Re: HOWTO: Lexmark Printers
Quote:
Originally Posted by
run1206
you can get a new printer, or if you dual boot with XP, virtualize into your XP partition with virtualBox and print that way.
I am curious about how this would work.
Is this right?
So, in windows, you install the printer with the regular driver.
You probably need to make the printer sharable.
You shut down windows and boot up in Ubuntu.
How do you virtualize into the windows printer?
I don't know how I would get to the shared windows printer if Windows is shut down.
Re: HOWTO: Lexmark Printers
Virtualization lets you run an operating system "inside" another. It's like using your hardware to run multiple operating systems simultaneously but not bootingthem all at the same time but booting into one and running the others inside.
So, you boot up in your normal OS, open the virtualization program and start the virtual machine. In this case it'd be like this:
- You boot up into Ubuntu
- Open the virtualization program you have installed
- You start your Windows virtual machine
- You install the printer in Windows
- You share the printer in Windows
- You access the shared printer from Ubuntu and send your documents to the printer
That works and probably the driver installation process is easier than in Ubuntu BUT you have to install the virtualization program, create the virtual machine, install Windows in the virtual machine, run Windows (it uses RAM and CPU you could be using for Ubuntu, besides the resources the virtualization software uses itself), then install the driver in Windows, share the printer, configure the shared printer in Ubuntu and finally you can send the documents to the printer.
And "virtualizing into your XP partition" means that instead of creating a new machine and installing Windows you just use the Windows partition as the hard disk drive of the virtual machine (so you can use the Windows you had installed instead of configuring a new one and installing the driver and all that stuff).
So, virtualizing a Windows machine works but... the process is quite long, isn't it? And why going back to Windows when you can do that in Ubuntu? For the people who are getting started all those commands on the console can seem quite complicated, but they're not. Perhaps you will find some trouble or come up with some doubts when doing all the things written in this thread, but that's why we're here: to help.
Some popular Virtual Machine programs are VirtualBox, Qemu and VMware Server (this is not free software (as far as I know), though it's freeware, and requires a free registration in their website to send you the serial which will make VMware Server work).
Re: HOWTO: Lexmark Printers
it does take while to virtualize since you're booting up your Windows partition; i did it because instead of switching which main OS to print from (shutdown, then restart...), i can use the printer while Linux is still mounted. some other machine might be better to just open physically in Windows to print your documents.
Re: HOWTO: Lexmark Printers
One problem I typically have with my Lexmark X6150 is that it jams paper when it has something to print close to the top edge of the paper. Usually this would be the header on a web page. The reason, I believe, is that it stops the paper on it's way into the machine to print and then it can't keep moving it because it isn't far enough in. I think this is generally a roller/paper feed problem but eliminating headers on my print jobs seems to fix most of the problems. Any ideas on solving this (either the rollers themselves or a workaround in the software).
Re: HOWTO: Lexmark Printers
That is an interesting idea. So, can you then install that shared printer in Ubuntu or do you actually have to print from within the virtual windows? I use virtualbox on my ubuntu machine to run MS Access and MS Publisher, so I am familiar with the process. I didn't know that I could setup Virtualbox to use an actual physical partition. I have always setup virtual drives by default. That would save a lot of space to just let virtualbox use my real windows partition that is sitting idly.
Re: HOWTO: Lexmark Printers
Well crap...
I got my printer to work, but then I messed with it and now it doesn't anymore... I tried using a different driver(same one, I just tried the one that I actually downloaded rather than the one on the drop list because it only printed b&w) and now it doesn't do more than move its tray... how do I fix that? I assume that I need to uninstall a driver, but I can't find any other than the one that is installed.
Re: HOWTO: Lexmark Printers
hi/ i've got a little problem. when i'm trying to do the last three steps from the first post,to install printer, i've got next:
sudo: can't open /etc/sudoers: Permission denied
Its when im trying to do:
sudo tar xvzf z600cups-1.0.tgz -C /
sudo ldconfig
cd /usr/share/cups/model
sudo gunzip Lexmark-Z600-lxz600cj-cups.ppd.gz
Re: HOWTO: Lexmark Printers
hi,
has anyone managed to get a lexmark z735 working with any of the techniques mentioned?
thanks,
Alex
Re: HOWTO: Lexmark Printers
has anyone got these to work for a network attached lexmark. i have an x9575 that is connected via local network.
jay
Re: HOWTO: Lexmark Printers
When I browse through this post it seems like the z600 driver is used for locally connected printers. BUT, we use a Lexmark x502n network (x500 Series) printer in our office. This printer was bought before a couple of us started migrating to Ubuntu, only to find out afterwards that there is no driver available for this printer. I do not want to install any version of Windows again BUT we need to be able to print.
Is there anyone that can assist with this.