"Win-printers" (the new Win-modems?)

[ddrueding]

We have an accounting program with a really out-dated back-end. Some reports need to be sent to a network printer directly from the unix/dos-based server. Apparently, the SAMSUNG CLP Series CLP-315W I recently purchased doesn't support that, even though it is PCL6 compliant. According to the software vendor, the actual processing and PCL6 translation occur at the driver level in windows, and we need to get another printer.

Has anyone else heard of such a thing?

I want something cheap, and the only ones they guarantee to work are HP Workgroup level printers. This is BS, but the app cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. WTF?

 

[Mercutio]

HP has made a lot of Win-printers. I was complaining about some Photosmart printers that require Windows back in January, but even going back, I can remember Windows only printers (HP DJ 892, maybe?) from 1999 or so.

 

[ddrueding]

Ugh...do you know of any indication on the box or marketing info of printers that would indicate one way or another?

 

[Mercutio]

In the olden days the HP Printers had a Windows emblem on them. The Photosmart printers I have (in a stack, doing nothing) have no indication that they're windows only.

My advice: Don't trust anything that doesn't do native postscript.

 

[Fushigi]

It is simply a way to reduce manufacturing costs. They still have to write the printer engine but no longer have to supply the circuitry to execute it.

But you've found the down side. You are very much tied to whatever platform(s) the manufacturer provides drivers for. Even, as you noted, being a network device and PCL compliant doesn't mean anything if the PCL processing is PC-based & not in the printer itself.

 

[Howell]

I've known about winprinters for ages but this is the first LASER winprinter I've heard of. Not sure how you tell a difference. I did find this for your printer:

 Print Languages, std.                   SPL-C (SAMSUNG Printer Language Color)

 

[ddrueding]

I've known about winprinters for ages but this is the first LASER winprinter I've heard of. Not sure how you tell a difference. I did find this for your printer:

 Print Languages, std.                   SPL-C (SAMSUNG Printer Language Color)

Thanks Howell, it stated PCL6 somewhere I looked and I assumed I was safe. GRRR!

 

[time]

Co-processing laser printers first came out in the early 90's; at that stage they were dubbed "GDI". I've seen WinPrinters for sale as recently as 3 years ago - only bottom-end models, obviously.

Merc may be right - I don't recall a co-processing printer that supported Postscript. The most reliable way, however, is just to check the OS support. If it supports Linux, OS-X, etc, it ain't a WinPrinter. Same if it's networkable (note that the vast majority of inkjets are not networkable).

However, that is not your problem here - Samsung does not make WinPrinters. As Howell correctly points out, nowhere does Samsung claim this printer is PCL compatible. The application is expecting a PCL5 printer and you haven't provided one.

You need to be a lot more careful about buying stuff based on price - just a little bit more and Samsung models happily support PCL and probably PostScript. Have you checked duty cycle and running costs? Don't confuse the 'peak' duty cycle with the 'average' duty cycle - the latter's usually a tenth of the former, so "up to 20,000 pages" really means an "average of no more than 2,000 pages".

HTH.

 

[ddrueding]

Thanks for the info guys, looks like I'll be switching to these. They say PCL6 and that they support OSX. Should be good, yes?

 

[Howell]

For a hacked together solution you might be able to share the printer out from a windows workstation and print to the share. I'm not certain this would work though.

 

[sechs]

I've never liked PCL. I've never worked with a PCL printer that didn't cough up some stupid PCL error every once in a while.

Went a little out of my way to make sure to get a PostScript printer for my purchase recently. Never a problem.

 

[Chewy509]

I've personally come across a heap of Windows only printers, and myself ensure anything I buy is PCL capable.

If you're after true PCL and networkable, a Kyocera Mita FS-2000DN is an option. It is limited to 1 additional tray, so if you need more than 1 additional tray, then look at the FS-3830N.

The LAN card support LPR and raw9100 (aka HP JetDirect) and works with SNMP setups. The printer is native PCL 5 and PCL 6 or KPDL (selectable on the control panel on the printer itself - KPDL is Kyocera "enhanced" PCL variant).

I've had a FS-2000DN print fine from a Solaris, Linux, FreeBSD and Windows box without problems (all via network using a combination of LPR and Raw9100 using CUPS on the *nix platforms).

As for cost, Newegg don't supply Kyocera, but I'm a reseller is nearby that could help.

PS. http://usa.kyoceramita.com/americas/jsp/Kyocera/productdetails.jsp?pid=15115