HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

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cliffcoggin
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HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by cliffcoggin »

I am considering buying the above printer but can not find it listed in any of the CUPS or HPLIP sources, possibly because it is a fairly new model. Has anybody installed one of these machines in Mint 18.3 Cinnamon, 64 bit?
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Cliff Coggin
Ozo

Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by Ozo »

Do not expect to print wireless. I have an earlier version and it will not print wireless, needs a usb cable.
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stephanieswitzer
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by stephanieswitzer »

I just installed an HP Colour Laser Jet Pro M254DW. It too wasn't listed in HPLIP so I chose the driver for the M252 and it seems to work without any problems. Try the driver that's listed for the closest model to yours. There is also an HPLIP driver on the HP website
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by pdc_2 »

thanks Stephanie; I look on the HP hplip list to see if printers are supported;

you say the M252 driver; but I can't find it listed on this page either: https://developers.hp.com/hp-linux-imag ... ices/index

It seems to me there is no listing of a LaserJet Pro M281fdw or of a LaserJet Pro M252 https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-color ... pro-m252dw

In general, the cautious (or over-cautious?) suggest buying a device that IS LISTED on the official hplip page https://developers.hp.com/hp-linux-imag ... ices/index

who knows if this is right
cliffcoggin
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by cliffcoggin »

Thank you pdc_2 for the link to https://developers.hp.com/hp-linux-imag ... ices/index
which shows that the HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw is indeed supported. I don't know how I had not found that list in previous searches.

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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by pdc_2 »

thanks Cliff;

this is all very puzzling to me: when I load the hplip page of supported devices, https://developers.hp.com/hp-linux-imag ... ices/index and then use control F to find; I cannot see M281fdw listed at all; if you find it supported on that page, can you tell us which hplip version is recommended please?
Ozo

Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by Ozo »

3.18.5
Just scroll down a bit and you will see it. The post title is incomplete as the word Color is missing.

Image
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by cliffcoggin »

Stephanie.

It seems from that list that your printer is also supported except for scan to computer and fax. If your Mint does not find it perhaps you can steer it to the right drivers and let us know.

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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by cliffcoggin »

pdc_2. It seems that "color" has to be inserted into the title to make it findable. Just another complication in the chaos that is printing in Linux.

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stephanieswitzer
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by stephanieswitzer »

cliffcoggin wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 5:17 pm Stephanie.

It seems from that list that your printer is also supported except for scan to computer and fax. If your Mint does not find it perhaps you can steer it to the right drivers and let us know.

Cliff.
Thanks Cliff

I downloaded and installed the correct hplip file (3.18.6) My printer doesn't have a scanner or fax so I'm all set. It works great
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cliffcoggin
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by cliffcoggin »

[/quote]

Thanks Cliff

I downloaded and installed the correct hplip file (3.18.6) My printer doesn't have a scanner or fax so I'm all set. It works great
[/quote]

That's encouraging news Stephanie. In fact it's almost tipped me into forking out 216 quid to get the printer I want. All I need to do now is persuade a shop to let me make a test print to ensure the colour quality is decent before I buy. It shouldn't be hard to surpass the quality of my existing £45 inkjet toy, but I want to be certain.
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by stephanieswitzer »

The print/colour quality of the M254 is really good. I'm pleased that I upgraded from the inkjet
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by cliffcoggin »

I decided not to buy the printer just yet when I discovered it is supplied with "introductory" (i.e. only part filled) toner cartridges, and that replacements cost more than the cost of the printer. I knew this sneaky practice was common with cheap new inkjet printers, I had not realised it happens with better quality expensive laserjets. Oh well, lesson learned before it cost me any money.
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by Ozo »

Used Laser printers cost little and generic toner cartridges are inexpensive. That is what I did and am quite pleased with it. Of course the color Laser printers are not going to be found but I only print text in Black so color is unnecessary.

EDIT: I got an HP Laser Jet Pro M26nw open box for just $67.39 (total). Generic toner was 2 for $22.90 (total). It scans in color, copies, and prints (black & white).
Last edited by Ozo on Sat Jul 28, 2018 12:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by cliffcoggin »

I still use the same monochrome HP Laserjet 4000n that I have had for 20 years and it is still going strong. (It's so old I had to have a parallel port fitted to the computer for connection.) Allied with a colour inkjet printer/scanner they cover all my needs, but it would have been nice to combine both printing functions into one machine.
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by Ozo »

cliffcoggin wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 12:20 pm I still use the same monochrome HP Laserjet 4000n that I have had for 20 years and it is still going strong. (It's so old I had to have a parallel port fitted to the computer for connection.) Allied with a colour inkjet printer/scanner they cover all my needs, but it would have been nice to combine both printing functions into one machine.
I got a inkjet/scanner at a thrift shop (five bucks) for scanning purposes. It is out of ink but scans just fine. This and the laser printer fulfill my needs. EDIT: bought an open box Laser jet with scan/copy for $67.39 (total) at Amazon.
Last edited by Ozo on Sat Jul 28, 2018 12:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
cliffcoggin
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by cliffcoggin »

I have been forced into a change of plan when the 20 year old Laserjet showed signs of running out of toner. Rather than buy a new cartridge for it I bought the HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw to replace it. It is a lovely machine that does almost all I want, the exception being scanning to computer. Simple Scan does not recognise it, nor does the Xsane programme, while the recommended Scan to Secure Website method looks to be beyond my competence. If I can't get scanning to work I may have to keep an old inkjet printer/scanner just for scanning, which would be unfortunate as I was looking forward to reducing the number of machines connected to the computer.
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by MrT »

I use LM 19 in dual boot with Windows 10.
I just purchased and installed that very printer you mention.

I found installing it on Windows complicated in the sense that installing it via USB was incredibly easy. Wireless? Not so much.
Eventually somehow I managed. These bozos at HP still ship with CD software even if hardly any new laptop have shipped with one during the last 2-3 years and
that forced me to go looking for the software online and then I found more than one instance. Setting it up was a minor chore too. The explanations are very skinny and I had not done this in ages as my last printer dated back to 2008, I believe.

In LM 19 as soon as I logged in the printer was there and available wirelessly. I swear I did not do one single thing. And it prints. However, the scanner does not work. Nothing I tried seems to make it work. Simple Scan tells me that there is no scanner detected. I tried to connect the printer using the USB cable. Nothing. As a matter of fact I do not even think that I see the printer at all.

So, long story short: it works fine for printing. I have no clue why since I have done nothing, absolutely zilch, nada. Scanner is so far a lost cause. I can live with that as I only need to scan documents and I can do that in Windows, but if I have one complaint about this printer is that the installation manual is not very clear when it comes to setting it up in Windows. No word whatsoever about the Linux world.

It prints well as far as text goes. However, I have a book that I wrote and a complex graphic cover. The quality of the cover page is absolutely not up to publication standards. Colors are not rendered well, accuracy is low. I need to ask a friend of mine who is a professional graphic designer what is wrong with my stuff. I probably will have to move to vectorized graphic. I am not happy at all with the quality of the cover of my book. Not horrible by any standard, but not professional quality.
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by srq2625 »

MrT wrote: Fri Jul 27, 2018 2:25 am In LM 19 as soon as I logged in the printer was there and available wirelessly. I swear I did not do one single thing. And it prints. However, the scanner does not work. Nothing I tried seems to make it work. Simple Scan tells me that there is no scanner detected. I tried to connect the printer using the USB cable. Nothing. As a matter of fact I do not even think that I see the printer at all.
You may need to

Code: Select all

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install hplip hplip-gui
$ hp-setup
$ hp-plugin
That last command downloads from HP some code that seems to be required to get LM talking to the scanner (or is it the other way around?). This is the only way I've been able to get good quality print and scan (of any sort) from my HP LaserJet.
cliffcoggin
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Re: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

Post by cliffcoggin »

Much research revealed that the printer requires HPLIP 3.18.5 minimum which is not available from Synaptic. I downloaded the latest HPLIP (3.18.6) from HP, (redirected to Sourceforge,) and installed it from a terminal. Using the automatic option in the installer made the process easier than expected, though still nerve racking to a neophyte like me, so I can now print and scan wirelessly. See
https://developers.hp.com/hp-linux-imaging-and-printing
for instructions and download of the latest HPLIP.
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