Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2017 13:23:51 -0500 (CDT) From: "Valeri Galtsev" <galtsev@kicp.uchicago.edu> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Best printer makes (manufacturers) for FreeBSD Message-ID: <57789.76.193.16.143.1500143031.squirrel@cosmo.uchicago.edu>
next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Dear All, Recent discussion about replacing old printer prompted me to start this thread. Basically, which makes (or manufacturers) do you use on your FreeBSD boxes? What would you recommend to watch for and avoid when choosing the printer. (I personally would prefer one manufacturer not even mentioned: Xerox. They went bad several years ago, and are banned wherever I have a voice to affect the choice... So if you tell good story about Xerox I definitely will reply with my bad one - enough for having my attitude). In one of recent threads two manufacturers were mentioned: Brother and HP (Hewlett Packard). What prompted me to start this is suggestions that for some model of Brother printer you need to install Linux support and use Linux diver. In the Department I support I use HP printers (mostly high end like Color LaserJet CP4020-CP4520; Color LaserJet 4650, but have one low end LaserJet ColorPro 400 m451). I must confess as Linux refugee, I am not total refugee yet, so my setup is probably only partly relevant. Namely, all print jobs go to printers through CUPS print server, the last is still on Linux - hadn't chance to migrate it to FreeBSD. However, when I set up printing on FreeBSD, the only things I have to do is: install CUPS, drop wherever CUPS keeps printer drivers a bunch of .ppd files (you can download these at linuxprinting.org site, basically PPD is PostScript Printer Description file, and these can be extracted from postscript printer driver manufacturer supplies, and it doesn't matter which system the driver is designed for). After that is done I set up printer on FreeBSD as you usually do in CUPS, I choose postscript driver (and if PPD for the printer is added, your printer will be in the list), and point to my print server and queue. Theoretically, I can point to printer directly (only my printers refuse connection from all but print server), so I'm sure even if I didn't have CUPS based print server running on Linux configuring printers on FreeBSD boxes would be as simple as I described. I would like to hear about other good printer manufacturers, especially cases then you set up printer as hassle-less as HP postscript printers are for me - just curious what is good out there and what is not. Thanks for all your replies! Valeri ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Valeri Galtsev Sr System Administrator Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics University of Chicago Phone: 773-702-4247 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?57789.76.193.16.143.1500143031.squirrel>