Getting a new printer/scanner

So, it's time again for me to get a new printer/scanner as the old one
just died.

I hope it isn't too much off-topic to solicit advice on what to get so
that it would work flawlessly with Fedora. I'm looking for a rather
basic model. When I browse the homepages of manufacturers I can't find
any mention of support for Linux. Is there a list somewhere of
printer/scanners that are supported by Linux?

Thanks
Andreas

[fedora]

Hi Andreas
I use a Color/Printer/Scanner/Copier HP Color Laser Jet Pro MFP M177 fw, 
and no problem so far.
It is not a very fast printer, that really not, sufficient however for 
my needs.

To install:
Go to HP
http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/install/install/index.html

take the Wizard and start the installation, download the .run file and 
start it with
bash hplip-3.xx.x.run

This will uninstall the present hplip and install the new one. It will 
install necessary dependencies. It will install the plugin.

It will take you at least 10 min.
After the installation of the PC you must unplug the printer (when 
plugged in on USB), replug it in and run
hp-setup

suomi

On 16/06/2022 10.02, [e-mail] wrote:
> So, it's time again for me to get a new printer/scanner as the old one
> just died.
>
> I hope it isn't too much off-topic to solicit advice on what to get so
> that it would work flawlessly with Fedora. I'm looking for a rather
> basic model. When I browse the homepages of manufacturers I can't find
> any mention of support for Linux. Is there a list somewhere of
> printer/scanners that are supported by Linux?
>
> Thanks
> Andreas
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[Tim]

On Thu, 2022-06-16 at 10:02 +0200, [e-mail] wrote:
> I hope it isn't too much off-topic to solicit advice on what to get
> so that it would work flawlessly with Fedora. I'm looking for a
> rather basic model. When I browse the homepages of manufacturers I
> can't find any mention of support for Linux. Is there a list
> somewhere of printer/scanners that are supported by Linux?

If only there was a way of searching for things like this on the
internet...

Joking aside, Hewlett Packard, Brother, and Canon, to name just three
brands that frequently sell printers and scanners that can be used with
Linux.

If you see a printer on sale that catches your interest, do a search
for its model name and linux driver.  Try that approach.

[Patrick O'Callaghan]

On Thu, 2022-06-16 at 10:02 +0200, [e-mail] wrote:
> So, it's time again for me to get a new printer/scanner as the old
> one
> just died.
>
> I hope it isn't too much off-topic to solicit advice on what to get
> so
> that it would work flawlessly with Fedora. I'm looking for a rather
> basic model. When I browse the homepages of manufacturers I can't
> find
> any mention of support for Linux. Is there a list somewhere of
> printer/scanners that are supported by Linux?

Not exactly what you asked, but I recently thought I would have to
replace my old Brother All-In-One, as it had decided not to feed paper
from the tray. Luckily I found a Youtube video and after some fiddling
about managed to fix a tiny plastic part that had been moved out of
place.

Anyway, this Brother unit dates from 2014 and is still running. The
supplies are cheap (third-party) and Brother have Linux driver support
on their website.

poc

[Richard England]

On 6/16/22 01:02, [e-mail] wrote:
> So, it's time again for me to get a new printer/scanner as the old one
> just died.
>
> I hope it isn't too much off-topic to solicit advice on what to get so
> that it would work flawlessly with Fedora. I'm looking for a rather
> basic model. When I browse the homepages of manufacturers I can't find
> any mention of support for Linux. Is there a list somewhere of
> printer/scanners that are supported by Linux?
>
> Thanks
> Andreas
> _______________________________________________

If you find one of interest there may be information about it available 
here:

https://www.openprinting.org/printers

However, I don't believe it covers all the models.  I have an HP Color 
Laserjet Pro MFP M283cdw  that works fine with the HPLIP modules 
installed but it doesn't appear on that list.

[George N. White III]

On Thu, Jun 16, 2022 at 5:53 AM Tim via users 
wrote:
> On Thu, 2022-06-16 at 10:02 +0200, [e-mail] wrote:
> > I hope it isn't too much off-topic to solicit advice on what to get
> > so that it would work flawlessly with Fedora. I'm looking for a
> > rather basic model. When I browse the homepages of manufacturers I
> > can't find any mention of support for Linux. Is there a list
> > somewhere of printer/scanners that are supported by Linux?
>
> If only there was a way of searching for things like this on the
> internet...
>
> Joking aside, Hewlett Packard, Brother, and Canon, to name just three
> brands that frequently sell printers and scanners that can be used with
> Linux.
>
> Read the software licenses before purchase.  Vendors have been

moving to licenses that assume no responsibility for bugs and make
no claim that you will actually be able use the printer.
> If you see a printer on sale that catches your interest, do a search
> for its model name and linux driver.  Try that approach.

CUPS is focusing on "driverless printing", e.g., automatic generation of
the PPD (Postscript Printer Description).   AirPrint is Apple's name for
driverless printing from IOS devices.   You may not need a printer-specific
driver if you find a printer that supports AirPrint.

You can narrow your search if you know how the printer will be connected.
Linux systems use CUPS, which has undergone some major changes
since the chief developer left Apple in 2019.  CUPS has native support
for driverless printing using  IPP on a network.  Some USB printers can
use ipp-usb (Fedora has the package).  Debian has good CUPS
documentation: https://wiki.debian.org/CUPSDriverlessPrinting#ippoverusb

[Tim]

Tim:
> > Joking aside, Hewlett Packard, Brother, and Canon, to name just
> > three brands that frequently sell printers and scanners that can be
> > used with Linux.

George N. White III:
> Read the software licenses before purchase.  Vendors have been 
> moving to licenses that assume no responsibility for bugs and make 
> no claim that you will actually be able use the printer.

Hasn't that always been the case, though?  Even when you use the OS
they designed it for.  Basically the device only ever is known to work
in their lab, and anywhere else is a bonus.

It certainly seems that way, considering the appalling headaches it can
be to get some printers to work.  (On a par with used car sales.)
> CUPS is focusing on "driverless printing", e.g., automatic generation
> of the PPD (Postscript Printer Description).   AirPrint is Apple's
> name for driverless printing from IOS devices.   You may not need a
> printer-specific driver if you find a printer that supports AirPrint.

I'd been toying with that, after recently installing Fedora 36.  I've
still had moments where prints have failed.  At times, Fedora's printer
app in has shown the printer is continually "processing" a job, but
nothing has happened, or for unknown reasons the printer has "rejected
a job."  Even when I just tried printing some plain text from VIM.

The inconsistency of it makes it extra hard to try and work out the
problem.  Though MuseScore still won't print 100% of the time.  I'm
sick of having to export to PDF and print the PDF file, in an annoying
three-step process.

[Samuel Sieb]

On 6/16/22 01:02, [e-mail] wrote:
> I hope it isn't too much off-topic to solicit advice on what to get so
> that it would work flawlessly with Fedora. I'm looking for a rather
> basic model. When I browse the homepages of manufacturers I can't find
> any mention of support for Linux. Is there a list somewhere of
> printer/scanners that are supported by Linux?

It's very rare for a printer to not work with Linux now.  Almost all new 
printers have at least IPP support even if there isn't a specific Linux 
driver for it.

[Tim]

On Sat, 2022-06-18 at 21:13 -0700, Samuel Sieb wrote:
> It's very rare for a printer to not work with Linux now.  Almost all
> new printers have at least IPP support even if there isn't a specific
> Linux driver for it.

Ever since Macs started using CUPS it's done us a favour, since
manufacturers typically only supported Windows and Mac.

On that note, there will be printers that work on Linux, but they're
not "supported."  That means there is no "technical support" to help
you use it, that doesn't mean it won't actually work on Linux.

[George N. White III]

On Sun, Jun 19, 2022 at 5:09 AM Tim via users 
wrote:
> On Sat, 2022-06-18 at 21:13 -0700, Samuel Sieb wrote:
> > It's very rare for a printer to not work with Linux now.  Almost all
> > new printers have at least IPP support even if there isn't a specific
> > Linux driver for it.

That holds for newer printers with IPP.    Older USB printers often
had proprietary drivers, but Gutenprint may have drivers with limited
functionality.
> Ever since Macs started using CUPS it's done us a favour, since
> manufacturers typically only supported Windows and Mac.

Apple has abandoned CUPS in favor of "AirPrint", which appears to
be IPP and service discovery.  While there is no guarantee that Apple
won't change that, they would need to continue support for existing
printers for some time.
> On that note, there will be printers that work on Linux, but they're
> not "supported."  That means there is no "technical support" to help
> you use it, that doesn't mean it won't actually work on Linux.

"Working on linux" may mean living with limitations.  Many users
may never notice the missing functionality, but if you need it you
are left with shopping for a newer printer or booting Windows.

A lot of the functionality in CUPS addresses requirements far
beyond those of most individual users.