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# Supported Printers

The Linux kernel will let you speak with any printer that you can plug into a serial, parallel, or usb port, plus any printer on the network. Unfortunately, this alone is insufficient; you must also be able to generate data that the printer will understand. Primary among the incompatible printers are those referred to as "Windows" or "GDI" printers. They are called this because all or part of the printer control language and the design details of the printing mechanism are not documented. Typically the vendor will provide a Windows driver and happily sell only to Windows users; this is why they are called Winprinters. In some cases the vendor also provides drivers for NT, OS/2, or other operating systems.

Many of these printers do not work with free software. A few of them do, and some of them only work a little bit (usually because someone has reverse engineered the details needed to write a driver). See the printer support list below for details on specific printers.

A few printers are in-between. Some of NEC's models, for example, implement a simple form of the standard printer language PCL that allows PCL-speaking software to print at up to 300dpi, but only NEC knows how to get the full 600dpi out of these printers.

Note that if you already have one of these Winprinters, there are roundabout ways to print to one, but they're rather awkward. Seethe Section called Windows-only printers in this document for more discussion of Windows-only printers.

## Postscript

As for what printers do work with free software, the best choice is to buy a printer with native PostScript support in firmware. Nearly all Un*x software that produces printable output produces it in PostScript, so obviously it'd be nice to get a printer that supports PostScript directly. Unfortunately, PostScript support is scarce outside the laser printer domain, and is sometimes a costly add-on.

Un*x software, and the publishing industry in general, have standardized upon Postscript as the printer control language of choice. This happened for several reasons:

Timing

  Postscript arrived as part of the Apple Laserwriter, a perfect companion to the Macintosh, the system largely responsible for the desktop publishing revolution of the 80s.

It's device-independent

  Postscript programs can be run to generate output on a pixel screen, a vector screen, a fax machine, or almost any sort of printer mechanism, without the original program needing to be changed. Postscript output will look the same on any Postscript device, at least within the limits of the device's capabilities. Before the creation of PDF, people exchanged complex documents online as Postscript files. The only reason this standard didn't "stick" was because Windows machines didn't usually include a Postscript previewer, so Adobe specified hyperlinks and compression for Postscript, called the result PDF, distributed previewers for it, and invented a market for their "distiller" tools (the functionality of which is also provided by ghostscript's ps2pdf and pdf2ps programs).

It's a real programming language

  Postscript is a complete programming language; you can write software to do most anything in it. This is mostly useful for defining subroutines at the start of your program to reproduce complex things over and over throughout your document, like a logo or a big "DRAFT" in the background. But there's no reason you couldn't compute π in a Postscript program.

It's open

  Postscript is fully specified in a publically available series of books (which you can find at any good bookstore) and also online at http://partners.adobe.com/asn/developer/technotes/postscript.html. Although Adobe invented it and provides the dominant commercial implementation, other vendors like Aladdin produce independently coded implementations as well.

## Non-Postscript

Failing the (larger) budget necessary to buy a Postscript printer, you can use any printer supported by Ghostscript, the free Postscript interpreter used in lieu of actual printer Postscript support. Note that most GNU/Linux distributions can only ship a somewhat outdated version of Ghostscript due to the license. Fortunately, there is usually a prepackaged up to date Ghostscript made available in each distribution's contrib area.

Adobe now has a new printer language called "PrintGear". I think it's a greatly simplified binary format language with some Postscript heritage but no Postscript compatibility. And I haven't heard of Ghostscript supporting it. But some PrintGear printers seem to support another language like PCL, and these printers will work with GNU/Linux (if the PCL is implemented in the printer and not in a Windows driver).

Similarly, Adobe offers a host-based Postscript implementation called PressReady. This works much like Ghostscript does to provide Postscript support for a non-Postscript printer, but has the disadvantage that it runs only on Windows.

## What printers work?

You can look in several places to see if a particular printer will work. The cooperatively maintained Printing HOWTO printer database aims to be a comprehensive listing of the state of GNU/Linux printer support. A summary of it is below; be sure to check online for more details and information on what driver(s) to use.

The best bet for new printer shoppers is to consult the list of suggested printers. These center around color inkjets and mono laser devices. You can even help support this document and the website by buying from one of affiliated vendors.

Ghostscript's printer compatibility page has a list of some working printers, as well as links to other pages.

Google groups contains hundreds of "it works" and "it doesn't work" testimonials. Try all three, and when you're done, check that your printer is present and correct in the database, so that it will be listed properly in this document in the future.

### Printer compatibility list

This section is a summary of the online database. The online version includes device specifications, notes, driver information, user-maintained documentation, manufacturer web pages, and interface scripts for using drivers with several print spooling systems (including LPR, LPRng, PDQ, and CUPS). The online version of this list is also interactive; people can and do add printers all the time, so be sure to check it as well. Finally, if your printer isn't listed, add it!

Note that this listing is not gospel; people sometimes add incorrect information, which are eventually weeded out. Entries which have not been sanity-checked are marked with an asterisk (*). Verify from Google Groups that a printer works for someone before buying it based on this list.

Printers here are categorized into four types:

Perfectly

  Perfect printers work perfectly - you can print to the full ability of the printer, including color, full resolution, etc. In a few cases printers with undocumented "resolution enhancement" modes that don't work are listed as perfect; generally the difference in print quality is small enough that it isn't worth worrying about.

Mostly

  You can print fine, but there may be minor limitations of one sort or another in either printing or other features.

Partially

  You can print, but maybe not in color, or only at a poor resolution. See the online listing for information on the limitation.

Paperweight

  You can't print a darned thing; typically this will be due to lack of a driver and/or documentation on how to write one. Paperweights occasionally get "promoted", either when someone discovers that an existing driver works, or when someone creates a new driver, but you shouldn't count on this happening.

In all cases, since this information is provided by dozens of people, none of it is guaranteed to be correct; entries with an asterisk (*) are particularly suspect. The facts, however, should be easy to corroborate from the driver web pages and manufacturer web sites.

And without further ado, here is the printer compatibility list:

Table 1. Linux Printer Support

Manufacturer | Perfectly | Mostly | Partially | Paperweight
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Alps |  | MD-1000 MD-1300 MD-1500* MD-2000 MD-2010 MD-2300 MD-4000 MD-5000 MD-5500 |  |
Anitech | M24 |  |  |
Apollo | P-1200 P-1220 Barbie P-1250 P-2100 P-2150 P-2200 P-2250 P-2500 P-2550 P-2600 P-2650 |  |  |
Apple | 12/640ps Dot Matrix ImageWriter ImageWriter LQ LaserWriter 4/600* LaserWriter 16/600* LaserWriter IINTX* LaserWriter IIg LaserWriter Pro 630* LaserWriter Select 360* | Color StyleWriter 1500 Color StyleWriter 2200 Color StyleWriter 2400 Color StyleWriter 2500* ImageWriter II* LaserWriter NT StyleWriter 1200 StyleWriter I StyleWriter II |  |
Avery | Personal Label Printer+* | Personal Label Printer |  |

Brother

HL-4Ve
HL-8
HL-10V
HL-10h
HL-630
HL-660
HL-720
HL-730
HL-760
HL-820
HL-960*
HL-1020
HL-1040
HL-1070*
HL-1250
HL-1260
HL-1270N
HL-1440
HL-1450
HL-1470N
HL-1650
HL-1660e
HL-1670N
HL-2060
HL-2400CeN
HL-2460
HL-2460N
HL-3400CN

HJ-400
HL-1030
HL-1050
HL-1060
HL-1240

DCP-1200
HJ-100i*
HL-4V*
HL-6*
HL-6V*
HL-630/631*
HL-641/645/655M*
HL-665*
HL-730/730DX*
HL-1270*
HL-P2000*
M-1309*
M-1324*
M-1809*
M-1809 Color*
M-1824L*
M-1824L Color*
M-1909*
M-1909 Color*
M-1924L*
M-1924L Color*
M-4309*
MC-3000
MFC 7150C
MFC-4000/4500/5500*
MFC-4350
MFC-6550MC
MFC-6550MC/7550MC*
MFC-8300
MFC-9050
MFC-9100c*
MFC-9500
MFC-9600
MFC-P2000*
MFC-P2500

4550*
MP-21C

CItoh | M8510 |  |  |
CalComp | Artisan 1023 penplotter* |  |  |

Canon

BJ-5
BJ-10e
BJ-10v*
BJ-15v*
BJ-20
BJ-30*
BJ-35v*
BJ-100
BJ-200
BJ-330
BJC-70
BJC-210
BJC-250*
BJC-250ex
BJC-255SP
BJC-265SP
BJC-600*
BJC-610
BJC-620
BJC-680J*
BJC-800
BJC-880J*
BJC-4000
BJC-4100
BJC-4200
BJC-4300*
BJC-4400*
BJC-4550*
GP 335*
GP 405
LBP-4+
LBP-4U
LBP-8A1
LBP-310*
LBP-320 Pro*
LBP-350*
LBP-430
LBP-1000*
LBP-1260
LBP-1760*
LIPS-II+*
LIPS-III*
LIPS-IV*
LIPS-IVv*

BJC-50*
BJC-55*
BJC-80*
BJC-85*
BJC-240*
BJC-1000*
BJC-2000*
BJC-2010*
BJC-2100
BJC-2110
BJC-3000
BJC-4310SP
BJC-6000
BJC-7004*
BJC-8200*
LBP-4sx
S100
S400*
imageRunner 330s

BJ F100*
BJ F200*
BJ F600*
BJ F800*
BJ F6000*
BJ-30v*
BJ-200e*
BJ-220JCII*
BJ-220JSII*
BJ-230*
BJ-300
BJC-35v*
BJC-35vII*
BJC-50v*
BJC-80v*
BJC-210J*
BJC-210SP
BJC-240J*
BJC-250J*
BJC-400J*
BJC-410J*
BJC-420J*
BJC-430J*
BJC-430J Lite*
BJC-430JD Lite*
BJC-440J*
BJC-455J*
BJC-465J*
BJC-600J*
BJC-600e*
BJC-610JW*
BJC-620JW*
BJC-700J*
BJC-820*
BJC-820J*
BJC-4200 Photo*
BJC-4304 Photo*
BJC-4650*
BJC-5500*
BJC-5500J*
BJC-6100*
BJC-6200*
BJC-6500*
BJC-7000*
BJC-7004 Photo*
BJC-7100*
BJC-8000*
MultiPASS C2500*
MultiPASS C3000*
MultiPASS C3500*
MultiPASS C5000*
MultiPASS C5500
S300
S450*
S500
S600
S630
S800
S4500*

BJC-5000*
BJC-5100
BJC-8500*
LBP-460*
LBP-600
LBP-660*
LBP-800*
Multipass L6000*
S200

Citizen | ProJet II* ProJet IIc printiva600C printiva600U | printiva700 printiva1700 |  |
Compaq |  | IJ750* IJ1200 | IJ900 | IJ300*
DEC | DECWriter 500i* DECwriter 110i* DECwriter 520ic* LA50* LA70* LA75* LA75 Plus* LJ250 LN03* LN07* | 1800* LN17* |  |
Daewoo |  |  | DP-3630H* DP-7200H* DP-7400C* |
Dymo-CoStar | ASCII 250* ASCII+* EL40* EL60* LabelWriter II* LabelWriter XL* LabelWriter XL+* SE250* SE250+* Turbo* |  |  |

Epson

ActionLaser 1100*
ActionLaser II*
ActionPrinter 3250*
AcuLaser C2000
AcuLaser C2000PS
AcuLaser C4000
AcuLaser C4000PS
AcuLaser C8500
AcuLaser C8500PS
CL 700
CL 750
Dot Matrix
EM 900C
EM 900CN
EM 930C
EM 930CN
EPL-5200*
EPL-5200+*
EPL-5800
EPL-5800PS
EPL-5900
EPL-5900PS
EPL-7100
EPL-N1600
EPL-N1600PS
EPL-N2050
EPL-N2050+
EPL-N2050PS
EPL-N2050PS+
EPL-N2120
EPL-N2750
EPL-N2750PS
L-1000*
LP 8000
LP-2000*
LP-3000*
LP-7000*
LP-7000G*
LP-xx00*
LQ-24
LQ-500
LQ-570+*
LQ-850
LQ-2550
LX-1050*
MC 7000
MJ 6000C
MJ 8000C
MachJet*
PM 700C
PM 730C*
PM 750C
PM 760C*
PM 770C
PM 780C*
PM 800C
PM 820C
PM 880C*
PM 2000C
PM 2200C*
PM 3000C
PM 3300C
PM 3500C
PM 7000C
SQ 1170
Stylus*
Stylus 800*
Stylus C20SX
Stylus C20UX
Stylus C40SX
Stylus C40UX
Stylus C41SX
Stylus C41UX
Stylus C42SX
Stylus C42UX
Stylus C60
Stylus C61
Stylus C62
Stylus C70
Stylus C80
Stylus C82
Stylus Color*
Stylus Color 8 3
Stylus Color 400
Stylus Color 440*
Stylus Color 460*
Stylus Color 480
Stylus Color 500
Stylus Color 580
Stylus Color 600
Stylus Color 640
Stylus Color 660
Stylus Color 670*
Stylus Color 680
Stylus Color 740
Stylus Color 760
Stylus Color 777
Stylus Color 800
Stylus Color 850
Stylus Color 860
Stylus Color 880
Stylus Color 900
Stylus Color 980
Stylus Color 1160
Stylus Color 1500
Stylus Color 1520
Stylus Color 3000
Stylus Color I
Stylus Color PRO
Stylus Photo
Stylus Photo 700
Stylus Photo 720*
Stylus Photo 750
Stylus Photo 780*
Stylus Photo 790*
Stylus Photo 810
Stylus Photo 820
Stylus Photo 830
Stylus Photo 870*
Stylus Photo 890*
Stylus Photo 1200
Stylus Photo 1270
Stylus Photo 1280
Stylus Photo 1290
Stylus Photo 1290S
Stylus Photo EX
Stylus Photo EX3*
Stylus Pro 7000
Stylus Pro 7500
Stylus Scan 2000
Stylus Scan 2500

EPL-5700
MC 5000
MJ 520C
MJ 5100C
PM 790PT*
PM 850PT
PM 4000PX
PM 5000C
Stylus Color 200*
Stylus Color 300*
Stylus Color II
Stylus Color IIs
Stylus Photo 785*
Stylus Photo 825*
Stylus Photo 875*
Stylus Photo 895*
Stylus Photo 915
Stylus Photo 925
Stylus Photo 950
Stylus Photo 960
Stylus Photo 2100
Stylus Photo 2200
Stylus Pro 5000
Stylus Pro 5500
Stylus Pro XL

9-pin 136 Col*
9-pin 80 Col*
24-pin 136 Col*
24-pin 80 Col*
AP-800*
AP-2250*
AP-3250*
AP-3260*
AP-5000*
AP-5500*
ActionLaser 1000/EPL-5000*
ActionLaser 1400*
ActionLaser 1500/EPL-5200*
ActionLaser 1600/EPL-5600*
ActionLaser II/EPL-4000*
DFX-5000*
DFX-5000+*
DFX-8000*
DFX-8500*
DLQ-2000 (360 dpi)*
DLQ-3000+*
EPL-7000/7100*
EPL-8000/8100*
EPL-N1200*
EPL-N2000*
EX-800*
EX-1000*
FX-286e*
FX-850*
FX-870*
FX-880*
FX-980*
FX-1000*
FX-1050*
FX-1170*
FX-1180*
FX-2170*
FX-2180*
Generic 48 pin*
Generic ESC2P*
Generic ESC_P 24-J84*
Generic ESC_P 24-J84C*
JX-80*
LQ-100*
LQ-150*
LQ-300*
LQ-300 Color*
LQ-400*
LQ-510*
LQ-550*
LQ-570*
LQ-670*
LQ-850 (N9)*
LQ-850+ (360 dpi)*
LQ-860*
LQ-870*
LQ-950 (N9)*
LQ-1010*
LQ-1050*
LQ-1050 (N9)*
LQ-1050+ (360 dpi)*
LQ-1060*
LQ-1070*
LQ-1070+*
LQ-1170*
LQ-2070*
LQ-2080*
LQ-2170*
LQ-2180*
LQ-2500*
LX-100*
LX-300*
LX-300 Color*
LX-400*
LX-800*
LX-810*
LX-850*
MC 2000
MC 9000
MC 10000
MJ-500C*
MJ-510C*
MJ-700V2C*
MJ-800C*
MJ-900C*
MJ-910C*
MJ-3000C*
MJ-3000CU*
MJ-5000C*
MJ-5100C*
MX-80 (w_GRAFTRAX 80)*
PM 950C
PM 9000C
PM 10000
PX 7000
PX 9000
SQ-850*
SQ-2500*
SQ-2550*
Stylus 200*
Stylus 300*
Stylus 400*
Stylus 500*
Stylus 800+*
Stylus 820*
Stylus 1000*
Stylus 1500*
Stylus Color 600Q*
Stylus Photo 2000P
Stylus Pro*
Stylus Pro 7600
Stylus Pro 9000
Stylus Pro 9500
Stylus Pro 9600
Stylus Pro 10000
Stylus Pro XL+*
TLQ-4800*
TSQ-4800*

AcuLaser C1000
EPL-5500W*
EPL-5700L
EPL-5800L
EPL-5900L
Stylus CX3200

Fujitsu | 1200* 2400* 3400* FMLBP2xx Page Printer* FMPR* PrintPartner 10V* PrintPartner 16DV* PrintPartner 20W* PrintPartner 8000* |  |  |
Generic | PostScript Printer |  | 9-pin 136 Col* 9-pin 80 Col* 24-pin 136 Col* 24-pin 80 Col* 48 pin* |
GoldStar |  |  | GLP-1450* GLP-2050* GLP-5750* |

HP

2000C
2500C
2500CM
2563
Business Inkjet 2200
Business Inkjet 2230
Business Inkjet 2250
Business Inkjet 2250TN
Business Inkjet 2280
Business Inkjet 2600
Business Inkjet 3000
Color Inkjet Printer CP1160
Color Inkjet Printer CP1700
Color LaserJet 2500
Color LaserJet 4500
Color LaserJet 4550
Color LaserJet 4600
Color LaserJet 5500
Color LaserJet 8550GN
DesignJet 3500CP
DesignJet 5500ps
DesignJet ColorPro CAD
DeskJet
DeskJet 200
DeskJet 310
DeskJet 320
DeskJet 340C
DeskJet 400
DeskJet 450
DeskJet 500
DeskJet 500C
DeskJet 505J Plus
DeskJet 510
DeskJet 540C
DeskJet 550C
DeskJet 600
DeskJet 610C
DeskJet 610CL
DeskJet 612C
DeskJet 630C
DeskJet 632C
DeskJet 640C
DeskJet 648C
DeskJet 656C
DeskJet 660C
DeskJet 670C
DeskJet 670TV
DeskJet 672C
DeskJet 680C
DeskJet 682C
DeskJet 690C
DeskJet 692C
DeskJet 693C
DeskJet 694C
DeskJet 695C
DeskJet 697C
DeskJet 710C
DeskJet 712C
DeskJet 720C
DeskJet 722C
DeskJet 810C
DeskJet 812C
DeskJet 815C
DeskJet 816C
DeskJet 820C
DeskJet 825C
DeskJet 830C
DeskJet 832C
DeskJet 840C
DeskJet 841C
DeskJet 842C
DeskJet 843C
DeskJet 845C
DeskJet 850C
DeskJet 855C
DeskJet 870C
DeskJet 880C
DeskJet 882C
DeskJet 890C
DeskJet 895C
DeskJet 916C
DeskJet 920C
DeskJet 930C
DeskJet 932C
DeskJet 933C
DeskJet 934C
DeskJet 935C
DeskJet 940C
DeskJet 948C
DeskJet 950C
DeskJet 952C
DeskJet 955C
DeskJet 957C
DeskJet 959C
DeskJet 960C
DeskJet 970C
DeskJet 975C
DeskJet 980C
DeskJet 990C
DeskJet 995C
DeskJet 1000C
DeskJet 1100C
DeskJet 1120C
DeskJet 1125C
DeskJet 1200C
DeskJet 1220C
DeskJet 1600C
DeskJet 1600CM
DeskJet 3820
DeskJet 5550
DeskJet 5551
DeskJet 6122
DeskJet 6127
DeskJet Plus
DeskJet Portable
LaserJet
LaserJet 2
LaserJet 2 w/PS
LaserJet 2P
LaserJet 2P Plus
LaserJet 3
LaserJet 3D
LaserJet 3P w/ PCL5
LaserJet 3P w/PS
LaserJet 4
LaserJet 4 Plus
LaserJet 4L
LaserJet 4M
LaserJet 4ML
LaserJet 4P
LaserJet 4Si
LaserJet 4V
LaserJet 4V/4LJ Pro*
LaserJet 5
LaserJet 5L
LaserJet 5M
LaserJet 5MP
LaserJet 5P
LaserJet 5Si
LaserJet 6
LaserJet 6L
LaserJet 6MP
LaserJet 6P
LaserJet 1100
LaserJet 1100A
LaserJet 1200
LaserJet 1220
LaserJet 2100
LaserJet 2100M
LaserJet 2200
LaserJet 3300 MFP
LaserJet 3310 MFP
LaserJet 3320 MFP
LaserJet 3320N MFP
LaserJet 4000
LaserJet 4050
LaserJet 4100
LaserJet 5000
LaserJet 5100
LaserJet 8000
LaserJet 8100
LaserJet 8150
LaserJet 9000
LaserJet Plus
Mopier 240
Mopier 320
OfficeJet D125
OfficeJet G55
OfficeJet Pro 1150C
OfficeJet Pro 1170C
OfficeJet Pro 1175C
OfficeJet R45
OfficeJet R60
OfficeJet R65
OfficeJet R80
PSC 370
PSC 380
PSC 500
PSC 750
PSC 2110
PSC 2150
PaintJet
PaintJet XL
PaintJet XL300
PhotoSmart 7150
PhotoSmart 7350
PhotoSmart 7550
PhotoSmart P100
PhotoSmart P130
PhotoSmart P230
PhotoSmart P1000
PhotoSmart P1100
PhotoSmart P1115
PhotoSmart P1215
PhotoSmart P1218
PhotoSmart P1315
e-printer e20

Color LaserJet 5
DesignJet 230
DesignJet 350C
DesignJet 650C
DesignJet 750C
DesignJet 750C Plus
DeskJet 350C
DeskJet 420C
DeskJet 520
DeskJet 560C
LaserJet 2D
LaserJet 3200
LaserJet 3200m
LaserJet 3200se
LaserJet 3330 MFP
OfficeJet
OfficeJet 300
OfficeJet 330
OfficeJet 350
OfficeJet 500
OfficeJet 600
OfficeJet 625
OfficeJet 635
OfficeJet 710
OfficeJet D135
OfficeJet D145
OfficeJet D155
OfficeJet G85
OfficeJet G95
OfficeJet K60
OfficeJet K80
OfficeJet LX
OfficeJet T45
OfficeJet T65
OfficeJet V40
PSC 950
PSC 2210

C LaserJet 4500*
C LaserJet 4550*
C LaserJet 8500*
C LaserJet 8550*
Color LaserJet*
Color LaserJet 5/5M*
Color LaserJet 5000
DesignJet 5500
LaserJet 2P Plus*
LaserJet 3P*
LaserJet 3Si*
LaserJet 4 Plus/4M Plus*
LaserJet 4/4M*
LaserJet 4LJ Pro*
LaserJet 4P/4MP*
LaserJet 4PJ*
LaserJet 4Si/4Si Mx*
LaserJet 4V/4MV*
LaserJet 5/5M*
LaserJet 5P/5MP*
LaserJet 5Si/5Si Mx/5Si Mopier*
LaserJet 6L/6L Gold*
LaserJet 6P/6MP*
LaserJet 500 Plus*
LaserJet 1000
LaserJet 2000*
LaserJet 4000/4000N*
LaserJet 4000T/TN*
LaserJet Classic*
LaserJet Plus*
LaserJet Series 2*
ThinkJet

DeskJet 3320
DeskJet 3420
LaserJet 3100
LaserJet 3150
PhotoSmart

Hansum |  |  | BJ-330H* HS-650C* |
Heidelberg | Digimaster 9110* |  |  |
Hitachi | DDP 70 (with MicroPress)* |  |  |
IBM | 3853 JetPrinter* 4019* 4029 10P* 4303 Network Color Printer* Execjet 4072* Infoprint 12* Page Printer 3112* ProPrinterII* |  | 4029 030 LaserPrinter 10* 5183 Portable Printer* Infoprint 20* Infoprint 21* Infoprint 32* Infoprint 40* Infoprint 70* Infoprint 2085* Infoprint 2105* Network Printer 12* Network Printer 17* Network Printer 24* |
Imagen | ImPress* |  |  |
Infotec | 4651 MF* |  |  |
Jepcom |  |  | JP-B330* |
Kodak | DigiSource 9110* IS 70 CPII* |  |  |

Kyocera

F-800T*
F-1010*
F-3300
FS-600*
FS-600 (KPDL-2)*
FS-680*
FS-800*
FS-1000*
FS-1000+
FS-1010
FS-1200
FS-1700+*
FS-1750*
FS-1800
FS-1900
FS-3750*
FS-3800
FS-5900C*
FS-9100DN
FS-9500DN
P-2000*

FS-3500*

F-800A/F-800*
F-820*
F-1000A/F-1000*
F-1200S*
F-1800A/F-1800*
F-2000A/F-2200S*
F-3000A/F-3300*
F-5000A/F-5000*
FS-400A/FS-400*
FS-850A/FS-850*
FS-1500A/FS-1500*
FS-1550+*
FS-1550A/FS-1550*
FS-1600+*
FS-1600A/FS-1600*
FS-1700*
FS-1800/FS-1800N*
FS-3400+*
FS-3400A/FS-3400*
FS-3500A/FS-3500*
FS-3600+*
FS-3600A/FS-3600*
FS-3700*
FS-3700+*
FS-3800/FS-3800N*
FS-5500A/FS-5500*
FS-5800C*
FS-6300*
FS-6500/6500+*
FS-6700*
FS-6900*
FS-7000*
FS-7000+*
FS-9000*
LS 6550*

LaserMaster |  |  |  | LM 1000

Lexmark

4039 10plus
E210
Optra C710
Optra Color 40
Optra Color 45
Optra Color 1200
Optra Color 1275
Optra E*
Optra E+*
Optra E310
Optra E312*
Optra Ep*
Optra K 1220
Optra M410
Optra M412
Optra R+*
Optra S 1250*
Optra S 1855*
Optra Se 3455*
Optra T610
Optra T612
Optra T614
Optra T616
Optra W810
Valuewriter 300*
Z52
Z53

1020 Business*
3000*
3200
4076*
Z31
Z42*

1000
1020*
1100
2030*
2050
2070
5000
5700*
7000*
7200
Winwriter 400*
X73
Z11
Z12
Z22*
Z32
Z43*
Z51
Z82

Winwriter 100*
Winwriter 150c*
Winwriter 200*
Z13
Z23
Z33

Minolta | PagePro 6* PagePro 6e* PagePro 6ex* PagePro 8* PagePro 1100 |  | PagePro 8L* | PagePro 6L PagePro 1100L
Mitsubishi | CP50 Color Printer* |  |  |

NEC

MultiWriter*
P2X*
PC-PR150*
PC-PR201*
PC-PR1000*
PC-PR2000*
PICTY180*
PinWriter P6*
PinWriter P6 plus*
PinWriter P7*
PinWriter P7 plus*
PinWriter P60*
PinWriter P70*
Pinwriter P20*
SilentWriter LC 890*
Silentwriter 95f*
Silentwriter2 S60P*
Silentwriter2 model 290*
SuperScript 660i*
SuperScript 1800
SuperScript 4600N*

SuperScript 100C*
SuperScript 150C*
SuperScript 650C*
SuperScript 750C*
SuperScript 860*
SuperScript 870*
SuperScript 1260*

SuperScript 610plus*
SuperScript 660*
SuperScript 660plus*

Oce | 3165* 9050* |  |  |

Okidata

ML 320
ML 321
ML 380*
Microline 600CL*
Microline 620CL*
Microline IBM compatible 9 pin*
OL400
OL400e
OL400ex
OL600e*
OL610e/PS
OL800
OL810e/PS
OL810ex
OL830Plus
Okipage 6e
Okipage 6ex*
Okipage 8c
Okipage 8p
Okipage 10e
Okipage 10ex
Okipage 12i
Okipage 14ex
Okipage 20DXn

DP 5000
Microline 182
OL400w*
OL410e
OL610e/S
Okijet 2500*
Okipage 4w
Okipage 4w+*
Okipage 6w
Okipage 8w
Okipage 8w Lite
Okipage 8z
Super 6e

ML-184 Turbo*
ML-192*
ML-193*
ML-320*
ML-320 Turbo*
ML-321*
ML-321 Turbo*
ML-380*
ML-390*
ML-390 Turbo*
ML-391*
ML-391 Turbo*
ML-393*
ML-393C*
ML-395B*
ML-395C*
ML-520*
ML-521*
ML-590*
ML-591*
ML-3410*
ML-4410*
Microline 192+*
OL410ex*
OL810e*
OL820*
OL1200*
OkiPage 6e/6ex*
OkiPos 425D*
OkiPos 425S*

Okijet 2010

Olivetti | JP350S* JP470* PG 306* |  | JP450 |
Others |  |  | BJ-230* HDMF NONE-FF* LG GIP 3000Q_3000+* VP-6570K* |
PCPI | 1030* |  |  |
Panasonic | KX-P1123* KX-P1124* KX-P1150* KX-P2023* KX-P2135* KX-P2150* KX-P4410* KX-P4450* KX-P5400* KX-P8420* KX-P8475* | KX-P2123* KX-P6150* | KX-P1124i* KX-P1180* KX-P1180i* KX-P1191* KX-P1624* KX-P1654* KX-P1695* KX-P2124* KX-P2130* KX-P2180* KX-P2624* KX-P3123* KX-P3124* KX-P3624* KX-P6500* KX-PS600* KX-Pxxxx 24-pin* | KX-P6100* KX-P6300 GDI* KX-P8410*
Pentax | PocketJet 200 PocketJet II |  |  |
Printrex |  |  | 820 DL* |
QMS | 2425 Turbo EX* LPK-100* magicolor 2+* | ps-810* |  | magicolor 2
Qnix |  |  | PICASSOI* PICASSOII* QBJ-3630E* |
Raven |  | LP-410 |  |
Ricoh | 4081* 4801* 6000* Aficio 220* Aficio 700 Aficio AP2000 RPDL I Laser Printer* RPDL II Laser Printer* RPDL III Laser Printer* RPDL IV Laser Printer* | Aficio 401* |  | Aficio Color 2206* Afico FX10*
Sambo |  |  | PageJet P1* PageJet P2* Stylus 800H+* Stylus 1000H+* |
Samsung | ML-85* ML-200 ML-210 ML-1000 ML-1010 ML-1020 ML-1200 ML-1210 ML-1220 ML-4500 ML-4600* ML-5000a* ML-5080 ML-6000/6100* ML-6040 ML-7000/7000P/7000N* ML-7050* QL-5100A* QL-6050* SI-630A* | ML-85G QL-85G | MJ 630V* SLB-3106G* SP-2417HW* SP-2421HW* SP-2433HW* SP-4017* SP-4021* | ML-5050G* SF/MSYS/MJ-4700/4800/4500C*
Seiko | SpeedJET 200* | SLP* SLP 120* SLP 220* SLP EZ30* SLP Plus* SLP Pro* SLP-100* SLP-200* SLP-240* |  |
Sharp | AR-161* | AJ-1800 AJ-1805 AJ-2000 AJ-2005 |  | AJ-2100
Sindo |  |  | ExecJet 4072* ExecJet 4076* |
Sony |  |  | IJP-V100 |
Star | JJ-100* LC24-100* LS-04 NL-10* | LC 90* LC24-200* LaserPrinter 8 NX-1001* StarJet 48* | LC 24-15 Multi-Font* LC 24-20 Multi-Font* LC 24-200 Colour* LC-15 Multi-Font* LC-20* LC-100 Colour* NX-1040R* NX-1500* NX-2415* NX-2420R* NX-2430* Starjet SJ-144* XB 24-200 Multi-Font* XB 24-250 Multi-Font* XB-2420* XB-2425* XR-1020* XR-1520* ZA-200 Multi-Font* ZA-250 Multi-Font* | WinType 4000*
Tally | MT908* |  |  |
Tektronix | 3693d color printer, 8-bit mode* 4693d color printer, 2-bit mode* 4693d color printer, 4-bit mode* 4695* 4696* 4697* Phaser 780 Phaser 850* Phaser IISX* Phaser PX* | Phaser 350* |  |

Xerox

2700 XES
3700 XES
4045 XES*
DocuPrint 4508
DocuPrint C20
DocuPrint C55*
DocuPrint N17
DocuPrint N32*
DocuPrint N4512
DocuPrint N4512 PS
Document Centre 400*

Able 1406
DocuPrint C6*
DocuPrint M750*
DocuPrint M760*
DocuPrint P8e
DocuPrint P12*
DocuPrint P1202*

DocuPrint C8*
DocuPrint C11*
DocuPrint XJ6C
DocuPrint XJ8C
Document Homecentre
WorkCentre 450cp*
WorkCentre 470cx*
WorkCentre XK35c

DocuPrint P8*
WorkCentre 385
WorkCentre XD120f*
WorkCentre XE80
WorkCentre XE90fx

* This entry has not been sanity-checked.

## How to buy a printer

It's a bit difficult to select a printer these days; there are many models to choose from. Here are some shopping tips:

Cost

  You get what you pay for. Most printers under $200-300 can print reasonably well, but printing costs a lot per page. For some printers, it only takes one or two cartridges to add up to the cost of a new printer! This is specially true for cheap inkjets. Similarly, the cheapest printers won't last very long. The least expensive printers, for example, have a MTBF of about three months; obviously these are poorly suited for heavy use.

Inkjets

  Inkjet printheads will clog irreparably over time, so the ability to replace the head somehow is a feature. Inkjet printheads are expensive, with integrated head/ink cartridges costing ten times (!) what ink-only cartridges go for, so the ability to replace the head only when needed is a feature. Epson Styluses tend to have fixed heads, and HP DeskJets tend to have heads integrated into the cartridges. Canons have three-part cartridges with independently replaceable ink tanks; I like this design. OTOH, the HP cartridges aren't enormously more expensive, and HP makes a better overall line; Canon is often the third choice from the print quality standpoint. Epson Styluses and HP inkjets are the best supported by free software at the moment.

Lasers

  Laser printers consume a drum and toner, plus a little toner wiping bar. The cheapest designs include toner and drum together in a big cartridge; these designs cost the most to run. The best designs for large volume take plain toner powder or at least separate toner cartridges and drums.

Photography

  The best color photograph output is from continuous tone printers which use a silver halide plus lasers approach to produce—surprise!—actual photographs. Since these printers cost tens of thousands to buy, Ofoto.com offers inexpensive print-by-print jobs. The results are stunning; even the best inkjets don't compare.

  The best affordable photo prints come from the dye-sublimation devices like some members of the Alps series (thermal transfer of dry ink or dye sublimation), or the few consumer-grade Sony photo printers. Unfortunately the Alps devices have poor free software support (the one report I have from a Alps user of the Ghostscript driver speaks of banding and grainy pictures), and even then it's unclear if the dye-sub option is supported. I have no idea if the Sonys work at all.

  The more common photo-specialized inkjets usually feature 6 color CMYKcm printing or even a 7 color CMYKcmy process. All photo-specialized printers are expensive to run; either you always run out of blue and have to replace the whole cartridge, or the individual color refills for your high-end photo printer cost an arm and a leg. Special papers cost a bundle, too; you can expect top-quality photo inkjet output to run over a US dollar per page. See also the section on printing photographs later in this document, and the sections on color tuning (such as it is) in Ghostscript.

  Lately color lasers have been getting a lot cheaper, these devices may be interesting for color reports. Color lasers are a lot cheaper per page than inkjets. However they may still not be suited for photographs. One day color lasers may become common and replace those boring monochrome laser printers.

Speed

  Speed is proportional to processing power, bandwidth, and generally printer cost. The fastest printers will be networked Postscript printers with powerful internal processors. Consumer-grade printers will depend partly on Ghostscript's rendering speed, which you can affect by having a reasonably well-powered machine; full pages of color, in particular, can consume large amounts of host memory. As long as you actuallyhave that memory, things should work out fine.

Forms

  If you want to print on multicopy forms, then you need an impact printer; many companies still make dot matrix printers, most of which emulate traditional Epson models and thus work fine.

Labels

  There are two supported lines of label printer; look for the Dymo-Costar and the Seiko SLP models. Other models may or may not work. Avery also makes various sizes of stick-on labels in 8.5x11 format that you can run through a regular printer.

Plotting

  Big drafting formats are usually supported these days by monster inkjets; HP is a popular choice. Mid-sized (11x17) inkjets are also commonly used for smaller prints. Much plotting of this sort is done with the languages RTL, HP-GL, and HP-GL/2, all of which are simple HP proprietary vector languages usually generated directly by application software.

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