Printing on Linux

It has been a long while since I posted anything of much interest to this blog because everything Linux (and Ubuntu in particular) has been so predictable and well behaved.


However, I've recently been tooling around with printing. Printing photos on photo paper and CD/DVD. In the Windows world, there's nothing special about that and, for the most part, in the Linux world too.


For many years, I've been an Epson devotee. Maybe even a fanboi. Epson gear just works. It does what it says on the box with a minimum of fuss, especially on Windows and Mac platforms. On Linux, it's a bit hit and miss if you choose a model that has some discernible difference which hasn't been catered for in the Linux drivers.


I run an Epson Aculaser CX11NF as my main office printer and for some graphic production when our big guns are already committed. It's a great office printer, but the colour rendition under the drivers provided by Epson is a bit odd. The density of photographic images is, well, washed out.


For a long time, I also ran an Epson Stylus Phot R210 for personal use. It printed excellent photographic prints on all sorts of decent paper, including Epson original and some of the higher grade Euro import stocks.  It also gave superb results on all sorts of CD and DVD, from Taiyo Yuden down to some really budget stuff. The downside was that the print cartridges cost more than the printer! After many years of service it has finally been consigned to FreeCycle so that it has a second chance at life with someone else.


I did a bad thing. Well, three, but let's go one step at a time.


Bad Thing Number One:

There are not many inkjet printers on the market in Australia at the moment which can print CD/DVD. For me, that's a critical feature because we often prototype client art as a "what if" as part of their business proposal. Sadly, Epson isn't stocked by the mass market shops or is otherwise scarce. One weekend, I had work to do and the trusty Epson was out of ink. The choice was pretty clear: a new set of ink at retail at the big office supplier nearby cost as much as a whole new printer and cartridges... but it wouldn't be an Epson.


After so many years of loyalty, and needing to maintain a sensible budget for the machine, we bought a Canon iP4850. A few quick test prints of some photos and it seemed to be the cat's pyjamas. In truth, it was the cat's ass.


The Linux drivers from Canon's site don't support the CD tray. It's a nice printer and does good work - don't get me wrong - but not supporting what is essentially that one differentiating feature at the price point is pretty much criminal in my opinion.


The only choice was to use my illustrious Google-fu and find alternate drivers to make the CD/DVD print function work under Ubuntu. And find it I did. The choice? TurboPrint (www.turboprint.info - NOT affiliated, not schilling for them, just telling the good news).


Bad Thing Number Two:

Bluntly, for anyone who is serious about using inkjet printers under a range of Linux distros, this is the best possible choice you can make. There are so many colour profiles, so many controls and adjustments and all simply accessible and useful. If you don't know what you're doing and are just trying to get a better print with less effort, then this does what it says out of the box. No fuss, no muss.


The diverse range of print options is quite amazing. I've been involved in professional pre-press for the best part of twenty years, and was in professional photography and pro-labs before that. The colour profile options for accurate professional purposes, as well as the more visually exciting ones which make most people happy, are all there. The amount of custom tuning you can do easily is amazing.


For me? It supports printing on D/DVD on Canon's iP4850 out of the box. Better control than Canon's own drivers, at higher resolution, for a wider range of media? Yes!


Try before you buy? Yes. 30 day license for free to trial it then a small fee (about 29 Euro off the top of my head) to keep it running. Possible to cheat? Yes, but only if you're an asshole. These guys have done the work and it shows. They deserve to make a little money for what they have done. In fact, I think some of the printer companies should really make a licencing deal with the guys behind TurboPrint. It's that good! More and more people are disillusioned by Windows, can't afford Mac (or don't want to be seen to be "me too" wankers) - and wiser people are breathing new life into old hardware with Linux.



Bad Thing Number Three:

And this is the worst... I bought a CISS. A Continuous Ink Supply System.


Cartridges cost far too much. Yes, it's part of the printer manufacturers' supply and profit methods, but it's too costly. A couple of mls of ink for AUD$23? It's a rip-off. A full set of cartridges costs almost as much, if not more, than the retail price of a new printer with cartridges. It's not only not economical, not realistic and repugnant - it's certainly not very environmentally sensitive!


The reason why I say buying a CISS is the worst offence is because for many years I've spoken out strongly against them. I didn't like them because the inks and the mechanisms were of dubious quality. There is a massive difference in ink qualities available on the market and they all have suitable purposes. Some of them were only suitable for flushing down the toilet. At least that way the fine payable to the EPA would be good for something.


Recently, there are more ink manufacturers around the world and they're making some really excellent inks.


Better yet, the CISS dealers are now dealing in better products. There are still a LOT of false claims out there that Dealer 'X' designed it in Germany and now it's available to the world and those sorts of statements. Frankly? Most of the gear comes from China and is better than earlier efforts which involved punching holes in original cartridges to force feeder tubes in, with or without sealing grommet. Bluntly, if you want to go that cheap, you're either a fool or a rogue. Judge yourself, not for yourself - judge your self.


The inks that are delivered by default are suitable for consumer applications, for the most part. There are better and worse. If you have a special purpose, such as making top quality photo prints, then you need different ink. That's all there is to it.



Printing with Linux? Ubuntu? Debian? Your favourite distro? It's not as easy as being mainstream, but you're sure being greener and kinder to the planet for your little pains. Those little pains? You will be able to deliver a better result and it will certainly be bespoke.