[CentOS] Printer recommendations

[MHR]

On Tue, Jul 22, 2008 at 6:52 AM, Ron Loftin <reloftin at twcny.rr.com> wrote:
>
> Since my old Epson C86 has finally managed to clog up the print heads,
> I'm in the market for a replacement.  I'd like to know what the people
> on this list are using for printers that are currently available, since
> we are using versions of CUPS and foomatic that are frozen, and any
> other issues or "gotchas" that you are aware of.
>
> For the replacement printer, I'm considering a color laser printer
> instead of the inkjets that I've been using, and I'm dithering back and
> forth over the question of direct-connect or networked printer.
> Suggestions, warnings, and horror stories are welcome.
>

I would avoid anything inkjet that is not HP for Linux, unless you
actually have a driver for the printer that works.  I tried a Canon,
but even with a driver that was supposed to work with it, I took it
back.

As for lasers, I've had a Minolta 1100 for a long time now - five
years or more.  I got it to replace my dead ATT laser that I won in a
contest back in 1994 (?), but that got me hooked on lasers.  The
Minolta was a replacement for the 1100W that I picked up at Costco on
sale cheap, but it wouldn't work with my (then) Win98/XP desktop at
all, and the 1100 did (even though it was not supposed to be
compatible with Win XP at all!).

When I switched over to CentOS, I had no trouble configuring the 1100
to work with the OS, and it's been humming along nicely ever since.

W.r.t. cost, I figure that I started off on the 1100 with two drums
(longer story - never mind) and I just recently switched over to the
new one after somewhere around 20,000 copies (could be more - I don't
remember where the counter is and I couldn't find it when I looked
inside when I replaced the drum), so I'll get a new laser printer when
this drum goes - they're cheap enough now that the price of the
replacement drum and one toner cartridge is more than a new printer
(with a new drum and cartridge).

Re inkjets, I would avoid Epsons like the plague - I've never had a
good one since my FX-85 (9-pin impact) was retired.  Canons are ok, if
you can get a driver, but they tend to give out after a year or two,
depending on your workload.  My HP seems ok so far - I got it mostly
because it was an all-in-one including fax (which is one feature I was
looking for) and a sheet feet scanner (the other feature I /really/
wanted, and it's pretty quick, too), and it was under $50.

However, all inkjets are basically cheap junk you need to replace
fairly often, and the price of two or three sets of cartridges exceeds
the cost of the printers.  (In fact, Epson carts are so expensive it's
more cost effective to replace the printer than the carts, or maybe it
was two sets of carts, and their printers don't like bulk ink at all.)

JMO (JMTC), YMMV.

mhr