Linux & Printers

[duncan22]

Are there any printers that are Linux friendly ? By that I mean they come with software that allows them to easily be used on a Linux System.
I Am aware there are websites that have a range of different software for printers that need to be run on Linux but most seem, at least to me, fairly complicated and whilst I have managed to activate a Canon MP 610 using Mint 13 all it has printed out is garbage.
I Would be interested to hear from anyone who uses Linux and a Canon Printer or any other printer.

I Use a Dual booting System so when in Windows 7 there is no problem with the printer but in Linux there is so the second question is this, if I am using 2 different operating systems to run the same printer will this cause a problem ie: mess up some software in the Printer or is this irrelevant ?

 

[thanhhuy123]

I would recommend HP. HP is one of the largest contributor in the open source world. There is one projected supported and funded by HP, called "HP Linux Imaging and Printing (HPLIP)" at http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/index.html

It provides Linux drivers support for almost all HP printers (not the very very old one!).

So far, Canon and Epson and other companies are still falling behind HP in this area.

 

[lowell374]

Are there any printers that are Linux friendly ?
...different software for printers that need to be run on Linux ... has printed out is garbage.
...
... I am using 2 different operating systems to run the same printer
will this cause a problem...

Thanhhuy123 is correct. HP is a good brand. I've multi-boot my box, for more years than I care to recount, and can say that MINT 12, 13, and I think 14 have problems with complete control of some printers. They changed a communication protocol. Mint 15 works much better. I suggest you upgrade your OS. Need help, PM me.
What sort of SW were you thinking about? For what purpose? I use very few apps. so I may not be the best to ask about the universe of printing apps. GIMP is well known and supported and is one of the few to include the possibility of .icc profiles. ColorManagement can be trying with a Linux kernel based OS.

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

The usual answer is HP, for the reasons already stated. Don't expect perfection, though. My C309a is almost useless for printing CDs under Linux, because the margins and centering the printed area are messed up in a way that I haven't been able to deal with. Otherwise, though -- excellent.

 

[duncan22]

Thanks for the responses, not sure which way to go on this one, I have always used Canon Printers and will now have to make up my mind about purchasing a HP Printer.
Will probably have a better idea once I have read other posts on this forum re HP Printers.

 

[thanhhuy123]

I think to get a printer works in a non-Windows world, we have some choices:

• Buy Linux-compatible printers. (See here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Printers)
• Connect printer to a print server box/real server which support Linux or universal printing protocol, like IP, CUPS, SMB, etc.
• If printer has network capacity, then it's likely that the embedded print server - EWS, can also handle Linux printing protocol. (Like my HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 5525! It's EWS accepts CUPS and Internet Printing.)
• Connect it to a Windows computer and then share to Linux boxes!

In most cases, only basic printing features are available.

In Linux world, Ubuntu and Mint are the two distros that offer best hw compatibility, especially Mint can support close-source drivers/Win drivers/...
Not many manufacturers love to support non-Windows and non-MacOS world, i.e Linux/Unix! I guess it's because not many people are using them, or those just need basic printing and nothing advanced like CD label printing..., or even they scare of leaking their own secret technology/cheat/whatever (in my opinion, in Linux world one can't really hide things below the code! And if someone can see the stuff behind, maybe they can easily break the ink cartridge protection and freely refill ink!)

 

[crenedecotret]

Hi duncan22... Don't replace your printer just yet... I have an IP4500, which I believe has the same print head as your MP600. There are ways around your issues. You could try to install your printer as an IP4500 in CUPS. As strange as it may seem, just make sure you tell the driver to use CMYK instead of RGB or the colors will be terrible. The only thing is that the canon CUPS drivers have limited resolution.

Another way, and this is what I have been using for the last 5 years is the Turboprint software. You do need to buy it (starts at 39 Euros) but it supports many printer models and special features (cd tray, borderless, etc) and has built in color management+full printer resolution. This allows me to use ICC profiles from any application. Because of this i'm actually getting better prints than with the windows canon driver.

Here is a link to the manual, they have a trial download.
http://www.turboprint.info/manual/Manual-TurboPrint2.pdf