John R Pierce wrote: > On 08/16/10 4:06 PM, Bob McConnell wrote: >> >> Many of the low end HP laser printers have Postscript built in, so Linux >> can talk directly to them. Otherwise, I use CUPS with Gutenprint to do >> the translation. If you can stretch the budget, even the CP1518ni Color >> Laserjet is often available for less then $300. After you factor in the >> cost of ink vs. toner, the laser comes out costing less in the long run. > > USB printers are more likely to require special drivers. Ethernet > printers less likely. > > However... Many campuses have restrictions on attaching ethernet > devices, like the CSU campus my kid goes to, you have to register your > laptop or PC by its MAC address, you can't connect a switch or anything > else to the dorm ethernet jacks, just one PC/laptop per port (and they > have one port per bunk in the dorms). Under these conditions, using an > ethernet printer would be problematic, and require disconnecting the > computer from the 'house' network, and plugging it directly into the > printer, likely with a crossover cable, and reconfiguring the network, > yada yada. blah! I wonder if that is because they are charging by the page for printer and copier use. They don't want students to come in and bypass the fee based services. Yes, I know they claim it is a security issue. But as long as they allow MS-Windows systems on their network, I am not going to believe them. Bob McConnell