Hi Folks.
Our printer is showing signs of croaking so I've just been looking at
printers.

I had heard that Epson plays well with Linux but I'm only seeing HP, Brother
and Lexmark in "top 10 linux printers" sites I've been glancing at.

My question:
All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming that
there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I wrong?

Hopefully that info will be on the outside of any box I look at...anyway, no
solid need as yet.

pH in Aptos

pH <wNOSPAMp@gmail.org> wrote:
> My question:

> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming
> that there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I
> wrong?

Do not assume such. If you can't find explicit mention of the
interface you want, on the box or in the manual, then move on to the
next one.

The marketers are not your friends, they are simply out to separate you
and your money as quickly as they can do so.

On 3/1/23 6:22 PM, pH wrote:
> Hi Folks.
> Our printer is showing signs of croaking so I've just been looking at
> printers.
>
> I had heard that Epson plays well with Linux but I'm only seeing HP, Brother
> and Lexmark in "top 10 linux printers" sites I've been glancing at.
>
> My question:
> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming that
> there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I wrong?
>
> Hopefully that info will be on the outside of any box I look at...anyway, no
> solid need as yet.

HP kind of dominates. Lots of models, lots of sales. Not
as good as they used to be IMHO (the LaserJet-II was an
absolute TANK) but still 'pretty good' overall.

Epson printers ARE usually very good however. Although
I don't rec "ink" printers much anymore since the lasers
have become so good/cheap, Epson does have a very affordable
printer with LARGE ink reservoirs. If you want to do lots
of really high-quality photos, ink or dye-sublimation are
still best. Alas if you aren't printing every day the
ink dries up and clogs the print heads ....

And yes, I don't think there are any printers out there
right now without a USB connector. Often the install
pgm relies on an initial USB connection in order to get
the wireless set up properly.

Now 'wireless' printers ... um ......... I've had nothing
but trouble with them, regardless of brand. Every single one
has quickly been switched to hard-wired USB or Ethernet.
It's a cheap option to HAVE these days, but ....

I had a Brother color laser - and used WPS to set it up.
One day the tray was empty, replaced by 70+ pages of
weird NAZI shit. A "drive by" WPS attack. Setting up
manually IS more complex (use a static IP address too)
but it's much more secure and reliable (as reliable as
wireless can be anyhow). That printer spent the rest of
it's life with a long USB cable and the wireless
turned OFF.

On 3/1/23 8:59 PM, Rich wrote:
> pH <wNOSPAMp@gmail.org> wrote:
>> My question:
>
>> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming
>> that there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I
>> wrong?
>
> Do not assume such. If you can't find explicit mention of the
> interface you want, on the box or in the manual, then move on to the
> next one.
>
> The marketers are not your friends, they are simply out to separate you
> and your money as quickly as they can do so.

Quite true alas.

But it IS pretty rare to find a modern printer
without a USB plug on the back.

Now an ethernet option, DO look carefully for that.
In an office that's always the best choice. Set a
static IP though ......

Note, I still encounter a few USB printers that, despite
what you do, will NOT work right if you plug them into
a USB3.x port on the PC.

28A.I873 <28A.I873@noabzba.net> wrote:
> <<snip>>
> Alas if you aren't printing every day the
> ink dries up and clogs the print heads ....

Any advice how to unclog them? I've googled the heck
out of that question, tried various solutions (i.e.,
both various procedures and various liquids) without
success. Two printers in particular,
not-so-important: HP Envy 4500
important 11x17" printer: Brother MFC-J6920DW
I only got the HP for occasional color requirements,
with most printing on B&W lasers. And the Brother's
actually mostly for scanning large-format originals.
So neither gets much printing use. Hence the clogs.
And if I ever do manage to unclog them, I figure the
heads should then probably be cleaned after each use,
before they clog. What would be the proper procedure
for that?
--
John Forkosh ( mailto: j@f.com where j=john and f=forkosh )

Am 02.03.23 um 00:22 schrieb pH:
> Hi Folks.
> Our printer is showing signs of croaking so I've just been looking at
> printers.
>
> I had heard that Epson plays well with Linux but I'm only seeing HP, Brother
> and Lexmark in "top 10 linux printers" sites I've been glancing at.

My clear recommendation is HP. I had a couple of HP printer/scanners
working together with various Linux-distris. Never had an issue.
> My question:
> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming that
> there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I wrong?

They have but they are not necessary with new printers. Our current
printer/scanner was hooked to our WLAN-network (wifi) and worked
flawlessly since then.

--
Gutta cavat lapidem (Ovid)

Am 02.03.23 um 02:59 schrieb Rich:
> pH <wNOSPAMp@gmail.org> wrote:
>> My question:
>
>> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming
>> that there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I
>> wrong?
>
> Do not assume such. If you can't find explicit mention of the
> interface you want, on the box or in the manual, then move on to the
> next one.
>
> The marketers are not your friends, they are simply out to separate you
> and your money as quickly as they can do so.

Stupid bullshit.

--
Gutta cavat lapidem (Ovid)

Good morning

John Forkosh wrote:
> > Alas if you aren't printing every day the
> > ink dries up and clogs the print heads ....
>
> Any advice how to unclog them? I've googled the heck
> out of that question, tried various solutions (i.e.,
> both various procedures and various liquids) without
> success. Two printers in particular,
> not-so-important: HP Envy 4500
> important 11x17" printer: Brother MFC-J6920DW

The procedures which use up all of your ink in order to “wash” your
print heads, work best, in my experience.

One reason for me to switch to HP was that the print head is integrated
in the cartridge. And yes, I wasted cartridges, too, as using them up to
clean the print heads, has about the same effect as abandoning them
right away.

I never had configuration problems with epson, neither with my HP
Photoprint. A so-calles wireless HP Laser-printer only works when hard-
wired via USB.

Cheerio

pH <wNOSPAMp@gmail.org> wrote:
> Our printer is showing signs of croaking so I've just been looking at
> printers.
>
> I had heard that Epson plays well with Linux but I'm only seeing HP, Brother
> and Lexmark in "top 10 linux printers" sites I've been glancing at.

An important factor is whether you're happy with closed-source
drivers provided by the manufacturer (if you're lucky). Open-source
drivers can be easier to install because they're often packaged for
major distros. Also closed-source drivers tend to stop being
updated much sooner and eventually the old binaries might not work
in newer Linux versions.

Go here to check for open-source driver support:
https://openprinting.org/printers

In the case of one Samsung colour laser printer, I had both and
failed to get either to work. I had better success setting up
another Samsung model using open-source Linux drivers for someone
else though.

--
__ __
#_ < |\| |< _#

Hoi

On 02/03/2023 02:59, Rich wrote:

> pH <wNOSPAMp@gmail.org> wrote:
>> My question:
>
>> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming
>> that there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I
>> wrong?
>
> Do not assume such. If you can't find explicit mention of the
> interface you want, on the box or in the manual, then move on to the
> next one.

Never buy stuff that isn't properly documented.
I download manuals of various products before deciding which one to buy.
Is case of a printer I also look at installation procedures. I want want
that works with just a PPD.

> The marketers are not your friends, they are simply out to separate you
> and your money as quickly as they can do so.

Regards,
Rob

Hi there

On 02/03/2023 04:40, 28A.I873 wrote:

> On 3/1/23 6:22 PM, pH wrote:
>> Hi Folks.
>> Our printer is showing signs of croaking so I've just been looking at
>> printers.
>>
>> I had heard that Epson plays well with Linux but I'm only seeing HP,
>> Brother
>> and Lexmark in "top 10 linux printers" sites I've been glancing at.
>>
>> My question:
>> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming that
>> there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I wrong?
>>
>> Hopefully that info will be on the outside of any box I look
>> at...anyway, no
>> solid need as yet.
>
>   HP kind of dominates. Lots of models, lots of sales. Not
>   as good as they used to be IMHO (the LaserJet-II was an
>   absolute TANK) but still 'pretty good' overall.
>
>   Epson printers ARE usually very good however. Although
>   I don't rec "ink" printers much anymore since the lasers
>   have become so good/cheap,

If you don't need colour, back and white is even cheaper.
Years ago I bought a Lexmark B&W postscript network laser printer for €
104.-, including postage.
Select a printer with cheap toner cartridges. And If you want extra
memory, one that supports cheap memory.

> Epson does have a very affordable
>   printer with LARGE ink reservoirs. If you want to do lots
>   of really high-quality photos, ink or dye-sublimation are
>   still best. Alas if you aren't printing every day the
>   ink dries up and clogs the print heads ....
>
>   And yes, I don't think there are any printers out there
>   right now without a USB connector. Often the install
>   pgm relies on an initial USB connection in order to get
>   the wireless set up properly.
>
>   Now 'wireless' printers ... um ......... I've had nothing
>   but trouble with them, regardless of brand. Every single one
>   has quickly been switched to hard-wired USB or Ethernet.
>   It's a cheap option to HAVE these days, but ....
>
>   I had a Brother color laser - and used WPS to set it up.
>   One day the tray was empty, replaced by 70+ pages of
>   weird NAZI shit. A "drive by" WPS attack. Setting up
>   manually IS more complex (use a static IP address too)
>   but it's much more secure and reliable (as reliable as
>   wireless can be anyhow). That printer spent the rest of
>   it's life with a long USB cable and the wireless
>   turned OFF.

Regards,
Rob

On 01/03/2023 23:22, pH wrote:
> Hi Folks.
> Our printer is showing signs of croaking so I've just been looking at
> printers.
>
> I had heard that Epson plays well with Linux but I'm only seeing HP, Brother
> and Lexmark in "top 10 linux printers" sites I've been glancing at.
>
I have an E[osn scanner. That playes reasonably nice.
Mh HP printers have all been good.

> My question:
> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming that
> there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I wrong?
>
Normally the noddy printers will be wireless, but the better ones will
be Ethernet equipped.. Not many people use USB any more. USB ties the
machine to one computer, unless you implement a print server on it. Its
more reliable to have network access to the printer for small office
style use.

> Hopefully that info will be on the outside of any box I look at...anyway, no
> solid need as yet.
>
That info available online

e.g. https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/list.aspx?sel=prn

It seems the cheaper inkjets are USB and Wifi or even Bluetooth.
I prefer lasers myself. I dont print very often

Mmm. Some of the cheaper (laser) ones are wifi only.
But if you spend more, you can have Ethernet

> pH in Aptos

--
“Ideas are inherently conservative. They yield not to the attack of
other ideas but to the massive onslaught of circumstance"

- John K Galbraith

On 02/03/2023 01:59, Rich wrote:

>
> The marketers are not your friends, they are simply out to separate you
> and your money as quickly as they can do so.
Yup. The trend today for 'dumb consumers' is to provide the simplest way
the thing can work.

We doan want no stinkin cables. Users plug em in wrong. Give em an app
that lets them set up the wifi SSID and password, and its all plug and
play..

Basically its all down to trawling the fine print online

--
Future generations will wonder in bemused amazement that the early
twenty-first century’s developed world went into hysterical panic over a
globally average temperature increase of a few tenths of a degree, and,
on the basis of gross exaggerations of highly uncertain computer
projections combined into implausible chains of inference, proceeded to
contemplate a rollback of the industrial age.

Richard Lindzen

On 02/03/2023 03:40, 28A.I873 wrote:
> And yes, I don't think there are any printers out there
>   right now without a USB connector

I am afraid there are.

--
Future generations will wonder in bemused amazement that the early
twenty-first century’s developed world went into hysterical panic over a
globally average temperature increase of a few tenths of a degree, and,
on the basis of gross exaggerations of highly uncertain computer
projections combined into implausible chains of inference, proceeded to
contemplate a rollback of the industrial age.

Richard Lindzen

On 02/03/2023 09:44, Rob van der Putten wrote:
> If you don't need colour, back and white is even cheaper.
> Years ago I bought a Lexmark B&W postscript network laser printer for €
> 104.-, including postage.
> Select a printer with cheap toner cartridges. And If you want extra
> memory, one that supports cheap memory.

If you really want cheap., many many firms go bust every year and people
snap up the kit, refurb it and knock it out cheap.

--
You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a
kind word alone.

Al Capone

On 02/03/2023 06:04, Joerg Lorenz wrote:
> Am 02.03.23 um 00:22 schrieb pH:
>> Hi Folks.
>> Our printer is showing signs of croaking so I've just been looking at
>> printers.
>>
>> I had heard that Epson plays well with Linux but I'm only seeing HP, Brother
>> and Lexmark in "top 10 linux printers" sites I've been glancing at.
>
> My clear recommendation is HP. I had a couple of HP printer/scanners
> working together with various Linux-distris. Never had an issue.
>> My question:
>> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming that
>> there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I wrong?
>
> They have but they are not necessary with new printers. Our current
> printer/scanner was hooked to our WLAN-network (wifi) and worked
> flawlessly since then.
>
How did you set SSID/password?

--
You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a
kind word alone.

Al Capone

On 02/03/2023 06:04, Joerg Lorenz wrote:
> Am 02.03.23 um 02:59 schrieb Rich:
>> pH <wNOSPAMp@gmail.org> wrote:
>>> My question:
>>
>>> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming
>>> that there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I
>>> wrong?
>>
>> Do not assume such. If you can't find explicit mention of the
>> interface you want, on the box or in the manual, then move on to the
>> next one.
>>
>> The marketers are not your friends, they are simply out to separate you
>> and your money as quickly as they can do so.
>
> Stupid bullshit.
>
The marketeers? yes. The comment? No. I have met these people. They
despise customers. They think they can control them with advertising and
brand image.
And they are (for many people) completely correct.

--
You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a
kind word alone.

Al Capone

On 02/03/2023 06:44, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:
> pH <wNOSPAMp@gmail.org> wrote:
>> Our printer is showing signs of croaking so I've just been looking at
>> printers.
>>
>> I had heard that Epson plays well with Linux but I'm only seeing HP, Brother
>> and Lexmark in "top 10 linux printers" sites I've been glancing at.
>
> An important factor is whether you're happy with closed-source
> drivers provided by the manufacturer (if you're lucky). Open-source
> drivers can be easier to install because they're often packaged for
> major distros. Also closed-source drivers tend to stop being
> updated much sooner and eventually the old binaries might not work
> in newer Linux versions.
>
> Go here to check for open-source driver support:
> https://openprinting.org/printers
>
> In the case of one Samsung colour laser printer, I had both and
> failed to get either to work. I had better success setting up
> another Samsung model using open-source Linux drivers for someone
> else though.
>
HP seem to want to support Linux. I think I ended up with HPLIPS on this
machine

Whatever I did works.

--
You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a
kind word alone.

Al Capone

Good morning

John Forkosh wrote:
> > Alas if you aren't printing every day the
> > ink dries up and clogs the print heads ....
>
> Any advice how to unclog them? I've googled the heck
> out of that question, tried various solutions (i.e.,
> both various procedures and various liquids) without
> success. Two printers in particular,
> not-so-important: HP Envy 4500
> important 11x17" printer: Brother MFC-J6920DW

The procedures which use up all of your ink in order to “wash” your
print heads, work best, in my experience.

One reason for me to switch to HP was that the print head is integrated
in the cartridge. And yes, I wasted cartridges, too, as using them up to
clean the print heads, has about the same effect as abandoning them
right away.

I never had configuration problems with epson, neither with my HP
Photoprint. A so-called wireless HP Laser-printer only works when hard-
wired via USB.

Cheerio

On 2023-03-02 00:22, pH wrote:
> Hi Folks.
> Our printer is showing signs of croaking so I've just been looking at
> printers.
>
> I had heard that Epson plays well with Linux but I'm only seeing HP, Brother
> and Lexmark in "top 10 linux printers" sites I've been glancing at.
>
> My question:
> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming that
> there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I wrong?

I just got a "refurbished" HP Laserjet M209dwe, WiFi, USB, Ethernet,
Bluetooth. Where the USB socket would be, there is a sticker occluding
it, and the manual doesn't mention USB.

It has to be setup initially with an application on the phone.

There is no description of a procedure to set up a manual IP, so I
fixated it on the router instead. Perhaps it can be setup in the printer
control web page, but I don't vouch for it.

An "online" friend said he got a Brother MFC-L3770CDW (all in one) and
is very happy with it - if you can find it at a reasonable price.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

On 2023-03-02, Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
> On 2023-03-02 00:22, pH wrote:
>> Hi Folks.
>> Our printer is showing signs of croaking so I've just been looking at
>> printers.
>>
>> I had heard that Epson plays well with Linux but I'm only seeing HP, Brother
>> and Lexmark in "top 10 linux printers" sites I've been glancing at.
>>
>> My question:
>> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming that
>> there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I wrong?
>
> I just got a "refurbished" HP Laserjet M209dwe, WiFi, USB, Ethernet,
> Bluetooth. Where the USB socket would be, there is a sticker occluding
> it, and the manual doesn't mention USB.
>
> It has to be setup initially with an application on the phone.
>
>
> There is no description of a procedure to set up a manual IP, so I
> fixated it on the router instead. Perhaps it can be setup in the printer
> control web page, but I don't vouch for it.
>
>
> An "online" friend said he got a Brother MFC-L3770CDW (all in one) and
> is very happy with it - if you can find it at a reasonable price.
>
>

OP here...
Thank-you for all the comments.

pH

On Thu, 2 Mar 2023 09:57:16 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>
> On 02/03/2023 06:04, Joerg Lorenz wrote:
>> Am 02.03.23 um 00:22 schrieb pH:
>>> Hi Folks.
>>> Our printer is showing signs of croaking so I've just been looking at
>>> printers.
>>>
>>> I had heard that Epson plays well with Linux but I'm only seeing HP, Brother
>>> and Lexmark in "top 10 linux printers" sites I've been glancing at.
>> My clear recommendation is HP. I had a couple of HP printer/scanners
>> working together with various Linux-distris. Never had an issue.

I can say the same for HP laptops. While three by Acer or their resellers
(anyone remember Gateway 2000?) died just outside of the warranty time
(less than two years) and HP 2000 I bought 2012 still works, even with
its ridiculous hardware specs today. If I can choose I'd again get a HP.

On the other hand this here is a DELL in from of me. My first. Also old
(from 2013 or 2014) but in the attic for five years or so. Will see how
long this lasts.

>>> My question:
>>> All the HP printers are advertised as "wireless", but I'm assuming that
>>> there *MUST* be a USB or some such interface as well...am I wrong?
>> They have but they are not necessary with new printers. Our current
>> printer/scanner was hooked to our WLAN-network (wifi) and worked
>> flawlessly since then.
>>
> How did you set SSID/password?

I have a HP 6600 here (I think made 2011), and IIRC it comes with a
unique pre-set password and SSID. You can also change them on the
printer's touch-screen.
--
Andreas

On Thu, 2 Mar 2023 09:50:57 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>
> [...] USB ties the machine to one computer, unless you implement a
> print server on it. Its more reliable to have network access to the
> printer for small office style use.

Someone threw out a HP 5100 laser (I seem to recall) from 2007 with
additional cartridge, as he wanted network. Gave it away so I took it,
connected via the sole USB port. Then made it available over WIFI via
CUPS. :-)

I mailed him and offered to set this up for a small for him too, but he
already laid down some $800 for a big ass office printer.
--
Andreas

On 3/2/23 12:17 AM, John Forkosh wrote:
> 28A.I873 <28A.I873@noabzba.net> wrote:
>> <<snip>>
>> Alas if you aren't printing every day the
>> ink dries up and clogs the print heads ....
>
> Any advice how to unclog them? I've googled the heck
> out of that question, tried various solutions (i.e.,
> both various procedures and various liquids) without
> success. Two printers in particular,
> not-so-important: HP Envy 4500
> important 11x17" printer: Brother MFC-J6920DW
> I only got the HP for occasional color requirements,
> with most printing on B&W lasers. And the Brother's
> actually mostly for scanning large-format originals.
> So neither gets much printing use. Hence the clogs.
> And if I ever do manage to unclog them, I figure the
> heads should then probably be cleaned after each use,
> before they clog. What would be the proper procedure
> for that?

Unfortunately "it depends" on the particular printer.

A mix of pure isopropanol with about 5% acetone will
dissolve most printer inks. The PROBLEM is that you
can't be sure what the printheads can tolerate. It
might melt THEM too.

So, after throwing away several decent inkjets because
they always clogged-up ... well ... I only buy lasers now.

The ONLY excuse for inkjets these days is if you do
lots of really high-qual photos. Ink IS still better
for that.

Michael Uplawski <michael.uplawski@uplawski.eu> wrote:
> Good morning
> John Forkosh wrote:
>> > Alas if you aren't printing every day the
>> > ink dries up and clogs the print heads ....
>>
>> Any advice how to unclog them? I've googled the heck
>> out of that question, tried various solutions (i.e.,
>> both various procedures and various liquids) without
>> success. Two printers in particular,
>> not-so-important: HP Envy 4500
>> important 11x17" printer: Brother MFC-J6920DW
>
> The procedures which use up all of your ink in order to "wash" your
> print heads, work best, in my experience.

That's what I tried immediately, especially with the MFC-J6920DW,
which has a well-documented procedure for that. But no luck whatsoever.

> One reason for me to switch to HP was that the print head is integrated
> in the cartridge. And yes, I wasted cartridges, too, as using them up to
> clean the print heads, has about the same effect as abandoning them
> right away.

Yeah, I learned that (HP integrated printhead) after both purchases.
But I think (can't recall exactly) I chose the Brother over HP because
the tabloid (11x17") HP printers with tabloid-size scanners were
way more expensive than the Brother, at that time (circa 2016).

> I never had configuration problems with epson, neither with my HP
> Photoprint. A so-called wireless HP Laser-printer only works when
> hard-wired via USB. Cheerio
--
John Forkosh ( mailto: j@f.com where j=john and f=forkosh )