simple scan (long)

[Peter Flynn]

On 11/04/2020 13:55, Bret Busby wrote:
[...]
> I have at present,a Samsung CLX-3185FW,which I have previously
> successfully used via USB connection, for both printing and scanning
> with Simple Scan, with Ubuntu MATE, up to version 16.04.x.

Yes, USB print/scan has been around for a good while.

> The unit is apparently wireless, although I have never managed to
> use it wirelessly.

How is it connected? Direct USB or wired Ethernet? If it provides a 
control panel, make sure wireless networking is enabled. Try this:

1. log in to your network hub control panel (usually something like 
http://192.168.0.1 — check the third number is the same as the rest of 
your network, it might be 1)

2. find the section on "Wirelessly connected devices" (it may be called 
something slightly different: they all vary). This will list everything 
connected to your wireless network (pc, phones, pads, printers, smart 
watches, etc). Note down the IP addresses and MAC addresses (and device 
names, if any) — or just print the page.

3. turn off the printer, wait 5 mins

4. refresh the page, see any differences.

5. turn on the printer, wait 2 mins

6. refresh the page, see any differences.

Assuming nothing else has connected suddenly (eg family member coming in 
from the garden with their phone :-) then the difference will be your 
printer. It might even be obvious, as printers have default names, and 
these may show up in the Connected Devices list.

> HP apparently bought out the printer division of Samsung, some years 
> ago, so new Samsung printers are no longer manufactured, and HP 
> multi-function devices, such as the one to which this thread
> relates, have superseded the Samsung ones.

Right. HP apparently wanted to stop competition in the larger size 
market (A3 and Ledger paper printers and bigger).

> Thus, when the time comes, to replace this unit, the equivalent
> would be an HP one. It may be that I need to replace it, sooner than 
> anticipated.

Not if it's working and you can get cartridges at a reasonable cost.

> My missus, being a Windows software systems developer, has an HP MFP 
> M130FW mono multifunction unit, which she has used for printing,
> and, she believes, scanning, wirelessly, with MS Win10. She wants a
> colour unit to replace it, sometime.

Ah. Sound of light dawning.

> My UbuntuMate systems; 16.04 and 19.10, detect the M130FW, number of
> rooms and brick walls away; the 16.04 system shows it as a printer
> and a WiFi host, and, the 19.10 system shows it as a WiFi host.

Ignore the wifi host stuff.

> Whilst I have not yet successfully printed to it, using WiFi, I am
> wondering whether Ubuntu, and/or, Linux in general, provides wireless
> scanning through Simple Scan (or its successor), 

Linux itself doesn't know or provide anything to do with scanning or 
printing, as far as I know (although kernel bloat may be adding stuff 
I'm not aware of). Printing is handled by CUPS, and scanning by several 
programs (eg SimpleScan, Sane, and others) each of which probably uses 
different scanner libraries, but all of which ultimately connect the 
same way to a scanner.

I know nothing about SimpleScan because I never got it to work at all.
I do use XSane with HP wireless multifunction devices and it works fine, 
so I am not motivated to change or even investigate anything else.

> for HP multifunction units or otherwise, or, whether it is simply
> better, if getting an HP multifunction unit, to connect to a Ubuntu
> Linux system, to not bother with the wireless functionality, and use
> USB connection.

This *was* true (use USB) in the days when printer/scanner makers were 
fairly ignorant about how networking was supposed to work. You used to 
have to fiddle with DIP switches and horrendous LCD control panels and 
input network addresses and other stuff.

But things have moved on. If you buy a new printer nowadays, it probably 
comes ready for (a) direct USB, (b) wired Ethernet, and (c) wireless. 
Power it up and it will connect immediately to your wireless network 
(assuming your network is promiscuous). If your Linux system has CUPS 
and Samba installed you can run the CUPS interface (usually in Menu > 
Admin > Printers) and it should immediately scan for printers and find 
it regardless of how it's connected.

All my printers have done that on all my systems for the last decade.

There *are* still problems occasionally, especially with bigger printers 
(A3 and Ledger and above), notoriously a bug that won't print the whole 
large sheet but only an A4 or Letter area in the top corner. This is 
down to broken CUPS drivers (PPD files) and can be fixed by downloading 
an up-to-date PPD file from the manufacturer and reinstalling it into 
CUPS. At worst, find an up-to-date Mac and copy the relevant PPD file 
from it — Apple wrote CUPS, and their version is usually pretty up-to-date.

If you get stuck, you can always open your browser and go to 
http://localhost:631 and you'll get the CUPS web interface (don't use 
Chrome, it's broken for authentication).

Scanning is different. Well, the data moves in the opposite direction, 
for one :-) It's still fiddly and unreliable, and manufacturers sign 
agreements with Microsoft and Apple to release the tech doc to them 
only, so Linux device driver authors have to guess, or wait, or try to 
reverse-engineer it, or beg.

*Some* manufacturers do release Linux drivers (eg HP, Brother), which is 
why I stick with them despite other problems (forcing you to install new 
cartridges before the old ones are empty; and not allowing third-party 
cartridges).

> I already have (but have not tried its wireless functionality, as 
> yet), a Samsung M2835FW mono wireless laser printer, which has
> worked quite well with USB connection to UbuntuMATe, so, wireless
> printing, should not be an issue.

Go for it. Definitely worth testing.

> So, could this issue of to what degree, Ubuntu provides wireless 
> scanning, if at all, 

Ubuntu itself does not provide it at all. It's all down to the scanning 
application[s] you choose to install and try out.

> for HP multifunction laser printers, via Simple Scan or its
> successor,, or,whether I should simply stick with connection via USB,
> for scanning via Simple Scan (or its successor) please be clarified?

If you have a desktop system and the printer within cable's reach, then 
USB or even wired Ethernet might just be the simplest.

If you move the systems around, or if you use laptops, then wireless is 
the way to go.

> I am also mindful of the imminent release (expected in the next
> couple of weeks or so) of Ubuntu 20.04.

I wouldn't expect anythiong to change there, but the authors or 
maintainers of the scanning applications themselves might provide 
updated versions of their own software.

Peter