Re: [tlug] OT Printer recommendation

[Josh Glover <tlug@example.com>]

Quoth Brett Robson (Sat 2004-07-17 10:05:56PM +0900):

> This is a bit off topic, I'm having problems so I'll hope you'll indulge
> me.

I fail to see how this is off-topic. Watch me pull a Jonathan Byrne:

> I need a printer for home

[...]

> Does anyone have a recommendation?

If you can find the Samsung ML-1710[1] in Japan, I would *highly*
recommend it. It is a personal laser printer, black and white, and
it sells in the US for around $150. It is USB, and works *perfectly*
with CUPS using the Foomatic driver for the ML-1510[2] and the usblp
kernel module (Linux 2.6.x, but I imagine 2.4.x would work as well).

Even better, when I called Technical Support when I first got the
printer, and could not figure out how to download the driver for it
(the box said that the printer was Unix-compatible), the guy asked me,
"Are you running CUPS or lpr-ng?", and proceeded to direct me to
Linuxprinting.org (I was already there, but did not know which driver
would be compatible with the 1710). That is pretty Linux-friendly, if
you ask me.

Now, see how topical this got? :)

Knowing Samsung, they must have the same printer available in Japan,
but under a different model name. If you are interested, look at the
printer's features and picture on the US page, and you can probably
find it on the Japanese page (I searched for 1710, but came up dry).
If you are *really* interested, I would not mind calling Samsung's
sales department and seeing if they have the 1710 in Japan, and see
what it is called.

The only caveat emptor is that the printer comes with a starter toner
cartridge, that is rated at 1000 pages. The toner carts normally do
3000. Still, I have had this printer since Christmas (a present to
my wife), and my wife prints fairly heavily in grad school, and the
toner shows no signs of giving up yet. I am sure we are getting close
to 1000 pages.

Cheers,
Josh

[1] Search http://www.samsungusa.com/ for "1710"
[2] http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=Samsung-ML-1510

-- 
Josh Glover

Gentoo Developer (http://dev.gentoo.org/~jmglov/)
Tokyo Linux Users Group Listmaster (http://www.tlug.jp/)

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