Prev |  | Next

# Supported Printers

The Linux kernel will let you speak with any printer that you can plug into a serial, parallel, or usb port, plus any printer on the network. Unfortunately, this alone is insufficient; you must also be able to generate data that the printer will understand. Primary among the incompatible printers are those referred to as "Windows" or "GDI" printers. They are called this because all or part of the printer control language and the design details of the printing mechanism are not documented. Typically the vendor will provide a Windows driver and happily sell only to Windows users; this is why they are called Winprinters. In some cases the vendor also provides drivers for NT, OS/2, or other operating systems.

Many of these printers do not work with free software. A few of them do, and some of them only work a little bit (usually because someone has reverse engineered the details needed to write a driver). See the printer support list below for details on specific printers.

A few printers are in-between. Some of NEC's models, for example, implement a simple form of the standard printer language PCL that allows PCL-speaking software to print at up to 300dpi, but only NEC knows how to get the full 600dpi out of these printers.

Note that if you already have one of these Winprinters, there are roundabout ways to print to one, but they're rather awkward. Seethe Section called Windows-only printers in this document for more discussion of Windows-only printers.

## Postscript

As for what printers do work with free software, the best choice is to buy a printer with native PostScript support in firmware. Nearly all Un*x software that produces printable output produces it in PostScript, so obviously it'd be nice to get a printer that supports PostScript directly. Unfortunately, PostScript support is scarce outside the laser printer domain, and is sometimes a costly add-on.

Un*x software, and the publishing industry in general, have standardized upon Postscript as the printer control language of choice. This happened for several reasons:

Timing

  Postscript arrived as part of the Apple Laserwriter, a perfect companion to the Macintosh, the system largely responsible for the desktop publishing revolution of the 80s.

It's device-independent

  Postscript programs can be run to generate output on a pixel screen, a vector screen, a fax machine, or almost any sort of printer mechanism, without the original program needing to be changed. Postscript output will look the same on any Postscript device, at least within the limits of the device's capabilities. Before the creation of PDF, people exchanged complex documents online as Postscript files. The only reason this standard didn't "stick" was because Windows machines didn't usually include a Postscript previewer, so Adobe specified hyperlinks and compression for Postscript, called the result PDF, distributed previewers for it, and invented a market for their "distiller" tools (the functionality of which is also provided by ghostscript's ps2pdf and pdf2ps programs).

It's a real programming language

  Postscript is a complete programming language; you can write software to do most anything in it. This is mostly useful for defining subroutines at the start of your program to reproduce complex things over and over throughout your document, like a logo or a big "DRAFT" in the background. But there's no reason you couldn't compute π in a Postscript program.

It's open

  Postscript is fully specified in a publically available series of books (which you can find at any good bookstore) and also online at http://partners.adobe.com/asn/developer/technotes/postscript.html. Although Adobe invented it and provides the dominant commercial implementation, other vendors like Aladdin produce independently coded implementations as well.

## Non-Postscript

Failing the (larger) budget necessary to buy a Postscript printer, you can use any printer supported by Ghostscript, the free Postscript interpreter used in lieu of actual printer Postscript support. Note that most GNU/Linux distributions can only ship a somewhat outdated version of Ghostscript due to the license. Fortunately, there is usually a prepackaged up to date Ghostscript made available in each distribution's contrib area.

Adobe now has a new printer language called "PrintGear". I think it's a greatly simplified binary format language with some Postscript heritage but no Postscript compatibility. And I haven't heard of Ghostscript supporting it. But some PrintGear printers seem to support another language like PCL, and these printers will work with GNU/Linux (if the PCL is implemented in the printer and not in a Windows driver).

Similarly, Adobe offers a host-based Postscript implementation called PressReady. This works much like Ghostscript does to provide Postscript support for a non-Postscript printer, but has the disadvantage that it runs only on Windows.

## What printers work?

You can look in several places to see if a particular printer will work. The cooperatively maintained Printing HOWTO printer database aims to be a comprehensive listing of the state of GNU/Linux printer support. A summary of it is below; be sure to check online for more details and information on what driver(s) to use.

The best bet for new printer shoppers is to consult the list of suggested printers. These center around color inkjets and mono laser devices. You can even help support this document and the website by buying from one of affiliated vendors.

Ghostscript's printer compatibility page has a list of some working printers, as well as links to other pages.

Google groups contains hundreds of "it works" and "it doesn't work" testimonials. Try all three, and when you're done, check that your printer is present and correct in the database, so that it will be listed properly in this document in the future.

### Printer compatibility list

This section is a summary of the online database. The online version includes device specifications, notes, driver information, user-maintained documentation, manufacturer web pages, and interface scripts for using drivers with several print spooling systems (including LPR, LPRng, PDQ, and CUPS). The online version of this list is also interactive; people can and do add printers all the time, so be sure to check it as well. Finally, if your printer isn't listed, add it!

Note that this listing is not gospel; people sometimes add incorrect information, which are eventually weeded out. Entries which have not been sanity-checked are marked with an asterisk (*). Verify from Google Groups that a printer works for someone before buying it based on this list.

Printers here are categorized into four types:

Perfectly

  Perfect printers work perfectly - you can print to the full ability of the printer, including color, full resolution, etc. In a few cases printers with undocumented "resolution enhancement" modes that don't work are listed as perfect; generally the difference in print quality is small enough that it isn't worth worrying about.

Mostly

  You can print fine, but there may be minor limitations of one sort or another in either printing or other features.

Partially

  You can print, but maybe not in color, or only at a poor resolution. See the online listing for information on the limitation.

Paperweight

  You can't print a darned thing; typically this will be due to lack of a driver and/or documentation on how to write one. Paperweights occasionally get "promoted", either when someone discovers that an existing driver works, or when someone creates a new driver, but you shouldn't count on this happening.

In all cases, since this information is provided by dozens of people, none of it is guaranteed to be correct; entries with an asterisk (*) are particularly suspect. The facts, however, should be easy to corroborate from the driver web pages and manufacturer web sites.

And without further ado, here is the printer compatibility list:

Table 1. Linux Printer Support

Manufacturer | Perfectly | Mostly | Partially | Paperweight
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Alps |  | MD-1000 MD-1300 MD-1500* MD-2000 MD-2010 MD-2300 MD-4000 MD-5000 MD-5500 |  |
Anitech | M24 |  |  |
Apollo | P-1200 P-1220 Barbie P-1250 P-2100 P-2150 P-2200 P-2250 P-2500 P-2550 P-2600 P-2650 |  |  |
Apple | 12/640ps Dot Matrix ImageWriter ImageWriter LQ LaserWriter 4/600* LaserWriter 16/600* LaserWriter IINTX* LaserWriter IIg LaserWriter Pro 630* LaserWriter Select 360* | Color StyleWriter 1500 Color StyleWriter 2200 Color StyleWriter 2400 Color StyleWriter 2500* ImageWriter II* LaserWriter NT StyleWriter 1200 StyleWriter I StyleWriter II |  |
Avery | Personal Label Printer+* | Personal Label Printer |  |
Brother | HL-4Ve HL-8 HL-10V HL-10h HL-630 HL-660 HL-720 HL-730 HL-760 HL-820 HL-960* HL-1020 HL-1040 HL-1070* HL-1250 HL-1260 HL-1270N HL-1440 HL-1450 HL-1470N HL-1650 HL-1660e HL-1670N HL-2060 HL-2400CeN HL-2460 HL-2460N HL-3400CN | HJ-400 HL-1030 HL-1050 HL-1060 HL-1240 | DCP-1200 HJ-100i* HL-4V* HL-6* HL-6V* HL-630/631* HL-641/645/655M* HL-665* HL-730/730DX* HL-1270* HL-P2000* M-1309* M-1324* M-1809* M-1809 Color* M-1824L* M-1824L Color* M-1909* M-1909 Color* M-1924L* M-1924L Color* M-4309* MC-3000 MFC 7150C MFC-4000/4500/5500* MFC-4350 MFC-6550MC MFC-6550MC/7550MC* MFC-8300 MFC-9050 MFC-9100c* MFC-9500 MFC-9600 MFC-P2000* MFC-P2500 | 4550* MP-21C
CItoh | M8510 |  |  |
CalComp | Artisan 1023 penplotter* |  |  |
Canon | BJ-5 BJ-10e BJ-10v* BJ-15v* BJ-20 BJ-30* BJ-35v* BJ-100 BJ-200 BJ-330 BJC-70 BJC-210 BJC-250* BJC-250ex BJC-255SP BJC-265SP BJC-600* BJC-610 BJC-620 BJC-680J* BJC-800 BJC-880J* BJC-4000 BJC-4100 BJC-4200 BJC-4300* BJC-4400* BJC-4550* GP 335* GP 405 LBP-4+ LBP-4U LBP-8A1 LBP-310* LBP-320 Pro* LBP-350* LBP-430 LBP-1000* LBP-1260 LBP-1760* LIPS-II+* LIPS-III* LIPS-IV* LIPS-IVv* | BJC-50* BJC-55* BJC-80* BJC-85* BJC-240* BJC-1000* BJC-2000* BJC-2010* BJC-2100 BJC-2110 BJC-3000 BJC-4310SP BJC-6000 BJC-7004* BJC-8200* LBP-4sx S100 S400* imageRunner 330s | BJ F100* BJ F200* BJ F600* BJ F800* BJ F6000* BJ-30v* BJ-200e* BJ-220JCII* BJ-220JSII* BJ-230* BJ-300 BJC-35v* BJC-35vII* BJC-50v* BJC-80v* BJC-210J* BJC-210SP BJC-240J* BJC-250J* BJC-400J* BJC-410J* BJC-420J* BJC-430J* BJC-430J Lite* BJC-430JD Lite* BJC-440J* BJC-455J* BJC-465J* BJC-600J* BJC-600e* BJC-610JW* BJC-620JW* BJC-700J* BJC-820* BJC-820J* BJC-4200 Photo* BJC-4304 Photo* BJC-4650* BJC-5500* BJC-5500J* BJC-6100* BJC-6200* BJC-6500* BJC-7000* BJC-7004 Photo* BJC-7100* BJC-8000* MultiPASS C2500* MultiPASS C3000* MultiPASS C3500* MultiPASS C5000* MultiPASS C5500 S300 S450* S500 S600 S630 S800 S4500* | BJC-5000* BJC-5100 BJC-8500* LBP-460* LBP-600 LBP-660* LBP-800* Multipass L6000* S200
Citizen | ProJet II* ProJet IIc printiva600C printiva600U | printiva700 printiva1700 |  |
Compaq |  | IJ750* IJ1200 | IJ900 | IJ300*
DEC | DECWriter 500i* DECwriter 110i* DECwriter 520ic* LA50* LA70* LA75* LA75 Plus* LJ250 LN03* LN07* | 1800* LN17* |  |
Daewoo |  |  | DP-3630H* DP-7200H* DP-7400C* |
Dymo-CoStar | ASCII 250* ASCII+* EL40* EL60* LabelWriter II* LabelWriter XL* LabelWriter XL+* SE250* SE250+* Turbo* |  |  |
Epson | ActionLaser 1100* ActionLaser II* ActionPrinter 3250* AcuLaser C2000 AcuLaser C2000PS AcuLaser C4000 AcuLaser C4000PS AcuLaser C8500 AcuLaser C8500PS CL 700 CL 750 Dot Matrix EM 900C EM 900CN EM 930C EM 930CN EPL-5200* EPL-5200+* EPL-5800 EPL-5800PS EPL-5900 EPL-5900PS EPL-7100 EPL-N1600 EPL-N1600PS EPL-N2050 EPL-N2050+ EPL-N2050PS EPL-N2050PS+ EPL-N2120 EPL-N2750 EPL-N2750PS L-1000* LP 8000 LP-2000* LP-3000* LP-7000* LP-7000G* LP-xx00* LQ-24 LQ-500 LQ-570+* LQ-850 LQ-2550 LX-1050* MC 7000 MJ 6000C MJ 8000C MachJet* PM 700C PM 730C* PM 750C PM 760C* PM 770C PM 780C* PM 800C PM 820C PM 880C* PM 2000C PM 2200C* PM 3000C PM 3300C PM 3500C PM 7000C SQ 1170 Stylus* Stylus 800* Stylus C20SX Stylus C20UX Stylus C40SX Stylus C40UX Stylus C41SX Stylus C41UX Stylus C42SX Stylus C42UX Stylus C60 Stylus C61 Stylus C62 Stylus C70 Stylus C80 Stylus C82 Stylus Color* Stylus Color 8 3 Stylus Color 400 Stylus Color 440* Stylus Color 460* Stylus Color 480 Stylus Color 500 Stylus Color 580 Stylus Color 600 Stylus Color 640 Stylus Color 660 Stylus Color 670* Stylus Color 680 Stylus Color 740 Stylus Color 760 Stylus Color 777 Stylus Color 800 Stylus Color 850 Stylus Color 860 Stylus Color 880 Stylus Color 900 Stylus Color 980 Stylus Color 1160 Stylus Color 1500 Stylus Color 1520 Stylus Color 3000 Stylus Color I Stylus Color PRO Stylus Photo Stylus Photo 700 Stylus Photo 720* Stylus Photo 750 Stylus Photo 780* Stylus Photo 790* Stylus Photo 810 Stylus Photo 820 Stylus Photo 830 Stylus Photo 870* Stylus Photo 890* Stylus Photo 1200 Stylus Photo 1270 Stylus Photo 1280 Stylus Photo 1290 Stylus Photo 1290S Stylus Photo EX Stylus Photo EX3* Stylus Pro 7000 Stylus Pro 7500 Stylus Scan 2000 Stylus Scan 2500 | EPL-5700 MC 5000 MJ 520C MJ 5100C PM 790PT* PM 850PT PM 4000PX PM 5000C Stylus Color 200* Stylus Color 300* Stylus Color II Stylus Color IIs Stylus Photo 785* Stylus Photo 825* Stylus Photo 875* Stylus Photo 895* Stylus Photo 915 Stylus Photo 925 Stylus Photo 950 Stylus Photo 960 Stylus Photo 2100 Stylus Photo 2200 Stylus Pro 5000 Stylus Pro 5500 Stylus Pro XL | 9-pin 136 Col* 9-pin 80 Col* 24-pin 136 Col* 24-pin 80 Col* AP-800* AP-2250* AP-3250* AP-3260* AP-5000* AP-5500* ActionLaser 1000/EPL-5000* ActionLaser 1400* ActionLaser 1500/EPL-5200* ActionLaser 1600/EPL-5600* ActionLaser II/EPL-4000* DFX-5000* DFX-5000+* DFX-8000* DFX-8500* DLQ-2000 (360 dpi)* DLQ-3000+* EPL-7000/7100* EPL-8000/8100* EPL-N1200* EPL-N2000* EX-800* EX-1000* FX-286e* FX-850* FX-870* FX-880* FX-980* FX-1000* FX-1050* FX-1170* FX-1180* FX-2170* FX-2180* Generic 48 pin* Generic ESC2P* Generic ESC_P 24-J84* Generic ESC_P 24-J84C* JX-80* LQ-100* LQ-150* LQ-300* LQ-300 Color* LQ-400* LQ-510* LQ-550* LQ-570* LQ-670* LQ-850 (N9)* LQ-850+ (360 dpi)* LQ-860* LQ-870* LQ-950 (N9)* LQ-1010* LQ-1050* LQ-1050 (N9)* LQ-1050+ (360 dpi)* LQ-1060* LQ-1070* LQ-1070+* LQ-1170* LQ-2070* LQ-2080* LQ-2170* LQ-2180* LQ-2500* LX-100* LX-300* LX-300 Color* LX-400* LX-800* LX-810* LX-850* MC 2000 MC 9000 MC 10000 MJ-500C* MJ-510C* MJ-700V2C* MJ-800C* MJ-900C* MJ-910C* MJ-3000C* MJ-3000CU* MJ-5000C* MJ-5100C* MX-80 (w_GRAFTRAX 80)* PM 950C PM 9000C PM 10000 PX 7000 PX 9000 SQ-850* SQ-2500* SQ-2550* Stylus 200* Stylus 300* Stylus 400* Stylus 500* Stylus 800+* Stylus 820* Stylus 1000* Stylus 1500* Stylus Color 600Q* Stylus Photo 2000P Stylus Pro* Stylus Pro 7600 Stylus Pro 9000 Stylus Pro 9500 Stylus Pro 9600 Stylus Pro 10000 Stylus Pro XL+* TLQ-4800* TSQ-4800* | AcuLaser C1000 EPL-5500W* EPL-5700L EPL-5800L EPL-5900L Stylus CX3200
Fujitsu | 1200* 2400* 3400* FMLBP2xx Page Printer* FMPR* PrintPartner 10V* PrintPartner 16DV* PrintPartner 20W* PrintPartner 8000* |  |  |
Generic | PostScript Printer |  | 9-pin 136 Col* 9-pin 80 Col* 24-pin 136 Col* 24-pin 80 Col* 48 pin* |
GoldStar |  |  | GLP-1450* GLP-2050* GLP-5750* |
HP | 2000C 2500C 2500CM 2563 Business Inkjet 2200 Business Inkjet 2230 Business Inkjet 2250 Business Inkjet 2250TN Business Inkjet 2280 Business Inkjet 2600 Business Inkjet 3000 Color Inkjet Printer CP1160 Color Inkjet Printer CP1700 Color LaserJet 2500 Color LaserJet 4500 Color LaserJet 4550 Color LaserJet 4600 Color LaserJet 5500 Color LaserJet 8550GN DesignJet 3500CP DesignJet 5500ps DesignJet ColorPro CAD DeskJet DeskJet 200 DeskJet 310 DeskJet 320 DeskJet 340C DeskJet 400 DeskJet 450 DeskJet 500 DeskJet 500C DeskJet 505J Plus DeskJet 510 DeskJet 540C DeskJet 550C DeskJet 600 DeskJet 610C DeskJet 610CL DeskJet 612C DeskJet 630C DeskJet 632C DeskJet 640C DeskJet 648C DeskJet 656C DeskJet 660C DeskJet 670C DeskJet 670TV DeskJet 672C DeskJet 680C DeskJet 682C DeskJet 690C DeskJet 692C DeskJet 693C DeskJet 694C DeskJet 695C DeskJet 697C DeskJet 710C DeskJet 712C DeskJet 720C DeskJet 722C DeskJet 810C DeskJet 812C DeskJet 815C DeskJet 816C DeskJet 820C DeskJet 825C DeskJet 830C DeskJet 832C DeskJet 840C DeskJet 841C DeskJet 842C DeskJet 843C DeskJet 845C DeskJet 850C DeskJet 855C DeskJet 870C DeskJet 880C DeskJet 882C DeskJet 890C DeskJet 895C DeskJet 916C DeskJet 920C DeskJet 930C DeskJet 932C DeskJet 933C DeskJet 934C DeskJet 935C DeskJet 940C DeskJet 948C DeskJet 950C DeskJet 952C DeskJet 955C DeskJet 957C DeskJet 959C DeskJet 960C DeskJet 970C DeskJet 975C DeskJet 980C DeskJet 990C DeskJet 995C DeskJet 1000C DeskJet 1100C DeskJet 1120C DeskJet 1125C DeskJet 1200C DeskJet 1220C DeskJet 1600C DeskJet 1600CM DeskJet 3820 DeskJet 5550 DeskJet 5551 DeskJet 6122 DeskJet 6127 DeskJet Plus DeskJet Portable LaserJet LaserJet 2 LaserJet 2 w/PS LaserJet 2P LaserJet 2P Plus LaserJet 3 LaserJet 3D LaserJet 3P w/ PCL5 LaserJet 3P w/PS LaserJet 4 LaserJet 4 Plus LaserJet 4L LaserJet 4M LaserJet 4ML LaserJet 4P LaserJet 4Si LaserJet 4V LaserJet 4V/4LJ Pro* LaserJet 5 LaserJet 5L LaserJet 5M LaserJet 5MP LaserJet 5P LaserJet 5Si LaserJet 6 LaserJet 6L LaserJet 6MP LaserJet 6P LaserJet 1100 LaserJet 1100A LaserJet 1200 LaserJet 1220 LaserJet 2100 LaserJet 2100M LaserJet 2200 LaserJet 3300 MFP LaserJet 3310 MFP LaserJet 3320 MFP LaserJet 3320N MFP LaserJet 4000 LaserJet 4050 LaserJet 4100 LaserJet 5000 LaserJet 5100 LaserJet 8000 LaserJet 8100 LaserJet 8150 LaserJet 9000 LaserJet Plus Mopier 240 Mopier 320 OfficeJet D125 OfficeJet G55 OfficeJet Pro 1150C OfficeJet Pro 1170C OfficeJet Pro 1175C OfficeJet R45 OfficeJet R60 OfficeJet R65 OfficeJet R80 PSC 370 PSC 380 PSC 500 PSC 750 PSC 2110 PSC 2150 PaintJet PaintJet XL PaintJet XL300 PhotoSmart 7150 PhotoSmart 7350 PhotoSmart 7550 PhotoSmart P100 PhotoSmart P130 PhotoSmart P230 PhotoSmart P1000 PhotoSmart P1100 PhotoSmart P1115 PhotoSmart P1215 PhotoSmart P1218 PhotoSmart P1315 e-printer e20 | Color LaserJet 5 DesignJet 230 DesignJet 350C DesignJet 650C DesignJet 750C DesignJet 750C Plus DeskJet 350C DeskJet 420C DeskJet 520 DeskJet 560C LaserJet 2D LaserJet 3200 LaserJet 3200m LaserJet 3200se LaserJet 3330 MFP OfficeJet OfficeJet 300 OfficeJet 330 OfficeJet 350 OfficeJet 500 OfficeJet 600 OfficeJet 625 OfficeJet 635 OfficeJet 710 OfficeJet D135 OfficeJet D145 OfficeJet D155 OfficeJet G85 OfficeJet G95 OfficeJet K60 OfficeJet K80 OfficeJet LX OfficeJet T45 OfficeJet T65 OfficeJet V40 PSC 950 PSC 2210 | C LaserJet 4500* C LaserJet 4550* C LaserJet 8500* C LaserJet 8550* Color LaserJet* Color LaserJet 5/5M* Color LaserJet 5000 DesignJet 5500 LaserJet 2P Plus* LaserJet 3P* LaserJet 3Si* LaserJet 4 Plus/4M Plus* LaserJet 4/4M* LaserJet 4LJ Pro* LaserJet 4P/4MP* LaserJet 4PJ* LaserJet 4Si/4Si Mx* LaserJet 4V/4MV* LaserJet 5/5M* LaserJet 5P/5MP* LaserJet 5Si/5Si Mx/5Si Mopier* LaserJet 6L/6L Gold* LaserJet 6P/6MP* LaserJet 500 Plus* LaserJet 1000 LaserJet 2000* LaserJet 4000/4000N* LaserJet 4000T/TN* LaserJet Classic* LaserJet Plus* LaserJet Series 2* ThinkJet | DeskJet 3320 DeskJet 3420 LaserJet 3100 LaserJet 3150 PhotoSmart
Hansum |  |  | BJ-330H* HS-650C* |
Heidelberg | Digimaster 9110* |  |  |
Hitachi | DDP 70 (with MicroPress)* |  |  |
IBM | 3853 JetPrinter* 4019* 4029 10P* 4303 Network Color Printer* Execjet 4072* Infoprint 12* Page Printer 3112* ProPrinterII* |  | 4029 030 LaserPrinter 10* 5183 Portable Printer* Infoprint 20* Infoprint 21* Infoprint 32* Infoprint 40* Infoprint 70* Infoprint 2085* Infoprint 2105* Network Printer 12* Network Printer 17* Network Printer 24* |
Imagen | ImPress* |  |  |
Infotec | 4651 MF* |  |  |
Jepcom |  |  | JP-B330* |
Kodak | DigiSource 9110* IS 70 CPII* |  |  |
Kyocera | F-800T* F-1010* F-3300 FS-600* FS-600 (KPDL-2)* FS-680* FS-800* FS-1000* FS-1000+ FS-1010 FS-1200 FS-1700+* FS-1750* FS-1800 FS-1900 FS-3750* FS-3800 FS-5900C* FS-9100DN FS-9500DN P-2000* | FS-3500* | F-800A/F-800* F-820* F-1000A/F-1000* F-1200S* F-1800A/F-1800* F-2000A/F-2200S* F-3000A/F-3300* F-5000A/F-5000* FS-400A/FS-400* FS-850A/FS-850* FS-1500A/FS-1500* FS-1550+* FS-1550A/FS-1550* FS-1600+* FS-1600A/FS-1600* FS-1700* FS-1800/FS-1800N* FS-3400+* FS-3400A/FS-3400* FS-3500A/FS-3500* FS-3600+* FS-3600A/FS-3600* FS-3700* FS-3700+* FS-3800/FS-3800N* FS-5500A/FS-5500* FS-5800C* FS-6300* FS-6500/6500+* FS-6700* FS-6900* FS-7000* FS-7000+* FS-9000* LS 6550* |
LaserMaster |  |  |  | LM 1000
Lexmark | 4039 10plus E210 Optra C710 Optra Color 40 Optra Color 45 Optra Color 1200 Optra Color 1275 Optra E* Optra E+* Optra E310 Optra E312* Optra Ep* Optra K 1220 Optra M410 Optra M412 Optra R+* Optra S 1250* Optra S 1855* Optra Se 3455* Optra T610 Optra T612 Optra T614 Optra T616 Optra W810 Valuewriter 300* Z52 Z53 | 1020 Business* 3000* 3200 4076* Z31 Z42* | 1000 1020* 1100 2030* 2050 2070 5000 5700* 7000* 7200 Winwriter 400* X73 Z11 Z12 Z22* Z32 Z43* Z51 Z82 | Winwriter 100* Winwriter 150c* Winwriter 200* Z13 Z23 Z33
Minolta | PagePro 6* PagePro 6e* PagePro 6ex* PagePro 8* PagePro 1100 |  | PagePro 8L* | PagePro 6L PagePro 1100L
Mitsubishi | CP50 Color Printer* |  |  |
NEC | MultiWriter* P2X* PC-PR150* PC-PR201* PC-PR1000* PC-PR2000* PICTY180* PinWriter P6* PinWriter P6 plus* PinWriter P7* PinWriter P7 plus* PinWriter P60* PinWriter P70* Pinwriter P20* SilentWriter LC 890* Silentwriter 95f* Silentwriter2 S60P* Silentwriter2 model 290* SuperScript 660i* SuperScript 1800 SuperScript 4600N* |  | SuperScript 100C* SuperScript 150C* SuperScript 650C* SuperScript 750C* SuperScript 860* SuperScript 870* SuperScript 1260* | SuperScript 610plus* SuperScript 660* SuperScript 660plus*
Oce | 3165* 9050* |  |  |
Okidata | ML 320 ML 321 ML 380* Microline 600CL* Microline 620CL* Microline IBM compatible 9 pin* OL400 OL400e OL400ex OL600e* OL610e/PS OL800 OL810e/PS OL810ex OL830Plus Okipage 6e Okipage 6ex* Okipage 8c Okipage 8p Okipage 10e Okipage 10ex Okipage 12i Okipage 14ex Okipage 20DXn | DP 5000 Microline 182 OL400w* OL410e OL610e/S Okijet 2500* Okipage 4w Okipage 4w+* Okipage 6w Okipage 8w Okipage 8w Lite Okipage 8z Super 6e | ML-184 Turbo* ML-192* ML-193* ML-320* ML-320 Turbo* ML-321* ML-321 Turbo* ML-380* ML-390* ML-390 Turbo* ML-391* ML-391 Turbo* ML-393* ML-393C* ML-395B* ML-395C* ML-520* ML-521* ML-590* ML-591* ML-3410* ML-4410* Microline 192+* OL410ex* OL810e* OL820* OL1200* OkiPage 6e/6ex* OkiPos 425D* OkiPos 425S* | Okijet 2010
Olivetti | JP350S* JP470* PG 306* |  | JP450 |
Others |  |  | BJ-230* HDMF NONE-FF* LG GIP 3000Q_3000+* VP-6570K* |
PCPI | 1030* |  |  |
Panasonic | KX-P1123* KX-P1124* KX-P1150* KX-P2023* KX-P2135* KX-P2150* KX-P4410* KX-P4450* KX-P5400* KX-P8420* KX-P8475* | KX-P2123* KX-P6150* | KX-P1124i* KX-P1180* KX-P1180i* KX-P1191* KX-P1624* KX-P1654* KX-P1695* KX-P2124* KX-P2130* KX-P2180* KX-P2624* KX-P3123* KX-P3124* KX-P3624* KX-P6500* KX-PS600* KX-Pxxxx 24-pin* | KX-P6100* KX-P6300 GDI* KX-P8410*
Pentax | PocketJet 200 PocketJet II |  |  |
Printrex |  |  | 820 DL* |
QMS | 2425 Turbo EX* LPK-100* magicolor 2+* | ps-810* |  | magicolor 2
Qnix |  |  | PICASSOI* PICASSOII* QBJ-3630E* |
Raven |  | LP-410 |  |
Ricoh | 4081* 4801* 6000* Aficio 220* Aficio 700 Aficio AP2000 RPDL I Laser Printer* RPDL II Laser Printer* RPDL III Laser Printer* RPDL IV Laser Printer* | Aficio 401* |  | Aficio Color 2206* Afico FX10*
Sambo |  |  | PageJet P1* PageJet P2* Stylus 800H+* Stylus 1000H+* |
Samsung | ML-85* ML-200 ML-210 ML-1000 ML-1010 ML-1020 ML-1200 ML-1210 ML-1220 ML-4500 ML-4600* ML-5000a* ML-5080 ML-6000/6100* ML-6040 ML-7000/7000P/7000N* ML-7050* QL-5100A* QL-6050* SI-630A* | ML-85G QL-85G | MJ 630V* SLB-3106G* SP-2417HW* SP-2421HW* SP-2433HW* SP-4017* SP-4021* | ML-5050G* SF/MSYS/MJ-4700/4800/4500C*
Seiko | SpeedJET 200* | SLP* SLP 120* SLP 220* SLP EZ30* SLP Plus* SLP Pro* SLP-100* SLP-200* SLP-240* |  |
Sharp | AR-161* | AJ-1800 AJ-1805 AJ-2000 AJ-2005 |  | AJ-2100
Sindo |  |  | ExecJet 4072* ExecJet 4076* |
Sony |  |  | IJP-V100 |
Star | JJ-100* LC24-100* LS-04 NL-10* | LC 90* LC24-200* LaserPrinter 8 NX-1001* StarJet 48* | LC 24-15 Multi-Font* LC 24-20 Multi-Font* LC 24-200 Colour* LC-15 Multi-Font* LC-20* LC-100 Colour* NX-1040R* NX-1500* NX-2415* NX-2420R* NX-2430* Starjet SJ-144* XB 24-200 Multi-Font* XB 24-250 Multi-Font* XB-2420* XB-2425* XR-1020* XR-1520* ZA-200 Multi-Font* ZA-250 Multi-Font* | WinType 4000*
Tally | MT908* |  |  |
Tektronix | 3693d color printer, 8-bit mode* 4693d color printer, 2-bit mode* 4693d color printer, 4-bit mode* 4695* 4696* 4697* Phaser 780 Phaser 850* Phaser IISX* Phaser PX* | Phaser 350* |  |
Xerox | 2700 XES 3700 XES 4045 XES* DocuPrint 4508 DocuPrint C20 DocuPrint C55* DocuPrint N17 DocuPrint N32* DocuPrint N4512 DocuPrint N4512 PS Document Centre 400* | Able 1406 DocuPrint C6* DocuPrint M750* DocuPrint M760* DocuPrint P8e DocuPrint P12* DocuPrint P1202* | DocuPrint C8* DocuPrint C11* DocuPrint XJ6C DocuPrint XJ8C Document Homecentre WorkCentre 450cp* WorkCentre 470cx* WorkCentre XK35c | DocuPrint P8* WorkCentre 385 WorkCentre XD120f* WorkCentre XE80 WorkCentre XE90fx

* This entry has not been sanity-checked.

## How to buy a printer

It's a bit difficult to select a printer these days; there are many models to choose from. Here are some shopping tips:

Cost

  You get what you pay for. Most printers under $200-300 can print reasonably well, but printing costs a lot per page. For some printers, it only takes one or two cartridges to add up to the cost of a new printer! This is specially true for cheap inkjets. Similarly, the cheapest printers won't last very long. The least expensive printers, for example, have a MTBF of about three months; obviously these are poorly suited for heavy use.

Inkjets

  Inkjet printheads will clog irreparably over time, so the ability to replace the head somehow is a feature. Inkjet printheads are expensive, with integrated head/ink cartridges costing ten times (!) what ink-only cartridges go for, so the ability to replace the head only when needed is a feature. Epson Styluses tend to have fixed heads, and HP DeskJets tend to have heads integrated into the cartridges. Canons have three-part cartridges with independently replaceable ink tanks; I like this design. OTOH, the HP cartridges aren't enormously more expensive, and HP makes a better overall line; Canon is often the third choice from the print quality standpoint. Epson Styluses and HP inkjets are the best supported by free software at the moment.

Lasers

  Laser printers consume a drum and toner, plus a little toner wiping bar. The cheapest designs include toner and drum together in a big cartridge; these designs cost the most to run. The best designs for large volume take plain toner powder or at least separate toner cartridges and drums.

Photography

  The best color photograph output is from continuous tone printers which use a silver halide plus lasers approach to produce—surprise!—actual photographs. Since these printers cost tens of thousands to buy, Ofoto.com offers inexpensive print-by-print jobs. The results are stunning; even the best inkjets don't compare.

  The best affordable photo prints come from the dye-sublimation devices like some members of the Alps series (thermal transfer of dry ink or dye sublimation), or the few consumer-grade Sony photo printers. Unfortunately the Alps devices have poor free software support (the one report I have from a Alps user of the Ghostscript driver speaks of banding and grainy pictures), and even then it's unclear if the dye-sub option is supported. I have no idea if the Sonys work at all.

  The more common photo-specialized inkjets usually feature 6 color CMYKcm printing or even a 7 color CMYKcmy process. All photo-specialized printers are expensive to run; either you always run out of blue and have to replace the whole cartridge, or the individual color refills for your high-end photo printer cost an arm and a leg. Special papers cost a bundle, too; you can expect top-quality photo inkjet output to run over a US dollar per page. See also the section on printing photographs later in this document, and the sections on color tuning (such as it is) in Ghostscript.

  Lately color lasers have been getting a lot cheaper, these devices may be interesting for color reports. Color lasers are a lot cheaper per page than inkjets. However they may still not be suited for photographs. One day color lasers may become common and replace those boring monochrome laser printers.

Speed

  Speed is proportional to processing power, bandwidth, and generally printer cost. The fastest printers will be networked Postscript printers with powerful internal processors. Consumer-grade printers will depend partly on Ghostscript's rendering speed, which you can affect by having a reasonably well-powered machine; full pages of color, in particular, can consume large amounts of host memory. As long as you actuallyhave that memory, things should work out fine.

Forms

  If you want to print on multicopy forms, then you need an impact printer; many companies still make dot matrix printers, most of which emulate traditional Epson models and thus work fine.

Labels

  There are two supported lines of label printer; look for the Dymo-Costar and the Seiko SLP models. Other models may or may not work. Avery also makes various sizes of stick-on labels in 8.5x11 format that you can run through a regular printer.

Plotting

  Big drafting formats are usually supported these days by monster inkjets; HP is a popular choice. Mid-sized (11x17) inkjets are also commonly used for smaller prints. Much plotting of this sort is done with the languages RTL, HP-GL, and HP-GL/2, all of which are simple HP proprietary vector languages usually generated directly by application software.

Prev | Home | Next
Kernel printer devices |  | Spooling software