Printers in Linux - Was: Re: [lug] SSSCA to make all open source software illegal

[Ferdinand Schmid]

D. Stimits wrote:

<snip>
> 
> It seems that Linux and UNIX grew up from Postscript beginnings. I
> happen to love Postscript, but it is proprietary, so all the low end or
> consumer grade printers have their own languages. There is a general
> scheme of trying to create PS documents from any printing application,
> and using ghostscript to send it to any non-PS printer. The unfortunate
> side effect is that no printer utilities for particular brands exists,
> e.g., aligning ink cartridges. It is common that these printers that
> work from Linux can't be maintained from Linux because all we know how
> to do is convert for printing, we don't have hardware specs for
> aligning, cleaning, so on. This also means it really sucks to try to
> detect hardware for printing. I think what we need is something like
> ghostscript, but designed for printer maintenance and detection. E.G.,
> it would understand (possibly via modules) how to align and maintain any
> printer; it would have some knowledge of detecting various brands and
> models to choose the right maintenance protocols. It would be the part
> of the subsystem that ghostscript falls short on. You can't make a new
> print subsystem that follows none of the printer languages unless
> someone is willing to write the drivers for these new languages...almost
> nobody would do that, ghostscript already does it. Detection and
> maintenance is the side that would be nice to have.
> 
> 
<snip>


Well - there is one company that makes Linux drivers for their inkjet 
printers and allows you to align print cartridges...  LEXMARK
I recently had the pleasure of trying this with a Lexmark Z53 inkjet (a 
pretty inexpensive printer that does 2400 x 1200 dpi).
The driver installed super easy on SuSE 7.3 and worked beautifully.  It 
comes in RPM format and convinced me to trade my HP printer for a 
Lexmark one.  Higher consumables cost but much better output!

Ferdinand