[GLLUG] laser printer for linux

[Marr]

On Tuesday 29 November 2011 13:01:10 Michael George wrote:
> I'm running gentoo on my server at home.  My little Brother 1250 seems
> to have printed its last page yesterday.  I have no bitterness, he's
> served me well for many years.  But now I need a new printer.
> 
> I saw a thread a while back saying that Konica makes a good PS
> compatible color later printer.  I will look into that one, but I'm
> wondering what others might recommend for B&W?  I am more interested in
> one which will set up and work with little time invested on my part than
> I am in one with all the latest bells & whistles.
> 
> Anyone have any good recommendations?

I'll quote the relevant part of my original reply to the author (Tom Schouten) 
of that thread (from 27-28 Oct 2011 if you're checking the archives):

"You might want to check out Brother printers. Although the DCP-7040 (USB 
monochrome laser printer + scanner / photocopier) that I'm familiar with 
doesn't meet most of your [Tom's] criteria, the Linux printer and scanner 
drivers are all available on Brother's website and it's been working flawlessly 
under Slackware 13.1."

That printer doesn't see a lot of use (so I cannot give any long-term 
reliability reports) and there are parts of it that seem a bit "flimsy" (e.g. 
plastic lid hinges), so I would not want to put it in a shared (commercial 
office) environment where it would see rough handling, but I'd rate it very 
highly in the "value for the dollar" department.  And, as I stated in my 
previous post, the Linux support is there.  The scanner/photocopier with 35-
page (IIRC) auto-sheet-feeder is a nice feature.

Unfortunately, the DCP-7040 is no longer sold at NewEgg, which is where I 
bought it (for $140 + $3 shipping) back in Jan 2011. But I suspect several of 
the similar Brother models would be comparable, e.g. MFC-7360N ($190 + $3 
shipping) or MFC-7460DN ($240 + $2 shipping).

BTW, it might help folks to give better recommendations if you'd state roughly 
what your budget for this printer is.  And maybe what you consider to be 
"bells and whistles" (scanner? sheet-feeder? fax? networking? wireless? 
duplexing?).

HTH....

Regards,
Bill