[CentOS] Need tip on an inexpensive printer for college student using CentOS 5.5

Tue Aug 17 02:17:20 UTC 2010
Robert Heller <heller at deepsoft.com>

At Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:21:27 -0700 CentOS mailing list <centos at centos.org> 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.

Most USB *printers* use the USB 'printer' protocol.  You would still
need a 'driver' (actually a PostScript => raster filter) for
non-Postscript printers (eg: inkjets).  I would guess that USB *laser*
*PostScript* printers would use the USB printer protocol and would not
need a special 'driver' -- the Linux kernel knows how to talk to a USB
'printer' device (HAL's hotplug code creats a /dev/usb/lpN device file
automagically).

> 
> 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!
> 
> 
> 
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>                                                      

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