[cups] Brother MFC-L8850CDW

Ruben De Smet ruben.de.smet at telenet.be
Tue Mar 29 14:27:08 PDT 2016


On 03/29/2016 10:47 AM, Johannes Meixner wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> 
> On Mar 24 22:01 Ruben De Smet wrote (excerpt):
>> On 03/24/2016 09:35 PM, Peter Gantt wrote:
>>>
>>> Ruben wrote:
>>>
>>>> You cannot just use the ppd file. The .deb files include binary
>>>> blobs/executables (x86) and shell scripts
>>>> (brother_lpdwrapper_mfcl8850cdw) which are called by the ppd file.
>>>
>>> Wow, nasty.  Horrific.
>>>
>>> If I sacrifice a small print server to be infested with this shitware, can
>>> it then share the printer as a generic printer?  Or will every client
>>> require the proprietary goop?  Whenever I've shared printers in the past,
>>> clients have required the driver for that particular model, rather than
>>> something generic.
>>
>> I have done something similar with an Oki and experienced that too. I
>> think you can hack things together so it works as a regular PS printer
>> though. I have no clue how.
> 
> I don't know anything about that particular device.
> 
> In general be warned that some devices that look like
> printers cannot be used as regular printers because some
> devices require continuous bidirectional communication
> with their special matching driver software while such
> devices are making the printout.
> 
> A regular printer works with unidirectional communication.
> I.e. you can simply send the printing data to the printer
> and it will produce a printout on its own. For example you
> can make the printing data on one computer and then transport
> the printing data via network to another computer that finally
> only forwards the printing data to the printer.
> 
> In contrast some devices do not work this way. They need
> continuous bidirectional communication with their special
> matching driver software while making the printout.
> 
> Such devices cannot be used with a printserver box in between.

Why can't the print server act as the bidirectional communication box,
after having received a full postscript document? I suppose it has a
valid technical reason, but I would love to know why.

Thank you.

Ruben De Smet





More information about the cups mailing list