[plug] Samsung ML2010 printer problem

[Bret Busby]

On Fri, 14 Sep 2007, Lance Duivenbode wrote:

> Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:54:16 +0800
> From: Lance Duivenbode <lance at duivenbode.id.au>
> Reply-To: plug at plug.org.au
> To: plug at plug.org.au
> Subject: Re: [plug] Samsung ML2010 printer problem
> 
> Hi Bret,
>
> Just a quick question - is this printer labelled as using GDI? I've got a
> Samsung ML-1210 and it says it works perfectly with Linux. However, after
> purchasing it I discovered it was a GDI printer (not sure what that is but I
> think it's a custom print protocol) so I couldn't use standard CUPS printer
> drivers.
>
> The only way I could get it to work was to download the Linux CUPS drivers
> from the Samsung support site which included a Postscript to GDI filter that
> was run by CUPS when printing occurred (this is part of the driver so you
> don't need to set it up).
>
> After that it worked (and still does 5 years later) perfectly.
>
> Lance
>
>

Hello, Lance.

The printer is not labelled as a GDI printer.

Also, GDI printers generally have little or no RAM. They usually work 
directly from MS Windows, and all the processing and memory is done by 
MS Windows, and not by the printer.

This printer appearently has 8MB of RAM, and it supposedly uses the 
Samsung SPL (Samsung Printer Language) language emulation, or is 
supposed to be compatible with such emulation.

GDI printers, from what I have seen, are not specifid as being at all 
compatible with Linux, but, are specified as being compatible only with 
MS Windows (and not Mac OS's either, I think), and not with DOS or 
anything other than MS Windows.

I believe that GDI stood for Graphic Display Interface (but, I could be 
wrong), and GDI printers were a cheap plugin for MS Windows, as the GDI 
printers did no processing of their own, all of the processing being 
done by the MS Windows graphics, thus making the GDI printers cheap, 
and, very restricted in compatibility (only compatible with MS Windows).

This printer is specifid as being compatible with various Linux 
distributions, including Debian, and with Mac OS 10.3.

So, it appears to be definitely not a GDI printer.

--
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
  you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
   Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
   "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
   A Trilogy In Four Parts",
   written by Douglas Adams,
   published by Pan Books, 1992

....................................................