Printer recommendation please

[Julian H. Stacey]

Karel Miklav wrote:
> Could you please recommend me a home printer that works nicely with FreeBSD?
> 
> HP inkjets aren't that bad, FreeBSD drivers are allright, but I'd like 
> to shift towards some kind of PostScript laser. Xerox Phaser 6500 looks 
> nice, but I can not economically justify my appetite. Is there a cheaper 
> alternative or maybe PostScript printers aren't that good idea anyway, heh?

Postscript printers make [more] sense If:
	- Corporate use .. maybe ?
	- Trying to offload connected PC CPU (rarely need to for home
	  use, now PCs are fast).
	- Coms link to printer is slow 
		Worst case: I once had a serial cable to a serial 
		to parallel converter, then you notice how big PCL data is.
		especially if doing own font rendering, not using printer
		built in font sets, ( I made my own Russian font sets once).

So now CPU load no longer an issue, & as
these days an ethernet to centronics type converter is cheap, connect
any old PCL laser with centronics (eg my Old HP 4L cost me ~ 3 beers)

Ghostscript converts { PS & PDF etc } to PCL, 
called automatically as a filter from /etc/printcap

I wrote my own filter,
	http://berklix.com/~jhs/src/bsd/jhs/bin/local/lpf_vsl/lpf_vsl
before becoming aware there's a standard one:
	/usr/ports/print/apsfilter

There's a section in the Handbook about CUPS you should read
For some new HP USB you want certain options in & out of kernel.

Cheers,
Julian
-- 
Julian Stacey, BSD Unix Linux C Sys Eng Consultants Munich http://berklix.com
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