[PLUG] Cheap printer for Raspberry Pi idea

Tyrell Jentink tyrell at jentink.net
Mon Aug 14 03:47:47 UTC 2017


It's been a while since I plugged in my HP printer... I have one of the
OfficeJet Pro L7680, stopped using it because I don't print frequently and
so Laser printers are better suited to my needs...  But when I was
researching the purchase, I referenced HPLIP, the HP Linux Imaging and
Printing project:
http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/supported_devices/index.html

The HPLIP project is initiated and led by HP directly, and in my
experience, they are pretty good about keeping their lists up to date.

I am not fluant in CUPS, and my understanding may be fundamentally
flawed...  But it is my understanding that CUPS only supports a short list
of printers directly, but provides a common API for drivers for other
printers to be written.  When it comes to HP printers, I believe the go-to
driver is HPLIP, and I believe HPLIP depends on CUPS.

I suspect other printers are supported indirectly in a similar manner, and
thus they may not show up on the Pi CUPS list...  Even though they are
indeed supported, potentially out of the box...


On Sat, Aug 12, 2017 at 5:38 PM, Dave <W7DAL at comcast.net> wrote:

> Hi Tom-
>
> Thanks for your thoughts.
>
> I have owned a LOT of printers over the years. Starting with an early
> Centronics in the '70s that sounded like washing machine and cost a
> fortune! Also had an Epson MX-80 before it was released to the public. .
> Then wrote the tutorial book that went in the box. 8-).
>
> Had a few really good printers over time, but a number of
> disappointments too. Too many have not worked well with Linux thus my
> caution here.
>
> For this little learning application I just want something that
> definitely works with the Pi. Am checking the Pi CUPS list here now
> against the offerings of WalMart, Office Depot, Costco etc and have not
> found even one that is on the list. Most CUPS listings are for obsolete
> printers it seems...
>
> -Dave
>
>
>
> On 8/12/2017 5:05 PM, Tom wrote:
> > I am great fan of HP printers and multifunction devices - because they
> > just work on Linux (with some rare exceptions).
> > My current one HP 8600, in the past: HP 3510, HP 1505N, .....
> > Generally, it just prints and also scans with some minor love.
> > I have also owned Epson C88 (I think) - the printer worked just fine in
> > Linux - it wasted as much ink as the HP printers, but it would not work
> > with EU bought ink - which was major pain.
> > Just look up the printer in CUPS list before buying it - it is trivial
> > to carry the list in the smart-phone avoiding two trips to store.
> > If fact, I would not hesitate returning the printer if it would not
> > work with Linux - it is their problem to solve if they do not bother to
> > write a statement for Linux users on the box.
> > I do not expect much from a printer these days 50-100 pages a year -
> > hence my bias - some years are 3x depending on moves/relocation
> > WARNING: Customary rant about printers
> > I hope that I am not starting something bigger by expressing my
> > opinion:
> >   - there is not such thing as cheap inkjet printer these days due to
> > ink cost coupled with regular head cleaning cycles.
> >   - I do not print a lot - there have been couple instances that I have
> > printed about 20-30 pages per 4x cartridge set due to time passage and
> > regular cleaning cycles.
> >   - My wife prints a lot (work related) and went trough $150 ink per
> > month in her cheap ~$60 HP printer. We got expensive, enterprise
> > printer with low per page cost to fix that.
> >   - Without calculating it - owning reliably functioning inkjet printer
> > can costs as much as $80 per year in ink printed or wasted.
> > Tomas
> > On Sat, 2017-08-12 at 14:19 -0700, Dave wrote:
> >> I'm looking to buy a a small cheap inkjet printer to dedicate to a
> >> Raspberry Pi. USB connect, no multipurpose, and actually has a driver
> >> in
> >> the CUPS list. Ideas appreciated.
> >>
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-- 
Tyrell Jentink
tyrell.jentink.net



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