Brother printer?

roofninja · 02-07-2007, 09:45 PM

I saw at Office Depot some Brother laser printers. Are they good or are they junk? How well do they work with linux? I am thinking about a small home network with a server and a network printer. I can't afford much so I saw them as a cheep solution. I am looking at the HL-5250dn or the HL-2070n. Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance.

TuxSurfer · 02-08-2007, 07:41 AM

Looks like the Brother HL-5250dn is pretty well supported in Linux. You can see the report here. Linuxprinting.org is the place to go for reports on how well printers are supported and here at LQ we have a good Hardware Database. Just click "HCL" at the top of the page.

pixellany · 02-08-2007, 08:33 AM

At the low end, there are three laser printers: HP, Brother, and Samsung. All are similarly priced, but be aware that replacement toner cartridges will also add to the cost.
I was impressed that Brother is one mfg who now advertises Linux support.

I decided on HP (1022) solely because of their established reputation in the office market.

scrupul0us · 02-08-2007, 08:39 AM

my one co-worker has a brother printer in his office... hows its managed to not get the "office space" treatment yet is beyond me...

make sure if u buy one it has a good PPM... he always complains its too slow

roofninja · 02-08-2007, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TuxSurfer

and here at LQ we have a good Hardware Database. Just click "HCL" at the top of the page.

Thanks for the link to linuxprinting.org. I haven't had much experience with printing in linux, YET.

I did not know what HCL is until now. I will take a look. Thanks.

roofninja · 02-08-2007, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixellany

At the low end, there are three laser printers: HP, Brother, and Samsung. All are similarly priced, but be aware that replacement toner cartridges will also add to the cost.
I was impressed that Brother is one mfg who now advertises Linux support.

I decided on HP (1022) solely because of their established reputation in the office market.

Yeah, that is also a reason why I am looking at Brother printers.

I have no dought that HP are the best, but I haven't found one that does network and it is affordable to me.

Trio3b · 02-09-2007, 01:43 AM

Brother DCP7020 works fine with built in drivers in Mandrake 10.2 KDE cups configuration. (don't use the brother drivers from website, just let the KDE CUPS CONFIGURATOR "FIND" and install drivers.). Scanner drivers from website work fine. (follow directions) This all-in-one laser printer has some nice features and toner is very cheap. Have used it now for about 4 mos.

J.W. · 02-09-2007, 09:14 PM

No disrespect to other brands, but HP printers are the only thing I'd ever consider. I don't have the data, but I seriously doubt any manufacturer has more printers that are supported perfectly under Linux than HP and (just guessing) I'd doubt that anyone else has a higher "perfect+mostly vs. partially+paperweight" ratio than HP.

I've got an old LaserJet 5P that I've had for over 10 years and other than replacing toner everyone once in a while, it has operated flawlessly. YMMV

michaelk · 02-09-2007, 10:12 PM

I agree with JW and I also have had very few problems with HP printers. I have 3 4MPs, 2 I bought surplus and one new. The HP 4 was probably one of the most popular printers of its time and well built for business use. I recommend them without hesitation. I also think that Brother printers are will supported in linux and seem to be a good value for the money. Maybe not as well built as HPs but for home use I think they will work well. My dad has a 8220 and I had no problems with the drivers from the website.

Rojon · 02-10-2007, 08:28 AM

Having given up on getting any of my printers working properly under Linux long ago I have just noticed that Samsung's laser printers are compatible with Linux, even to the point that they have been tested with specific distributions.

OS Compatibility: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, - Various Linux OS including Red Hat, Caldera, Debian, Mandrake, Slackware, SuSE and Turbo Linux, - Mac OS 10.3

You can also get this model on Ebuyer for £59.99.

http://www.samsung.com/uk/products/p...Specifications

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...103045&_LOC=UK

That's one headache gone!