Ubuntu for my dad

[kiv]

My dad is 54 and he has been a proud "non-user" of computers until I changed his mind 6 months ago. He has always prided himself on working out doors and I know he could not hack a job in an office.

He has always understood the benefits of computers and the vastness of the internet but he always told me he did not want a computer because he did not want to become "addicted" to them and stuck in a corner of a room all day.

This was until one day a friend came over with his laptop and accidentally left it on the kitchen table. I decided to have one last attempt - I showed dad how a laptop works, explained how he could go anywhere with it & even access the internet, I then explained that he could copy his many hundreds of cds to the laptop and have a media centre.

I fully expected to hear something along the lines of an "okay Joe". But I didn't.. he was actually intrigued! So much so that one week later he purchased a modest, but nice, brand new Acer TravelMate for £400.

Much to my surprise he was picking things up incredibly quickly. He mastered the concept of the GUI within minutes, and was surfing the net shortly after. Every time I returned home over the next few weeks there would be a new computer book or a new website that he liked. I felt somewhat proud.

Eventually the laptop became my dads tool for tracing our family tree, so for his Christmas present I decided to buy him an all in one Lexmark x3350 printer.

I have been using Ubuntu for 6 months now - after feeling somewhat raped by vista.
I love everything about Ubuntu, GNU Linux and the free and open source community.
Every time I use a windows box at work I feel trapped - I hate it.

So, today I was doing some Sunday afternoon coding and designing and I thought that Ubuntu would be perfect for my dad and his laptop. I have mentioned linux and the concept of open source to dad in the past and he understands its importance. So I grabbed my dads laptop and ran the feisty live cd.

Everything worked like a charm, graphics, network, touchpad. The laptop looked and felt great.
Until I tried printing.

Ubuntu recognised the printer, however, looking through the driver list the closest match was the "3000" driver. However, this did not work.

I've spent the last few hours trawling the net with no luck. I would love to have Ubuntu on my dad's laptop -and so would he. However, I need this printer to work first.

I f I had known I was going to become a Linux/Ubuntu lover when I was choosing the printer I would have bought a Post Script printer - such as a hp. But I didn't.. and I'm stuck.

Any help would be warmly recieved!

[wolfen69]

it's not worth staying with windows just to print.(ive decided i just wont print anymore til i get a new one) however, you could make a new partition and dual boot with ubuntu.

[Outrunner]

Lexmark is definitely NOT the way to go if you want to print on Linux. It's a no-go sorry man, you'll be really really lucky if you get it to work on Linux - actually, it might be a good idea not to waste any more of your time unless you're sure there's a way to get yours up and running. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful than that(read: at all).

[kiv]

I agree.. its not worth staying for windows for anything. I even gave up gaming to give up windows.

However the laptop belongs to my 54 year old dad who has been using computers for 6 months.

Dual booting is not an option as there is little reason for him to do this - why switch when everything works for him.

When I get my new laptop in a few days I wil wipe vista and install Ubuntu.. however I would like a solution for my dad.

Thanks.

[kiv]

Lexmark is definitely NOT the way to go if you want to print on Linux. It's a no-go sorry man, you'll be really really lucky if you get it to work on Linux - actually, it might be a good idea not to waste any more of your time unless you're sure there's a way to get yours up and running. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful than that(read: at all).

Thanks. You have been more helpful than you think!

It's a terrible shame as I know my dad would love Ubuntu's ease of use.

Maybe the printer will break sometime soon ;)

[zanazzi]

Q: Can u print from your pc?

If so, why cant he transfer the files to your pc to print?

[kiv]

Q: Can u print from your pc?

If so, why cant he transfer the files to your pc to print?

I have no need to print files atm, so I don't have a printer.

Also:

1.I'll be moving out soon.

2.The printer was a present and is only a few months old.

3.I want to make it as easy as possible for him.

Thanks.

[notwen]

Dual boot, print to .PDF, save to a small shared FAT32 partition, boot up windows and print. =p I would say replace the printer w/ an HP or something, but being it's still fairly new and a gift. Dual boot. =]

[M$LOL]

It might not be much help here, but you could take back the printer and exchange it for a Linux-friendly one.

[kiv]

Dual boot, print to .PDF, save to a small shared FAT32 partition, boot up windows and print. =p I would say replace the printer w/ an HP or something, but being it's still fairly new and a gift. Dual boot. =]

Thats not very simple for my dad - a 54 year old novice. lol.

[kiv]

It might not be much help here, but you could take back the printer and exchange it for a Linux-friendly one.

I bought the printer on eBuyer.. so would be a freaking effort to send back for no reason.

How come there is no driver after all this time ?

[smartboyathome]

They don't support Linux, I think...

[DoctorMO]

You have a number of options open to you:

Buy another printer,
Ask lexmark for a linux driver
Program a new lexmark driver
Pay someone to program a new lexmark driver
Ask very nicely and send your printer away to a programmer to make the lexmark driver
Don't print
Don't use linux

Sorry but most people give up printing when they move to linux, I know I have a canon ip5000 which is a good as useless, although it looks very nice and I can do some usb testing with it and I even improved the canon support for various linux tools but still little fundamental support, although I try and work with satcha on gutten print to improve support.

Not a lot of help but it's just the rubish quality we have to face from lexmark and canon etc

[Outrunner]

I bought the printer on eBuyer.. so would be a freaking effort to send back for no reason.

How come there is no driver after all this time ?

The manufacturers don't give a - about linux, so it's no wonder there are no drivers. They didn't make any, proprietary or open source, and neither did they give out their printer speciffications, so, it's quite hard for anyone besides them to make drivers for those printers now.

It's a shame really, but there you have it...

[kiv]

They don't support Linux, I think...

On the US lexmark website there are some .debs for some models ... no mention of ubuntu or the x3350 though! :(

[kiv]

The manufacturers don't give a - about linux, so it's no wonder there are no drivers. They didn't make any, proprietary or open source, and neither did they give out their printer speciffications, so, it's quite hard for anyone besides them to make drivers for those printers now.

It's a shame really, but there you have it...

uggh.. how depressing.

The way things are beginning to go.. I won't be long before companies such as lezmark *HAVE* to get their arses in gear.

[kiv]

btw what the deuce are beans!? and how do i get them!?! lol

[Outrunner]

btw what the deuce are beans!? and how do i get them!?! lol

hehe, you mean the beans next to your account name? It's the forum 'ranking', and it is based on your post count, so the more posts you have, the higher your raking will be. But posts from the Comminity Cafe(here) don't count for your post count... err, well you know what I mean.

[mips]

Eventually the laptop became my dads tool for tracing our family tree, so for his Christmas present I decided to buy him an all in one Lexmark x3350 printer.


Bad mistake, you should have got him an HP. Epson apparently also works well.

[kiv]

You have a number of options open to you:

Buy another printer,
Ask lexmark for a linux driver
Program a new lexmark driver
Pay someone to program a new lexmark driver
Ask very nicely and send your printer away to a programmer to make the lexmark driver
Don't print
Don't use linux

Sorry but most people give up printing when they move to linux, I know I have a canon ip5000 which is a good as useless, although it looks very nice and I can do some usb testing with it and I even improved the canon support for various linux tools but still little fundamental support, although I try and work with satcha on gutten print to improve support.

Not a lot of help but it's just the rubish quality we have to face from lexmark and canon etc

Thanks. I guess my dad would go through all that effort just to fix something that already works for him, and I have no idea who I would ask to program a lexmark driver for us.

What printers could you recommend? HP?

[kiv]

Bad mistake, you should have got him an HP. Epson apparently also works well.

Thanks. Like I said, i didn't even know about Ubuntu when I bought the printer.

[kiv]

hehe, you mean the beans next to your account name? It's the forum 'ranking', and it is based on your post count, so the more posts you have, the higher your raking will be. But posts from the Comminity Cafe(here) don't count for your post count... err, well you know what I mean.

ahh i see .. bugger.. should have posted this in general help. :roll:

[stepan2]

I think if there was a 3000 series driver that means it should work. what problems arraused?

[xpod]

My dad is 54 and he has been a proud "non-user" of computers until I changed his mind 6 months ago. He has always prided himself on working out doors and I know he could not hack a job in an office.


hey hey, good on your dad:)

I`m not quite as old as him yet but i did have the very same mindset he once did ........until early last year of course.
I really only sat down at that first pc with our own kids in mind,i did`nt fancy being one of those parents who never have a clue about the strange box of wires in the corner.:-k

I had a crazy first few months with Windows before stumbling across Ubuntu one day and now, one year on i think i can safely say we are a house converted.Hell,we were converted after week one never mind year one

My only regret is that i never found it sooner:)

[kiv]

hey hey, good on your dad:)

I`m not quite as old as him yet but i did have the very same mindset he once did ........until early last year of course.
I really only sat down at that first pc with our own kids in mind,i did`nt fancy being one of those parents who never have a clue about the strange box of wires in the corner.:-k

I had a crazy first few months with Windows before stumbling across Ubuntu one day and now, one year on i think i can safely say we are a house converted.Hell,we were converted after week one never mind year one

My only regret is that i never found it sooner:)

haha you are indeed a legend my friend!

[zanazzi]

i know u said in ur op, that u have trawled the net ....

i found a 3200 driver, have u tried it?

http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_driver.cgi?driver=lxm3200-tweaked&fromprinter=Lexmark-3200

[kiv]

I think if there was a 3000 series driver that means it should work. what problems arraused?

Using the 3000 series driver .. I would print something .. whether it was a test page or a document and it would appear in the print queue.. the printer does nothing then after a short while it disappears from the print queue.

[kiv]

i know u said in ur op, that u have trawled the net ....

i found a 3200 driver, have u tried it?

http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_driver.cgi?driver=lxm3200-tweaked&fromprinter=Lexmark-3200

No I dont think that I have tried it.. I will give it a go!

Thanks.

[kiv]

No I dont think that I have tried it.. I will give it a go!

Thanks.

I have tired the 3200 drivers with no avail .. plus they are already in the list of drivers on ubuntu. I did try it from the website just to make sure... no luck though :( arg.

[notwen]

If anything let your dad borrow the LiveCD and let him play around on Ubuntu and let him make the decision of whether he wants to use it for his non-printing needs. If anything he could always print to .pdf, email it to himself and when he needs to print, just boot back into Windows, bring up the email and print it. It would be alot for a completely new user to computers to do, but this all really depends on how badly you want your pops to give Ubuntu a try I s'pose. =] Good luck w/ this my man.

[DoctorMO]

You might also be able to do some research, even if your not a programmer you can use a usb sniffing tool to 'Record' all the interaction between the windows driver and the printer.

I did this with turboprint in linux and a canon scanner in windows, it works quite well; all you have to do is perform a single step and save each one with meticulous detail about what settings were used, you'll need about 40 print requests and about 20 service requests (such as ink level checking and nozzle cleaning)

You then package all the research up and join the gutten print mailing list where you can communicate with willing developers who may be able to extend existing drivers or create a new one. the better your research the better the result. be friendly and accommodating because these guys won't have your printer.

[RAV TUX]

sell the Lexmark printer on ebay or craigslist,....pick up an inexpensive Linux friendly printer.....after the sell and purchase you may have some money left over to buy your dad a beer. :)

[kiv]

Two very good ideas DoctorMo & RAV Tux!

I am interested in doing the research so I will look in to that... I also fancy the beer too..

Nothing quite like a Free (as in beer) beer!

Thank you all! You have shown my what a great community this is .. full of helpful and accommodating people!

[kiv]

I will let him have a play and see what he thinks!!

thanks.

[regomodo]

Lexmark is definitely NOT the way to go if you want to print on Linux. It's a no-go sorry man, you'll be really really lucky if you get it to work on Linux - actually, it might be a good idea not to waste any more of your time unless you're sure there's a way to get yours up and running. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful than that(read: at all).

you're forgetting their outrageous ink prices. At Cartridgeworld we only recommend Canons or Epsons at a push

[kiv]

you're forgetting their outrageous ink prices. At Cartridgeworld we only recommend Canons or Epsons at a push

What printers are good for linux and cheap to run at the same time !?

If you could recommend an all in one printer and a normal printer that would be great...

[xc3RnbFO8P]

What printers are good for linux and cheap to run at the same time !?

If you could recommend an all in one printer and a normal printer that would be great...

I bought HP 1510 PSC All in One 400 Dkr. about 35£.
I dont know about Cornwall, maybe you have to buy via internet?

[kiv]

I have found a HP DeskJet F380 for £35 on ebuyer.

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=0&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X3Jldmlld3M=&product_uid=118839

One customer that uses Ubuntu has reviewed it and said that it works perfectly.

I think I shall being selling the crapmark on ebay.

Thanks very much!

[xc3RnbFO8P]

I found this http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/592874

[xc3RnbFO8P]

I have found a HP DeskJet F380 for £35 on ebuyer.

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=0&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X3Jldmlld3M=&product_uid=118839

One customer that uses Ubuntu has reviewed it and said that it works perfectly.

I think I shall being selling the crapmark on ebay.

Thanks very much!

Look at this first http://openprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=HP-DeskJet_F380

[graabein]

Off/on topic of family research -- have you looked at GRAMPS (http://www.gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page)?

My grandpa assembled lots of info that my dad put into Family Tree Maker on Windows in the 90's and GRAMPS's supposedly work with FTM-files. I've thought about trying to open our family info on GRAMPS but haven't gotten there yet.

[kiv]

Thanks for the suggestion & info!

Much appriciated!

[kiv]

Off/on topic of family research -- have you looked at GRAMPS (http://www.gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page)?

My grandpa assembled lots of info that my dad put into Family Tree Maker on Windows in the 90's and GRAMPS's supposedly work with FTM-files. I've thought about trying to open our family info on GRAMPS but haven't gotten there yet.

Thanks graabein.. I will look in to it and tell my dad! :)

[regomodo]

I found this http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/592874

yeah. i seriously would not get that particular printer or any hp which restricts you to the 21 & 22 cartridges. you get **** all ink in them. look for a printer which allows the use of 56 & 57 as they allow much more ink. i'm fairly sure all the cheap psc's restrict you. also don't get one restricts you to 336's and 342's for exactly the same reason

i would recommend any canon as they are a piece of cake to run cheaply as they are easy to refill. even the original inks are reasonably cheap as you get a fair bit in them (~20ml) as opposed to the 7ml in the HP's (and the HP's cost more). if you do get an epson consider getting a CIS. I did for my C66 (that was until i forgot to refill it and printed 100 pages with no black ink)

the problem with canon's are that they aren't that well supported for linux by default. I bought a turboprint license and am very happy with it

If the printer is very cheap its for a damn good reason

[xc3RnbFO8P]

yeah. i seriously would not get that particular printer or any hp which restricts you to the 21 & 22 cartridges. you get **** all ink in them. look for a printer which allows the use of 56 & 57 as they allow much more ink. i'm fairly sure all the cheap psc's restrict you. also don't get one restricts you to 336's and 342's for exactly the same reason

i would recommend any canon as they are a piece of cake to run cheaply as they are easy to refill. even the original inks are reasonably cheap as you get a fair bit in them (~20ml) as opposed to the 7ml in the HP's (and the HP's cost more). if you do get an epson consider getting a CIS. I did for my C66 (that was until i forgot to refill it and printed 100 pages with no black ink)

the problem with canon's are that they aren't that well supported for linux by default. I bought a turboprint license and am very happy with it

Here is a good refill site (on danish) http://www.fyldselv.dk/
If you know some one on english, please post it.

[regomodo]

Here is a good refill site (on danish) http://www.fyldselv.dk/
If you know some one on english, please post it.

i work at cartridgeworld and we don't use books or any other resources. i got showed how to do them but it's a fairly easy science. basically, don't overfill or use a shagged-out cartridge and make sure to seal it back up.

Obviously it's a bit more technical than that (centrifuges/vacuums/ultrasonics/fancy chemicals/steam) but canons 6/8's are the simplest. All you need is a hand-drill and a glue gun.