Printer

Louis LeBlanc FreeBSD at keyslapper.org
Tue Dec 28 06:34:53 PST 2004


On 12/27/04 09:46 PM, Parv sat at the `puter and typed:
> in message <20041227193742.GC22614 at keyslapper.org>,
> wrote Louis LeBlanc thusly...
> >
> > Some newer Lexmark printers do support standard protocols, but I
> > went and spent $80 for a Lexmark color printer several years ago
> > that spent more time working as a doorstop than a printer.  They
> > used - and still do for some printers - proprietary protocols, and
> > release their own drivers - you guessed it - for Windows only.
> > And sometimes not even for all versions of Windows.  My one
> > Windows system was NT, and it wasn't supported.  At the time, I
> > was a Linux user, and even the reverse engineered Linux drivers
> > weren't able to get it working.
> 
> Lest somebody gets the wrong idea that all Lexmark printers behave
> as descried above, my Optra E310 laser printer -- US$[23]00, 199[89]
> -- is still going strong.  It worked/works in Windows 9[58], Me, XP.
> It of course just works, like a PS printer, in FreeBSD 3.x, 4.x, and
> sure would in 5.x.

Some few from that time period (very few, if I remember the weeks of
research I wasted on my particular model) used standard protocols and
could be easily made to work with any OS.  The majority of Lexmark
printers up to around 2002 (I think) used a proprietary protocol, and
they guarded it like it was Microsoft code.  I don't think they even
released MacOS drivers.  I believe most of their printers now use
standard drivers, but that's still no guarantee they'll work with *nix
systems.  Some are explicitly supported through the various methods,
but unless it was, I wouldn't even bother, myself.

> > I'll never buy a Lexmark again, and if given one, I'll immediately
> > put it on EBay or just give it to my front curb.
> 
> It will be a HP or Lexmark laser printer for me.  The one that does
> double-sided printing cheaply [cw]ould be the deciding factor for
> me; print-server would be a bonus.

The HP PSC 2510 is network capable (wireless or ethernet), runs its
own printserver, scans through a web based interface, so no scanner
software hassle, copies, faxes, prints excellent photo quality, uses
separate color and black cartriges (not quite as far along as the
individual color yet) and works very well with Cups.  And you can buy
a part to make it print double sided.  Definitely worth looking at.

I had an old HP Laserjet 4 once upon a time.  I loved that thing.  If
I had the room I would have kept it.  It came to me by chance, and
when I had to let it go, I gave it to a family friend for the flea
market.  You can't beat them for efficiency.  I swear the toner
cartrige was nearly half empty when I got it, but the darn thing
lasted another 2 years anyway.  Not real heavy printing, but moderate
at least.  I never tracked the printing use, but it was awesome.

> Mind that i am interested mainly in sharp and clear black/white text
> currently.

Which would probably be a deciding factor in changing printers.  My
guess is you'll get another year or two with good maintennance.  I
vaguely remember reading somewhere that those standard protocol
printers were decent quality, but the proprietary protocol models were
mediocre at best.  That might have been a factor in their abandoning
it.

I'm glad your experience with Lexmark has been better than mine.
Myself, I'm pretty brand-loyal.  When something works well for me, I
stick with it.  When a brand burns me, I avoid it like the plague
unless circumstance forces me to take another chance.

Lou
-- 
Louis LeBlanc               FreeBSD at keyslapper.org
Fully Funded Hobbyist, KeySlapper Extrordinaire :)
http://www.keyslapper.org                     Ô¿Ô¬

Peace was the way.
    -- Kirk, "The City on the Edge of Forever", stardate unknown


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