SUMMARY: What printers best work with Solaris?

I  received many responses which I'll just include below to make
it easier.
Someone mentioned that the jetadmin utility isn't supported
anymore running on Solaris. Is there an alternative GUI from HP
that one can use from a Solaris box to configure HP printers
and plotters and to create virtual queues that point to specific
tryas on the HP printers??

Also, there were several suggestions to use cups.
I'm not using cups I'm just using a Solaris machine
as my print server currently.
What will cups buy me if I setup a cups server and 
can all printers be configured with it? Is there a GUI
that is used to configure trays and virtual queues for each printer
or is that still handled via the manufacturers software like jetadmin (HP),
centreware for unix (Xerox) , lexprt/markvision (Lexmark)??
And can a cups server be configured on a Solaris machine or is this linux only?
Thank you.
Dave.

Below are responses I received from my original question:

As long as you buy printers that do postscript, then you're all set.
It's even better if they are network printers (USB support is a bit
iffy, and it won't work at all with older versions of Solaris - you
didn't specify what you use).

As far as printing goes, we set up a print server using CUPS, then all
the other machines learn about the printers from NIS or LDAP. All the
machines use the lpr protocol to spool to the printer server, that then
spool to the printer using IPP/Socket/LPR or whatever the printer likes.
The printer server also acts as a Xprt server for those applications
that know about the XPrint extension (like Mozilla).

----------

I can't speak for all printers, but I never had a problem with HP Laserjet 
printers.  Basically, I've never had a problem with anything networked that 
had a HP Jet Direct card on it, or whatever those things are called

See, they cause so little trouble, I even forget what they're called.
--Tom 
---------

 I have a Lexmark laser printer that works wonderfully
under S10 and S9.
Rich Teer, SCNA, SCSA, OpenSolaris CAB member
--------

I would buy the printer I want, and then worry about how
to make it work. In my experience I have always been happier
with HP printers.

Don't count on Jetadmin for HP though, they don't support
it on Solaris anymore. But you can use CUPS instead, I haven't
used it but I've seen a tutorial and it looks straightforward:

CUPS Printing Software:  http//www.cups.org
       http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/content/submitted/install_cups.html

The Xerox config utility is great, we only have a very high end
Xerox printer so I can't comment much on office Xerox printers.
Dave Foster
---------

Regularly get involved with printers (consultant)

I have had good experience for most network reputable type printers like HP,
Textronix/Xerox. Also Ricoh , Kyocera/Minolta is good. Lexmark -...??? Do
not belive all you read.

A few years ago did a LOT on QMS (worked for a reseller) Excellent but
pricey.

However, the best experience has still been HP,w ith their options. They are
an excellent little printer company :-)

If you require high volume, Oce is good. Note: High Volume.

Make sure your printer has a network support. You do not wish to be
dependant on a centally attached server with USB/Centronics etc attached.
Make for bad config and muchos gremlins etc.

For software, I have given up. It would apear there is an inverse aspect of
printer quality vs web page layout.

I go to google and do:
+Solaris +printermodel + download site:support-url.
:-)

----

Any Postscript capable printer will be easy to administer

----------------
We use HP postscript laserjet printers with jetdirect cards in them.  Windows
seems to deal with that OK, and the Solaris systems use the HPNPL package
from HP to tweak a few things that make lp work with these printers.  Nothing
difficult about install or use.

No experience with the lexmark gear on Solaris
Ric Anderson (ric@arizona.edu)
----------------------
It has been my experience that HP Postscript printers work (and play) 
well with all the major OS players out there.  The vast majority of our 
systems are Solaris, but we also have Apple (my desktop is a Power Mac 
G5), Windows (unfortunately), HP-UX, and Linux.  None of these systems 
has any trouble printing to our HP printers.  We have a Solaris print 
server, and all printers' queues reside on it.
Gary Chambers
---------------------------------
Lexmark is all we use. Period.

-Alex
------------------
Jetadmin/HPPI have these options as well and surely HP makes better printers
than Lexmark!  well, just my 2 cents with the last statement. :-)  HPPI does
have tray options and queues, plus you can customize most of the HP scripts
installed.

-chris
-------------------------
Just get a postscript enabled printer with a TCP/IP
printerserver built in.
---------------------------
Go with Lexmark. They're still very much supported. 

   -- M.
   -------------------------
   I have 500+ HP printers configured with HPNP on Solaris 8. Never a
problem.

I define Lexmark/Optra/Konica printers as REMOTE printers with no
spooling, never a problem. The mid-level Konicas (7040+ series) are
especially sweet, they understand most Postscript and lp options.

Printing is not the drama it was back in the 90's. Back when I was a
operator on Sequent/old Solaris 2.5.1, we had a guy who spent 5 hours
a day chasing down printer BS. Now I just confine users to purchasing
only HPs and I only spend 2 hours a week on printers, tops.

YMMV
JV711
-----------------------------------------
Lexmarks are good.

You can't lose with a printer if it supports postscript. Pretty much 
everything from within Solaris prints postscript.

I have a Brother Postscript capable laser printer and it works 
flawlessly. I print to it from Windows and from Solaris. I don't have 
Mac's but I'm sure they have a driver for that as well. As a matter of 
fact I think Brother provides MAC drivers.

Good luck
---------------------------------------------
hp postscript laserjet with built-in networking

you print directly to the ip address with printmgr.
you print directly to the port with cups.
------------------------------------------------
 If you've used CUPS to set up printers on Mac OS X, perhaps you could
consider its use on Solaris, and thereby get access to all the control
it offers.
   I tried a commercialized version called EasyPrintPro but I wasn't
able to get an eval copy in time for my project and went with something
else (Xi-Text). Anyway, that would let you use any printer you like,
'cause CUPS has such wide printer support.
   We have lots and lots of HP printers. I use both jetadmin to print to
them, as well as dumping text jobs into our Windows print servers'
spoolers. I would prefer some more control over output, but you take
what you can get. :7(
-wde
--
Will Enestvedt
UNIX System Administrator
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