[KLUG Members] Printer recommendation?

[Adam Tauno Williams]

>>Can anyone recommend a good printer that works *properly* under
>>Linux? I'd prefer an el-cheapo inkjet, since I won't be printing much, and
>>I don't need great quality.
>As with any non-Windows OS, native Postscript printers work best. 
>Unfortunately, I don't know of any low-cost inkjet printers that
>have a Postscript option (let alone come with one as standard).

I don't think there are any.

>If you just need a black'n white, you can get a native Postscript
>printer for just over $300.  True 10+ppm, and excellent output.  The
>Lexmark Optra E300-series.  I have a E310, although the newer models
>are the E312 and do 12ppm.  In fact, you can get a E312 refurb for
>$239 on Lexmark's site.

Agree, these are very nice printers.  I'd recommend buying a refurb laser to
anyone shopping for a laser printer,  the deals are great.  Bought my IBM 4019
this way,  although that was a LONG time ago now.
 
>They do 600dpi and usually take the performance and quality crown in
>reviews for printers under $500.  Although they do both PCL and
>Postscript, most reviews find only Postscript can handle the "big
>graphics."  Although the memory is proprietary, clone memory is
>available from Kingston and PNY for about 1/4th the price.  I
>recommend it because the standard memory is only 2MB (an 8MB SIMM
>can be had for <$30 more, for a total of 10MB).

Always add memory to postscript printers.  I've also experienced jobs that puke
using the PCL driver but work properly with Postscript.  But never on an HP
printer,  and isn't PCL HP's lingua franca.  Could be ancedotal and pure
coincidence.
 
>>I've spent a good deal of time wrestling with a donated Epson inkjet,
>>and I've rapidly become sick to death of sloppy, half-assed drivers and
>>the plethora of poorly-documented printing systems out there (LPR,
>>LPRng, CUPS, gs, etc.).
>Actually, I find LPR/LPRng is _well_documented_ and
>_very_powerful_.  You just have to know how to wield them.  And
>setup from the "printtool" GUI in distros like RedHat make it cake.

Some of the print filters provided with Redhat are sub-par however.  It is
important to note that the print filters are a completely seperate package than
the spooling software.  HP has made available "native" support for it's deskjet
line that people have created RPMS that drop into RH7.1,  the RPMs from HP only
do 6.2 and 7.0.  GIMP print's ghostscript is also better than RH's.

Systems and Network Administrator
Morrison Industries
1825 Monroe Ave NW.
Grand Rapids, MI. 49505