Need a new printer PDQ. Print on CDs? Linux? Any good?

[ThrillaMozilla]

My last HP C309a all-in-one Photosmart is getting very creaky, so it's time for a new printer. I need a color printer for moderate duty, for office printing, scanning, copying, and photo printing. It has to be reliable and refillable. Only rare paper jams, and no sudden clogs that can't be fixed, etc.

I have two special requirements. (1) I run Linux and Windows. It must work with Linux. (2) Printing on CDs and DVDs would be very nice, and that narrows it down to a few models. (Maybe only the XP series?)

I'm looking at a bunch of models, but mainly the XP-8800, XP-970, and XP-7100. For now, I have some questions.

* Supposedly has a printer driver that supposedly supports all(??) Epson printers on Linux. I need drivers that work without hassle. Does anyone have experience with it?
* I assume refilling is OK?
* Will I regret it if I use pigment ink instead of water-soluble Claria ink?
* Are the printers any good and reliable? Are there any problems that I should know about?
* Are the photo prints good? Does it work well with third-party paper? (I have LOTS of that.) (I might get more than one printer.)
* Are there any other questions I should have asked?

Thanks much for any replies!

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

Too many questions, I guess.

Choosing printers is daunting. I think I have spent some days reading printer specs. and specifications. This shouldn't be so hard.

For what it's worth, here are some kind of general answers I have found for myself.

*Most of the Epson printers supposedly support Linux, and I have seen good reports. They have a unified driver or set of drivers. I suppose on that page one can find a list of supported printers.

*Epson only has a few current models that print on CDs, and they are listed on a single Epson website page. Scroll way down on the page. Google found it.

*Refilling -- maybe not so good. Precision Colors does not list many good, current photo printers. They do list pigment inks for the ET-8550, and dye ink for the Canon PRO-100 (I just happen to have one in the box, and he has high praise for it). Tank printers are pretty good, but it's hard to find one with the right mix of colors and features.

*The less expensive printers have a reputation for paper jams and other feed problems.

*I just ordered an ET-8550. It ticks most of the boxes except for regular use as an office printer. That's a separate problem.

 

[x64]

In regards to your Linux question I can give you somewhat of an answer, over the past months I've purchased many used (vintage) printers by both Epson and Canon and they all worked without the need of any additional drivers with Gutenprint, that came with my Linux distro. Gutenprint has some RIP functionality so you'll find there's more to adjust compared to most regular drivers. If the printer has a parameter available you can usually adjust it with Gutenprint. In regards to support as with anything open source you'll have to wait until someone decides to write some code before something is supported (or do it yourself) so don't expect a brand new model to have perfect support right away.

*I just ordered an ET-8550. It ticks most of the boxes except for regular use as an office printer. That's a separate problem.

I would recommend getting separate a cheap grayscale laser printer for that, like the Brother HL-1110 that I used for many years. Toner is cheap and prints documents rather fast.

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

Thanks, x64. Upon thinking about it, little Brother laser makes a lot of sense. They make a bunch of them. The HL-L2460DW doesn't look bad, and it's dirt-cheap. There are 4 or 5 others that would probably work well for a bit more money.

That's really good news about Linux too. I do know that there are exceptions, though.

 

[x64]

If you are curious if a printer is supported on linux/gutenprint you can find out on openprinting.org. The HL-L2460DW is not on the list, but Brother supplies a Linux driver.

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

Good information. Thanks very much.

I can't imagine ever writing my own printer driver, though. I'm sort of a programmer, but that sounds like a fool's errand for me, unless they make it REAL simple and give VERY good directions.

Weird that these printers are dirt-cheap but still good.

 

[x64]

In my opinion and experience Brother is THE best manufacturer in terms of price, support and features for office applications. I haven't had much experience with their inkjet printers though.

This became very apparent to me when looking for a new document scanner for one of my clients in the past.
He had been using exclusively Canon, specifically the P215 and P215II. The only difference between them being their driver support for a more recent version of OS X...
He purchased a new mac once again and now even the MK2 was not recognized anymore, even though the driver could be installed and being in mint condition.

Canon solution: buy the new supported model.

Having good experiences with Brother I looked at the ADS-1800W, having support for all his different devices AND direct scanning to USB stick among other (driverless) scanning options.
This, among other experiences, gave me the impression the company operates a bit different compared to the others, who in my opinion should do more to support their older products and not generate a bunch of unnecessary e-waste, instead of creating a product with eventual obsolescence by design.

BTW, these Canon scanners are supported just fine under Linux without any driver