[plug] Samsung CLP-310

[Bret Busby]

On Fri, 18 Sep 2009, Peter wrote:

> Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:51:02 +0800
> From: Peter <demo9 at gswd.com>
> Reply-To: plug at plug.org.au
> To: plug at plug.org.au
> Subject: Re: [plug] Samsung CLP-310
> 
> Bret Busby wrote:
>> On Thu, 17 Sep 2009, Peter wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> Tim wrote:
>>>> I'm looking at getting a cheap color laser printer soon. I see Arrow
>>>> has the Samsung CLP-310 for $199 atm.
>>>> Can anyone comment on how well this printer works under linux, and
>>>> cost per page?
>>>> 
>>>> Any other suggestions for cheap color laser for Linux? (Mostly print
>>>> black and white but with the occasional color)
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks
>>>> 
>>>> Tim
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> I use a CLP-315 with Linux (My flavor of choice is Mint 7 (64)).  It works 
>>> fine although i have had a few issues with it refusing to print web pages 
>>> from Firefox ???   Everything else prints fine.  Cost of printing?   Hmmm 
>>> dunno.  Had it 9 months. Still on the original toner(s).
>>> 
>>> I can concur with Bret that it tends to print colour stuff (photos) quite 
>>> dark.
>>> 
>>> BTW,  I paid around $160 for mine.  Was the last one in the shop 
>>> (Cannington Hardly Normal) when i bought it.
>>> 
>>> Peter.
>>> 
>> 
>> One thing occurred to me today - my problem with my CLP-300 printing 
>> photographs dark, is not a problem with the printer - rather, it is a 
>> problem with the individual application(s) from which the printing is done.
>> 
>> The particular photograph that printed too dark to be any good, was printed 
>> from the GIMP.
>> 
>> I have, over the last couple of days, printed a different photograph, from 
>> Open Office Writer, and, from Adobe Reader (having saved the document 
>> containing the photo, as a PDF file), and, the photograph printed slightly 
>> differently, with different colour saturation, between the different 
>> software packages. The Adobe Reader print output, was more natural, and, 
>> truer, in the colours of the printed result.
>> 
>> So, I believe that the issue of the darkness of the printer output for 
>> photographs, is software-dependent, not printer-dependent, in this case.
>> 
>> I suggest, Peter, that you import a photograph, preferably a human 
>> portrait, so it includes skintones, into an Open Office Writer document, 
>> print the document from Open Office Writer, then export the document as a 
>> PDF file, and, print the document from Acrobat Reader, and, compare the 
>> print results, and, post a description of the comparison. It could be 
>> useful to other people, also.
>> 
>> -- 
>> 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
>> 
>> ....................................................
>> _______________________________________________
>> PLUG discussion list: plug at plug.org.au
>> http://www.plug.org.au/mailman/listinfo/plug
>> Committee e-mail: committee at plug.linux.org.au
>> 
>> 
> Interestingly, the images I was referring to were PDF documents (full colour 
> brosures).  I do agree however that it is a software issue.  I actually think 
> its the Linux CUPS print driver.  My Printer works just fine from Windows, 
> including photos.  It works well enough from Linux for 'business graphics' 
> (letter heads, charts, etc) which is what I bought it for but is unacceptable 
> for photos or complex colour images:  They come out over-saturated and quite 
> dark.
>
> Cheers,
> Peter
>

I have a slight update.

I have installed the Samsung Unified Driver, as provided by Samsung, 
from the web page at 
http://www.samsung.com/au/support/download/supportDownMain.do , 
and today printed a page 
from Acrobat, using the CLP-315, and, what I printed, includes two 
portrait photographs, and the colour is good.

And, as Peter, above, mentioned a problem with printing from Firefox, on 
Thursday, from my laptop (running Ubuntu 8.04LTS), with the printer 
driver from the Samsung Unified Driver, I printed, without any 
(significant) problems, a web page, using Seamonkey 1.1.18.

So, I believe that the Samsung Unified Driver is appropriate, for the 
Samsung colour laser printers, except for what I believe to be a slight 
defect in the software, of which I have today advised Samsung.

If more than one printer is connected to the computer (I am running, on 
this computer, at present, Debian 5, as an upgrade from Debian 4 (rather 
than a clean install of Debian 5) ), as they have been, via a USB hub, 
the Samsung printer driver does not differentiate between the printers, 
and, sends print jobs to the first available printer that is connected, 
regardless of whether the printer is the printer specified by the user 
in allocating the print job. So, the print jobs for the CLP-315, were 
sent to the ML-2010, which printed only error messages. When the ML-2010 
was disconnected from the USB hub, print jobs for the CLP-315, were sent 
to the CLP-315, and printed okay.

--
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

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