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Re: seeking new laser printer

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  Re: seeking new laser printer "Roy J. Tellason, Sr." <roy@rtellason.com> - 2024-12-08 20:00 +0100
    Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly] Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org> - 2024-12-30 22:00 +0100
    Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly] Dan Purgert <dan@djph.net> - 2024-12-31 13:50 +0100
      Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly] eben@gmx.us - 2024-12-31 18:10 +0100
        Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly] Dan Purgert <dan@djph.net> - 2024-12-31 18:40 +0100
          Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly] eben@gmx.us - 2024-12-31 19:00 +0100
    Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly] Henning Follmann <hfollmann@itcfollmann.com> - 2024-12-31 19:40 +0100
    Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly] Max Nikulin <manikulin@gmail.com> - 2025-01-02 02:50 +0100

#275411 — Re: seeking new laser printer

On Saturday 07 December 2024 04:21:40 pm Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> If you are able, please recommend a black-and-white Postscript laser printer that will work well with Debian (Bookworm).  After 29 years, I'm finally, and sadly, giving up on my HP LaserJet 5MP.  At work I had problems with Linux drivers for a Xerox laser, and I'm trying to avoid that.  Some Reddit posts favor Brother.

I too have a 5MP,  whiich eventually gave me some trouble.  It was also very slow,  slower for pages having more complex graphics.  These days I'm using an HP 1320.  Love that duplexer!

-- 
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space,  a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed.  --Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James 
M Dakin

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#276202 — Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly]

On Mon, Dec 30, 2024 at 18:15:31 +0000, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> 1. Formerly (but still Bookworm), I had an HP LaserJet 5MP connected with a USB-to-parallel adapter.  I saw this character special device:
> 
> crw-rw---- 1 root lp   180, 1 Dec  3 08:53 /dev/usb/lp1
> 
> I would typically print with something like "cat file > /dev/usb/lp1".  Now, though, with the new laser and a straight USB connection (no wireless), I see these in /dev/usb:
> 
> crw------- 1 root root 180, 0 Dec  3 08:53 /dev/usb/hiddev0
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root   9796 Dec 21 13:01 /dev/usb/lp1

I can't address your other questions, but this one is pretty clear.
That /dev/usb/lp1 is just an ordinary file.  Whatever content you're
redirecting to that location is just going to disk.  Or virtual disk
in memory, if your /dev is a memory-based virtual file system.  It's
no longer a character special device at all, and it has no connection
to your printer.

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#276221 — Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly]

[Multipart message — attachments visible in raw view] — view raw

On Dec 30, 2024, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> On December 7, 2024 4:21 PM, I wrote:
> 
> > If you are able, please recommend a black-and-white Postscript laser
> > printer that will work well with Debian (Bookworm). ...
> 
> With advice from the group, I bought a Brother DCP-L2640DW driverless
> monochrome printer/scanner.  I run the fvwm window manager and can
> print with lp and scan with xsane.  I never installed the Brother
> printer, scanner, or BR-Script3 drivers..

I've done that before, through the IIRC lprng package.  Needed to edit
/etc/printcap as I recall... 

> 
> So I'm mostly happy, but I can't say I really understand who's doing what.  Here are three questions.
> 
> 1. Formerly (but still Bookworm), I had an HP LaserJet 5MP connected
> with a USB-to-parallel adapter.  I saw this character special device:A
> 
> crw-rw---- 1 root lp   180, 1 Dec  3 08:53 /dev/usb/lp1
> 
> I would typically print with something like "cat file > /dev/usb/lp1".
> Now, though, with the new laser and a straight USB connection (no
> wireless), I see these in /dev/usb:
> 
> crw------- 1 root root 180, 0 Dec  3 08:53 /dev/usb/hiddev0
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root   9796 Dec 21 13:01 /dev/usb/lp1

Er, /dev/usb/lp1 in this instance isn't a character device.

> 
> 2. I have a virtualbox Windows XP machine.  With the HP printer, it
> worked through CUPS and needed to find /dev/lp0.  So I just made a
> symbolic link from that to /dev/usb/lp1.  XP had a driver for the old
> HP.  Now, though, the devices and the printer have changed.  In XP, I
> can choose from a long list of prehistoric printer drivers.  Does that
> even matter with a driverless printer?  I also suspect the new device
> stub won't work from XP.  I don't really need to print from XP, but it
> was sometimes convenient.

Chances are XP won't be able to print to it directly -- you'll likely
need to work around the outdated VM's lack of capabilities and "Print to
PDF" or otherwise send the document to the host machine for printing.

> 
> 3. With xscan, the scan quality is good enough for most purposes.  But
> when I tested some fine engraving (like a dollar bill), it was less
> sharp than I get with my old Epson Perfection 2400 (from 2004).  In
> both cases I asked for 300 dpi and set JPG quality as high as
> possible.  The Brother at 600 dpi didn't match the Epson at 300 dpi.
> Would installing the Brother scanner driver be an improvement, or is
> this just a limitation of the hardware?

Good job, posting to the world that you're trying to create counterfeit
bills. ;)

It is intentional that scanners don't do well on currency (though IME,
they tend to just go "no" instead of creating low-res output).  It is
quite possible that Epson's control of it was in their (Windows?) driver
software, rather than in the hardware/firmware; whereas 20 years later,
Brother's put it in the printer internals.



-- 
|_|O|_| 
|_|_|O| Github: https://github.com/dpurgert
|O|O|O| PGP: DDAB 23FB 19FA 7D85 1CC1  E067 6D65 70E5 4CE7 2860

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#276227 — Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly]

On 12/31/24 07:44, Dan Purgert wrote:
> On Dec 30, 2024, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
>> On December 7, 2024 4:21 PM, I wrote:
>>
>> I would typically print with something like "cat file > /dev/usb/lp1".
>> Now, though, with the new laser and a straight USB connection (no
>> wireless), I see these in /dev/usb:
>>
>> crw------- 1 root root 180, 0 Dec  3 08:53 /dev/usb/hiddev0
>> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root   9796 Dec 21 13:01 /dev/usb/lp1
>
> Er, /dev/usb/lp1 in this instance isn't a character device.

If you remove the file and disconnect / reconnect the printer, it might get
recreated.  Or maybe it's not intended to exist at all, in which case "got me".

>> 2. I have a virtualbox Windows XP machine.  With the HP printer, it
>> worked through CUPS and needed to find /dev/lp0.  So I just made a
>> symbolic link from that to /dev/usb/lp1.  XP had a driver for the old
>> HP.  Now, though, the devices and the printer have changed.  In XP, I
>> can choose from a long list of prehistoric printer drivers.  Does that
>> even matter with a driverless printer?  I also suspect the new device
>> stub won't work from XP.  I don't really need to print from XP, but it
>> was sometimes convenient.
>
> Chances are XP won't be able to print to it directly -- you'll likely
> need to work around the outdated VM's lack of capabilities and "Print to
> PDF" or otherwise send the document to the host machine for printing.

Maybe someone has a collection of removed Windows printer drivers.

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#276228 — Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly]

[Multipart message — attachments visible in raw view] — view raw

On Dec 31, 2024, eben@gmx.us wrote:
> On 12/31/24 07:44, Dan Purgert wrote:
> > On Dec 30, 2024, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> >> 2. I have a virtualbox Windows XP machine.  With the HP printer, it
> >> worked through CUPS and needed to find /dev/lp0.  So I just made a
> >> symbolic link from that to /dev/usb/lp1.  XP had a driver for the old
> >> HP.  Now, though, the devices and the printer have changed.  In XP, I
> >> can choose from a long list of prehistoric printer drivers.  Does that
> >> even matter with a driverless printer?  I also suspect the new device
> >> stub won't work from XP.  I don't really need to print from XP, but it
> >> was sometimes convenient.
> >
> > Chances are XP won't be able to print to it directly -- you'll likely
> > need to work around the outdated VM's lack of capabilities and "Print to
> > PDF" or otherwise send the document to the host machine for printing.
> 
> Maybe someone has a collection of removed Windows printer drivers.

I don't think I'm reading your comment right.  The DCP-L2640DW was
released in 2022 or 2023.  Why would there be a "removed" printer driver
from WinXP in this case?


-- 
|_|O|_| 
|_|_|O| Github: https://github.com/dpurgert
|O|O|O| PGP: DDAB 23FB 19FA 7D85 1CC1  E067 6D65 70E5 4CE7 2860

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#276229 — Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly]

On 12/31/24 12:32, Dan Purgert wrote:
> On Dec 31, 2024, eben@gmx.us wrote:
>> On 12/31/24 07:44, Dan Purgert wrote:
>>> On Dec 30, 2024, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
>>>> 2. I have a virtualbox Windows XP machine.  With the HP printer, it
>>>> worked through CUPS and needed to find /dev/lp0.  So I just made a
>>>> symbolic link from that to /dev/usb/lp1.  XP had a driver for the old
>>>> HP.  Now, though, the devices and the printer have changed.  In XP, I
>>>> can choose from a long list of prehistoric printer drivers.  Does that
>>>> even matter with a driverless printer?  I also suspect the new device
>>>> stub won't work from XP.  I don't really need to print from XP, but it
>>>> was sometimes convenient.
>>>
>>> Chances are XP won't be able to print to it directly -- you'll likely
>>> need to work around the outdated VM's lack of capabilities and "Print to
>>> PDF" or otherwise send the document to the host machine for printing.
>>
>> Maybe someone has a collection of removed Windows printer drivers.
>
> I don't think I'm reading your comment right.  The DCP-L2640DW was
> released in 2022 or 2023.  Why would there be a "removed" printer driver
> from WinXP in this case?

Ah, my bad.  I thought it was a really old printer.  I guess Steven will
need the W* equivalent of backports then
.

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#276232 — Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly]

On Mon, Dec 30, 2024 at 06:15:31PM +0000, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> On December 7, 2024 4:21 PM, I wrote:
> 
> > If you are able, please recommend a black-and-white Postscript laser
> > printer that will work well with Debian (Bookworm). ...
> 
> With advice from the group, I bought a Brother DCP-L2640DW driverless monochrome printer/scanner.  I run the fvwm window manager and can print with lp and scan with xsane.  I never installed the Brother printer, scanner, or BR-Script3 drivers.
> 
> So I'm mostly happy, but I can't say I really understand who's doing what.  Here are three questions.
> 
>
[...]
 
> 3. With xscan, the scan quality is good enough for most purposes.  But when I tested some fine engraving (like a dollar bill), it was less sharp than I get with my old Epson Perfection 2400 (from 2004).  In both cases I asked for 300 dpi and set JPG quality as high as possible.  The Brother at 600 dpi didn't match the Epson at 300 dpi.  Would installing the Brother scanner driver be an improvement, or is this just a limitation of the hardware?
> 

I hope you tried with something other than paper money. Usually all paper
currency have some pattern (like an irregular five of a dice) embedded.
Most imaging software won't allow to process these images (in high quality)

-H


-- 
Henning Follmann           | hfollmann@itcfollmann.com

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#276263 — Re: seeking new laser printer [solved, mostly]

On 31/12/2024 01:15, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> it was less sharp than I get with my old Epson Perfection 2400 (from 2004)

It might be difference due to technologies. The older one likely use 
"white" lamp and color filters over CCD array. New cheaper approach is a 
line of red, green, and blue LEDs that are flashing in sequence. In both 
cases color pixels are spatially separated, but perhaps there is some 
difference in post-processing. I have seen mostly black and white text 
scanned with color pixels on the edges of each character. Blurring might 
be an attempt to mitigate this effect.

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