Printing logos with a windows only printer

[mst-star]

Hello Guys,

I was wondering if there is a way to install a windows only printer into linux (distribution does not matter) and be able to print images such as logos that are either stored in the printer or generated by an application? Any suggestions would be helpful.

[oz]

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Hello and welcome aboard!

If you are sure the printer is 'windows only', I suppose you could run Windows on a virtual machine under Linux and it should print fine.

[mst-star]

Hello,

Thank you for your reply. I will definitely give this a try. Do you have any recommended virtual software that i could use? I was looking at one called Virtualbox but i was reading somewhere that it had trouble detecting USB devices.

[oz]

I've never tried running Windows on any of them but if virtualbox won't work out for you, maybe check out qemu, vmware, and xen as possible alternatives.

[mst-star]

Thanks again for the reply,

i have not tested this yet but i just realized something. I am trying to print from an ubuntu application. Is there a way to send this print job to the virtual machine or to share the printer from the virtual machine to ubuntu without the need of drivers or through some generic driver?

[oz]

i have not tested this yet but i just realized something. I am trying to print from an ubuntu application. Is there a way to send this print job to the virtual machine or to share the printer from the virtual machine to ubuntu without the need of drivers or through some generic driver?

Sorry, I've never tried that either, but a quick web search revealed the two following links that might offer some type of workaround that you could use:

Windows-only printers

Linux/OSX - Printing to Unsupported Printers (e.g. Canon MF5770) | Input Jam

In the end, it might be more trouble free for you to migrate to a Linux compatible printer if that is an option. Let us know if any of the tips at those sites above work out for you.

[voidpointer69]

mst

Virtualbox now works perfectly with USB devices. Be sure to install the "Guest OS extensions".

[voidpointer69]

mst

Why do you say it is "windows only". Have you searched for a linux driver for it?

[mst-star]

Yes. I searched everywhere i could think of for drivers and there are absolutely no drivers for either mac os or Linux.

[Steven_G]

This is how I solved the same problem:

1) When you install *nix to your machine set up a separate home partition for your data.

2) Install Virtualbox. But, not the version in your distro's repos. Download it directly from Oracle. The original version is much better.

3) Build a windows VM. Set up shared folders. Give the VM read / write access to your home folder.

4) Install your printer drivers in the VM. Plug in the printer. Capture the printer under the VMs "Devices" menu.

And away you go.

You'll be able to access and modify the docs from either side of the box.

So let's say you want to cook up a cool flyer without paying for photoshop. You do your artwork in GIMP and then import it in to MS Publisher.