# [SOLVED] Recommend a printer / Can I install on my router?

## GetLinux

I don't have a printer installed on my Linux machine yet. I've done some research on CUPS and it seems HP and Lexmark printers are horribly supported, and often won't work at all.

I have a Brother MFC3220-C multifunction printer. Has anyone had good experience with this printer, or with Brother multifunction printers in general? Has CUPS worked with the printer "out-of-the-box"? Or, what brand of MFC would you recommend?

How easy is it to install a printer on router? I have a Linksys router (not wireless) with a built-in firewall, digital cable with the ISP-provided modem (Surfboard SB4100) and 2 computers on the router (1 Linux, 1 Windows but hopefully soon-to-be-Linux).

BTW, this multifunction printer came with Windows/Mac software...I don't know if I must use this software to access all the major functions (print, copy, scan, fax, recieve). Any clue? Will I just need to buy a new printer anyway?

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## remi2402

My experience with a few printers tell me this :

 HP are not the worst, in fact HP provides OSS drivers so they're probably one of the best supported printers. I haven't set up one in years, but even then it was no trouble. Try this site : http://hpinkjet.sourceforge.net/.

 Canon printers are alright too. Drivers are in gimp-print if i'm not mistaken. Shows up in cups webconfig. Real easy to set up.

 Laser printers are usually the easiest to set up.

 I've never tried multi function printers so I can't really comment on the scanner part.

As far as your router is concerned, if you can get cups installed there, you can use the web config (although you'll have to modify permissions because it won't allow other hosts than localhost to connect to it) to set up your printer.

Hope that helps  :Smile: 

Rémi

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## GetLinux

 *remi2402 wrote:*   

> As far as your router is concerned, if you can get cups installed there, you can use the web config...to set up your printer. 

 

You mean install CUPS on the router???

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## remi2402

Well that's what I thought you wanted to do ... hard but not impossible imho. (usb ports might be an issue though  :Smile:  )

Anyhow, setting up cups is not that hard if you use the right printer. If you want to share your printer with your windows box, I'd recommend against using Samba. It's waaay to much hassle. 2000 and XP support IPP which is rather simple to set up in CUPS.

Check out THE website for linux printer drivers http://linuxprinting.org/printer_list.cgi it'll tell you what extra packages to install (ghostscript, gimp-print, ...) to get the drivers you want.

Hope that helps  :Smile: 

Rémi

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## GetLinux

Thanks, Remi, I'll look into that. I need to test my desktop first...did a real slooow split ebuild for KDE...then I'll be setting up my printer. Yeah, my router doesn't have USB, so that's not an option...but interesting to know.

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## rev138

 *GetLinux wrote:*   

> HP and Lexmark printers are horribly supported, and often won't work at all.

 

I have yet to encounter an HP that didn't work perfectly with CUPS. The 'foomatic' and 'hpijs' drivers work fine.

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## duby2291

I've had so so luck with a Brother MFC 420cn

I got it to work on  a debian system using the deb files that brother supplies, but I have never gotten it to work on a gentoo system yet.

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## mordredP

 *rev138 wrote:*   

>  *GetLinux wrote:*   HP and Lexmark printers are horribly supported, and often won't work at all. 
> 
> I have yet to encounter an HP that didn't work perfectly with CUPS. The 'foomatic' and 'hpijs' drivers work fine.

 

i have a perfectly configured HPdjet3845 right here..

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## GetLinux

A couple months ago, I read on one of the big sites (probably was CUPS, if not, then some general site where they list how good the support is under CUPS for different printers)...HP and Lexmark were listed as having little to no support for/by CUPS, or something like that.

I'm glad to know you guys have had good experiences. When I get to setting up my printer, I'll refer back to this.

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## rev138

 *GetLinux wrote:*   

> I'm glad to know you guys have had good experiences. When I get to setting up my printer, I'll refer back to this.

 

If it's an HP, be sure to:

```
# USE="ppds" emerge -av foomatic hpijs
```

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## GetLinux

 *rev138 wrote:*   

>  *GetLinux wrote:*   I'm glad to know you guys have had good experiences. When I get to setting up my printer, I'll refer back to this. 
> 
> If it's an HP, be sure to:
> 
> ```
> ...

 

Thank you. I loved my old HP because it was easier to clear out paper jams...with the Lexmark, you can't open a cover to that part of the printer...only to where the ink was.

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## zaphyr

I just bought a HP DeskJet 6540 and it was dead easy to set up (after CUPS is installed of course)   :Smile: 

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## augury

Brother has drivers on their website usually for linux but I see mac os x for MFC3220-C for cups send fax, print and scan.  It looks like they've got them in dmg disk images.  Ok who heres over 45?

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## augury

Well if you can figure out how to get these open they should just be text like files that will work in any unix.  I don't remember getting the java jre from brother they but it should give you cups support.  You'll have to put them where ever it is that they go so cups will find them.  ppd's should be something like pcl6 Foomatic/ljet4.  The sane conf just says "port /dev/usb/lp0" so if the usb print module is install and /dev/usb/lp0 exists, try starting sane and see if it detects it.  I wouldn't use the sane driver on the cd since that would be a binary and cause problems.

EDIT:  specs say "engine:  inkjet"Last edited by augury on Thu Nov 24, 2005 6:50 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## augury

http://solutions.brother.com/linux/en_us/index.html  cupswrapper rpm has a script that generates a ppd connects to the cups server and install it and a filter script and sets up the printer MFC3320CN on the usb port; scratch that whole dmg osx thing.  I don't know if the N part makes a difference or not. I assume the printer can come with or without a network card.  I don't have fax4cups installed so I don't know if it will install the fax driver too or not but it looks like it should since everything else indicates cups w/ fax.  The script has a send fax line in it so I guess it does but its short, only mentions fax 3 times.  You try it and tell me if it works.  The sane-find-scanner too.

EDIT:  I don't see anything about the receive.  If you have voip lines you can get a fax line that send you the fax in an email -- saves missing the fax and paper.Last edited by augury on Thu Nov 24, 2005 7:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## augury

Since this is a lp0 port printer, you might be able to us a ether>usb print server with it.  It has to work first though.

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## GetLinux

Thanks for all the info...I have something I will have to print from Windows soon, as it's already under production, but I'll come back to this link when I'm ready to set my MFC printer up on my Linux box.

I supposed I could set up one of the others for now, to see if Windows has totally corrupted them or not, but I may not have the time.

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