Colour Me Impressed !
Jan. 7th, 2008 11:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mundensLast week I bought a Brother MFC-425CN network enabled colour printer/scanner/fax unit off of TradeMe for just over $30 (they're usually in the $100-$200 range I think). This morning, just over an hour ago it arrived via courier (which made it cost another $20-odd bucks).
I now hold in my hand a Printer Test Page delivered via CUPS from my Red Hat Linux server.
I am impressed because I have already installed and tested the Windows software on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wasup_bro's machine, and carried out network scanning and printed a test page from that. I was then pleasantly surprised to discover that Brother provide Linux support on their web site, so after following the simple instructions there, I now have installed a CUPS wrapped LDR/LPR driver in less time than it took to install and test the Windows printing (though admittedly the Windows install is fancier, and included the OCR and Fax software)
I have also installed and configured the Brother network-enabled SANE drivers, but I have yet to test those, as I've never had a scanner hooked up to my Linux machine before and I have to go figure out what software to use to actually initiate a scan. The Brother software also supports a "Scan To" function which allows you to stand by the scsnner and operate it and then tell the scanner which computer to send the results to, and reportedly this will work for Linux as well!
So, yeah, I'm impressed at how easy this was and the support provided by Brother for setting up the system on Linux. I'm pleased that I now have all the functionality of the previous HP units (in fact a lot more because it adds fax and network support) in a package that takes up at least half the desktop space, is quieter and faster, and uses far less cabling.
The hardest part of the installation? Figuring out where the bloomin' Ethernet port was on the printer! Luckily there was FAQ entry on the Brother website, go have a look you'll see why it was tricky! :)
Edit: And now I'm happily scanning using xsane, it took a bit of time to figure out that the examples which were using the scanner's name were reliant on a hosts file or some other different network setting, but using the IP address directly fixed that issue anyway. Unfortunately, using network scanning it takes forever to scan at any rs solution over 100dpi, I'll have to see if it's faster via USB or not.
I now hold in my hand a Printer Test Page delivered via CUPS from my Red Hat Linux server.
I am impressed because I have already installed and tested the Windows software on
wasup_bro's machine, and carried out network scanning and printed a test page from that. I was then pleasantly surprised to discover that Brother provide Linux support on their web site, so after following the simple instructions there, I now have installed a CUPS wrapped LDR/LPR driver in less time than it took to install and test the Windows printing (though admittedly the Windows install is fancier, and included the OCR and Fax software)I have also installed and configured the Brother network-enabled SANE drivers, but I have yet to test those, as I've never had a scanner hooked up to my Linux machine before and I have to go figure out what software to use to actually initiate a scan. The Brother software also supports a "Scan To" function which allows you to stand by the scsnner and operate it and then tell the scanner which computer to send the results to, and reportedly this will work for Linux as well!
So, yeah, I'm impressed at how easy this was and the support provided by Brother for setting up the system on Linux. I'm pleased that I now have all the functionality of the previous HP units (in fact a lot more because it adds fax and network support) in a package that takes up at least half the desktop space, is quieter and faster, and uses far less cabling.
The hardest part of the installation? Figuring out where the bloomin' Ethernet port was on the printer! Luckily there was FAQ entry on the Brother website, go have a look you'll see why it was tricky! :)
Edit: And now I'm happily scanning using xsane, it took a bit of time to figure out that the examples which were using the scanner's name were reliant on a hosts file or some other different network setting, but using the IP address directly fixed that issue anyway. Unfortunately, using network scanning it takes forever to scan at any rs solution over 100dpi, I'll have to see if it's faster via USB or not.
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no subject
Date: 2008-01-07 08:00 am (UTC)A month ago I bought a Brother DCP-150 Scanner/Printer brand new for $130, then they told me I had to pay another $15 for the friggin USB cable, what a damn ripoff.
Then a week before Xmas the same model was on special for $99 at another store.
I remember the first printer I ever bought back in '96, it cost me $325 and was old slow and clunky. I like the way hardware is going these days, getting better and smaller and cheaper.