paper type, etc..
Get the current tools and join the world of good printing. Been here for a few years now.
Can you do the fancy stuff like toggle duplex printing (printing on both sides of the sheet) and change the print quality?
Use CUPS. From my workstation, using a networked HP5si: Duplexing, print quality, paper size, paper source all instantly configurable. Lots of what I print is reduced output (like mpage) to 4 pages per sheet, or 8 duplexed.
I even printed one book at 16 pages per sheet duplexed, although I keep a magnifier around for that one.
Steve
With all the fancy scientists in the world, why can't they just once
build a nuclear balm?
Linux is fine on the business desktop (Score:-1, Troll)
'business' ? not yet
Re:Linux is fine on the business desktop (Score:3, Interesting)
I can't remember the last time I saw printer that couldn't handle one of PCL and PostScript.
Re:Linux is fine on the business desktop (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Linux is fine on the business desktop (Score:2)
Kirby
Ummmm.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Ummmm.... (Score:2)
Re:Ummmm.... (Score:3, Interesting)
It's the oddities that cause problems. For example, we have a check-printer here that comes with windows drivers, and despite spending a LOT of time (even had RedHat support try), we were unable to get Linux to cooperate...
When the CFO can't print a check, you can't use Linux on his desktop (or his assistant's). You can, though, put it in engineering (depending on the company, in reception, and in many of the administrative offices).
The key, we've found, is to do it departme
Re:Linux is fine on the business desktop (Score:4, Informative)
Run that one by me again. You're saying that after going to the hassle of Linux migration the IT deprtment isn't going to spend the 1 minute required to heck if the new printer they would like to buy is supported?
And then ignoring that issue for a minute - you said "laser printer". I think you're confused. It's the inexpensive home desktop inkjet printers that don't work with Linux. Pretty much all laser printers speak either PostScript (which any UNIX based OS has zero issues with, no extra drivers of any kind required) or PCL which again Linux has no problems with. I dare you to find any decent laser printer that doesn't work flawlessly immediately with Linux.
Jedidiah.
Re:Linux is fine on the business desktop (Score:3, Informative)
I know I bought a printer about 5-6 years ago that was the same thing built by somebody else (Sony I think?). It used a SourceGear driver. The ghostscript guys said they'd actively write a driver for it's language because they were such nice printer
Re:HP 1012 (Score:3, Informative)
Re:HP 1012 (Score:2)
Look here for specific details on the HP Laserjet 1012. [linuxprinting.org]
Re:Linux is fine on the business desktop (Score:2)
As a sysadmin (who used to use Sun HW) I had to buy a SCSI card, the vendor when asked if the card was compatible with Linux, proposed a 5 times more expensive board which was compatible, to avoid spending more I spend 2 hours checking compatibility with Linux and let's just that website indicating compatibility for Linux suck big times (even distribution's one) and finally made a student check for me if it was
Re:Linux is fine on the business desktop (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Linux is fine on the business desktop (Score:1)
Active Directory (Score:1)
Re:Linux is fine on the business desktop (Score:2)
It's an HP 3500 LaserJet that doesn't work with Linux unless there were "JetReady" drivers added to ghostscript recently.
Kirby
Re:Linux is fine on the business desktop (Score:1)
fancier stuff (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:fancier stuff (Score:2)
Get an Epson and use their drivers, works nicely.
Re:fancier stuff (Score:2)
Most of our applications are GNOME applications, and the GNOME native print dialogs let you choose most of the settings you want.
For applications that don't have GNOME print dialogs, such as FireFox, we use gtklp [sourceforge.net] for printing. This collects the print job in a file and then pops up a nice dialog interface that lets you select options.
steveha
Re:fancier stuff (Score:2)
Get the current tools and join the world of good printing. Been here for a few years now.
Re:fancier stuff (Score:1)
Use CUPS. From my workstation, using a networked HP5si: Duplexing, print quality, paper size, paper source all instantly configurable. Lots of what I print is reduced output (like mpage) to 4 pages per sheet, or 8 duplexed.
I even printed one book at 16 pages per sheet duplexed, although I keep a magnifier around for that one.
Steve