Hello, On May 11 00:07 Richard wrote (shortened):
I am looking to consider a new printer. ... Multi-function with fax, copy, scan, print would be nice.
In gereneral see http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Purchasing_a_Printer_and_Compatibility http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/Database/SuggestedPrinters http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/Database/LinuxSupportByPrint... Regarding HP: HP is currently the only manufacturer who provides a free software driver package for printers and all-in-one devices which we provide since a very long time in Suse Linux and openSUSE, see http://hplip.sourceforge.net/ Carefully check http://hplip.sourceforge.net/supported_devices/index.html in particular http://hplip.sourceforge.net/supported_devices/unsupported.html It is crucial to have exact model names because small differences in model names can make big differences regarding support status. E.g. LaserJet 1018 and 1020 are only supported by newest HPLIP and require a proprietary binary-only plug in, see https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=342704 but LaserJet 1015 and 1022 are supported even by old HPLIP and Color LaserJet 2600 is not supported by newest HPLIP but Color LaserJet 2500 is supported even by old HPLIP and Color LaserJet 2605 is PostScript and doesn't require HPLIP at all. Similar with scanners: HP stand-alone scanners are not very well supported, see http://www.sane-project.org/cgi-bin/driver.pl?manu=hp in contrast to scanners in HP all-in-one devices, see http://hplip.sourceforge.net/supported_devices/index.html Similar with network devices: Third-party printserver boxes usually support only simple unidirectional data transfer from the PC to the printer. Therefore plain printing usually works - but even for plain printing there is no guarantee, see for example https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=217215 Usually nothing else (e.g. scanning, sending faxes) works with non-HP printserver boxes. Best network support can be expected when there is a HP built-in network card which matches exactly to the model i.e. where HP offers the model with a built-in network card out-of-the-box and when the technical data sheet of HP claims network support for Unix-like operating systems. See the info at HP: http://hplip.sourceforge.net/supported_devices/combined.html 1): Network support indicates built-in ethernet and/or wireless networking. Alternatively, many devices may be operated on the network using an external JetDirect print server. Not all network configurations are supported. Please refer to the HPLIP FAQs for more information. http://hplip.sourceforge.net/faqs.html Question: What network print servers are supported? Answer: Currently we have only tested HP JetDirect devices with HPLIP. No other network print servers are supported. Kind Regards Johannes Meixner -- SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, Maxfeldstrasse 5, 90409 Nuernberg, Germany AG Nuernberg, HRB 16746, GF: Markus Rex -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org