ChatGPT Builds a Scan Server

Printers share attributes with fiberglass boats in that they do last a long time – especially if well cared for.  We’ve had an HP Laserjet 1320 in the house for decades and it’s been quite reliable.  Our challenge is that it’s a USB (or parallel port) printer and we’ve struggled with the network contraptions I’ve built to connect it to our home network – so when I found a printer that uses the same toner cartridges, low page count, embedded scanner and networking capability on eBay – I jumped and spent $80 to upgrade us to another (very) old printer. So long as the hardware works – we’re good – right?  No.  What I learned from this little escapade is that unlike the Day Sailer – printers can be made obsolete by the companies that built them by making the software incompatible with the legacy hardware.   (You may wonder why I chose this path.  The short version is that toner is expensive and we have plenty of it, I don’t like inkjet, we only rarely print things but when we do, it needs to just work, and I like the thought of a low-stress MFP that can scan and (gosh) even fax or copy.)Things started well:  the printer has an RJ-45 jack and I plugged it into the network, it got an IP address and the computers in the house were able to find it and print quite easily using native drivers. Scanning was another matter – hence this post.a) The device ...
Source: Docnotes - Category: Primary Care Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs