Printers

["Clark Whiting" <crwhiting@hotmail.com>]

I have come to the inescapable conclusion that I cannot use my new 
Lexmark 4700 color inkjet printer with Linux. Try as I might, I can't
get the filter/driver to work. I have also tried just about every 
other filter as a compatible type. I also tried using WordPerfect's
Lexmark 24xx driver - which didn't work either.

I plugged in my son's Epson Stylus printer - and it worked just fine,
so I know it isn't a hardware/kernel problem.

There is another problem with the darn thing. The "next generation"
Windows printers have specialized utility programs that do fundamental
things like, "change the ink cartridge". The way the printer is
physically constructed, you can't even get at the ink cartridge 
without running the windows program to "move" the cartridge out into
the open.  All of the printer controls are software driven.

This concerns me as more printers are moving towards this methodology
making integration into non-Windows OS's extremely difficult. What's
worse is that the doco and info on the box does not reveal this 
problem, making a printer purchase problematic -- as you often don't
find out the thing will (or will not) work until you get it home
and try to use it.

It's like buying a VCR with 90% of the controls on the remote, and
the remote doesn't come with the VCR!


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