[plug] Non-linux printers

[Richard Meyer]

On Tue, 2007-05-08 at 22:04 +0800, Denis Brown wrote:
> At 09:39 PM 8/05/2007, Richard Meyer wrote:
> >Hi all,
> >
> >Just a question. Let us suppose that there is a customer who has a whole
> >shedload of Dell and Lexmark printers attached to Windows servers. These
> >printers do NOT have Linux drivers. Changing printers to something else
> >is not an option.
> >
> >He wishes to start moving Linux desktops into the mix. How does he print
> >from the Linux boxes? Is there a Proggie for windows that'll take
> >Postscript from the Linux boxes and spew it out on the printers maybe?
> >
> >Any ideas gratefully received.
> 
> First thought I had is...
> 
> Printers, being mechanical devices, will sooner or later wear out.   So why 
> not couple them up to some headless-as-possible Windows boxes that do 
> nothing other than print spooling for those printers.
> 
> When the printers all eventually die, the Win boxes retire too.   Meantime, 
> Linux-friendly printers begin their entrance to the mix.
> 
> Since you only need spooling, some of the retired Win desktops 
> automatically become $0.00 print servers.   Not even any real need to keep 
> them up to date with patches since they'll be firewalled off, I imagine.
> 
> HTH,
> Denis
Um, not quite what I was hoping for. The general idea is about what we
were wanting to do, BUT, how would we print from the Linux boxen to the
queues on the Win boxes, since all the Googling I've done suggests that
the Linux boxes HAVE to have the printer drivers installed to print via
SAMBA.

It's the "how do I get printouts from the Linux boxes to the Win boxes
to the unsupported (under Linux) printers" that I'm lacking. Any ideas?

-- 
Richard Meyer <meyerri at westnet.com.au>
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. 
William Pitt, 1783

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