Basic linux compatible printer?

[Easthee]

Naturally, I have seen those drivers and downloaded what I found there packages but they did not work for me or I am unable to install them, follow the command line instructions successfully… Those are not in the format that Manjaro/Arch is accepting but for Debian if I remember well.

[Easthee]

Thanks for the input. Some of these details are new to me and good to know while in large I understand that drivers are part of an OS or have to be downloaded if not part of the OS. The issue is that drivers automatically download on Win10 (plug and play) and if not (old stuff) than what you download is a double click to run exe (click, done, works) or worst case the file have to be pointed by the user for the device manager which installs it correctly.

Here on Linux, many of you guys with big heart have been trying to help for hours, days with various solutions to see if any works (thank you so much for this to all of you!) and I have to Google an search for days with or without success. Just to print on one of my PC, than there is another one in the office… This is horribly difficult to switch from Win to any Linux and be capable to do the same tasks on Linux even if you spend weeks (seriously) on just learning the basics and trying to setup working PCs.

[Easthee]

@b_quest

A second advice that I can give is: Turboprint! Yes it’s a proprietary printer driver and it does cost you some money, BUT: it has a metric ton of printing features that you don’t get from the Linux drivers

Hi Benjamin,

Thank you for this! I have never heard about such but right away i downloaded their trial and installed it as per their instructions on my current Arch laptop in my hand just to see how it is but even if it went well and the shortcuts are there, the app do not start when I click on it… maybe bec its Arch or bec I have not installed something on this… I will tr again in my office on the Manjaro desktop where the Brother is connected or my main manjaro desktop next to me… I would definitely PAY for such proprietary driver for all my printing issues! rather than buying new printers again… or going back to Windows…

@b_quest

I used to have HPs, but when the last one broke and I wanted to get a new one from HP I was quite a bit shocked how they developed … I don’t want to have a HP ink prescription and a printer that orders ink all by its own and refuses to consider alternative inks, thanks HP.

So I went with an Epson ET-3700, which is rather compact in size (for a multi-device with scanner) and came with a ton of ink to refill the big tanks. I have it for 18 months now and I am not finished with the first bottles of ink and we had quite a bit of home-schooling for two kids. The LInux support is quite OK I have to say, new printer drivers from the AUR.

Exactly, this is why I swore to myself a decade ago that NEVER any HP but now here I am with Linuxes where HP printers are the king. My Ricoh SP311sfn is just like your Epson, my best ever printer which prints like 10k pages by a 5k pages toner which is refillable for 20 Euro…

[michaldybczak]

@Easthee

The issue is that drivers automatically download on Win10 (plug and play) and if not (old stuff) than what you download is a double click to run exe (click, done, works) or worst case the file have to be pointed by the user for the device manager which installs it correctly.

The plug and play is the cause how Windows systems operate and is often a cause of the security breaches. Linux doesn’t allow for any automatic executions and it will never will, so things won’t install automatically on Linux.
As to the .exe and next-next process, this is prepared by hardware developers, the same who usually ignore Linux and at best provide worse drivers with fewer options. Since installing and distributing software works different on Linux, they don’t care to provide more advanced UI, although it would be possible (You could open utility and configure printers).

So basically, the biggest issue here is that Linux is not supported by companies. Even if they release drivers for Linux, they provide a very primitive versions, so they wouldn’t have to build things specific for Linux.

Unfortunately that doesn’t change the fact that for a regular user this is a steep barrier .

[Lord_Phan]

I was able to install a driver via an RPM file in Manjaro. I did so to install a Brother printer for my wife at the beginning of the month. It worked well.

[Easthee]

This is really sad, seriously. Linux is a to be king OS but for such “minor reasons” still mainly for very technical people or for their close relatives. I am typically the Win geek in my circles who is being asked to install PCs for my friends and family and wanted Linux for everyone now but I cannot, it would end catastrophically for me for some unforeseen tech reason that they or not even me could solve. For decades I could solve everything on any Win PC, now I do need Google and forum help from good people for every step. I became a total PC noob or even worse. A week ago I just flashed my Google Pixel phone with LineageOS without Google stuff but now I am unable to install printer drivers and print a page

I would maintain a public Linux tested and certified printers database if I were Linus T. or so Including only the printers which install automatically on Linuxes.

BTW I have noticed differences between the list of available printers on Debian and Manjaro. Am I right?

[michaldybczak]

This is just a phase. Linux has a steep learning curve, so just take your time. I was also a Win power user, but needed time to figure things out on Linux.

@Easthee

BTW I have noticed differences between the list of available printers on Debian and Manjaro. Am I right?

I wouldn’t know, I don’t use Debian. I tried MX Linux once and didn’t like it.

[jrichard326]

Another idea: Is cupsd.service started?

In terminal: sudo systemctl list-units --type=service --all

will show as org.cups.cupsd.service as loaded, hopefully

[Leebut]

@Easthee

I have seen those drivers and downloaded what I found there packages but they did not work for me or I am unable to install them, follow the command line instructions successfully

You can try installing the debtap package to convert a deb file into a tarball, and then install it as a local file using pacman.

[b_quest]

Oh, I can also tell stories from old, where installing drivers for printers in Windows was a massive mess … plus once wrongly set up or installed, I was nevvvverr evvverr able to get rid of the remains of the old driver install to get the new driver install OK. HP had a massive poster where they told you the sequence of steps that you are to follow to install their driver (and all the time Windows popped in and wanted to do its plug and play thing …).

Maybe with Win10 all is OK, but I know Windows + printers = plug and pray.

Turboprint: I have installed it from the AUR, not a package from their homepage. And, you don’t need to care for newer .xy versions of Turboprint if your printer is supported by the version you have (they provide for 1 year of updates if you buy it).