Fuji Xerox WorkCentre PE220 (and Samsung SCX-4500 Series) in Ubuntu

Update (05-Nov-09): Complete rewrite for Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala
Update (25-Apr-09): Updated for Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope and Samsung Unified Driver version 3.xx
Update (08-Nov-08): Updated for Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex
Update (30-Apr-08): Improved the workaround with hal-cups-utils
Update (28-Apr-08): Updated for Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron
Update (23-Oct-07): Updated for Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon

NOTE: The instructions here are for Ubuntu 9.10 onwards. For setting up this printer with older Ubuntu, go to this page.

1. Installation

A few important points with the approach here:

  • Some Xerox printers are Samsung OEM. This printer looks like a clone of Samsung SCX-4521F [www.samsung.com]. Treat this printer like the latter whenever possible.
  • Use CUPS for the printer.
  • Use the Samsung Unified Linux Driver for the scanner.

Step 1: Setup the Repository for Samsung Unified Linux Driver

No free or open-source alternatives are available to make full use of this multifunction printer yet. You will see later that we need the Samsung Unified Linux Driver mainly for supporting the scanner.

  1. Add the following repository:
    deb http://www-personal.umich.edu/~tjwatt/suldr/ debian extra
    

    You can do this with Synaptic Package Manager, Software Sources, etc.

  2. Install the GPG key, from http://www-personal.umich.edu/~tjwatt/suldr/suldr.gpg, for the repository. You can do this with Synaptic Package Manager or Software Sources, or paste this line into your terminal:
    wget -q http://www-personal.umich.edu/~tjwatt/suldr/suldr.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -
    
  3. Reload / update the repository information.

Step 2: Install the Printer Driver

Here, you can choose to use either one of the following drivers:

Either of the drivers seems to work fine. I personally do not have any particular recommendation yet until further testing. (For the moment I use the Splix driver.)

  1. From the start menu, invoke System -> Printing.
  2. Use the driver for 'Samsung SCX-4500 Series'. Choose either the Splix or the Samsung driver according to your preference.
  3. Check the 'Printer Options' in the 'Printer Properties'. Change the options where appropriate (especially the 'Paper Size').
  4. Try to print a test page. It should work!

Step 3: Install the Scanner Driver

  1. Install the samsungmfp-scanner package.
  2. Add users you allow to access the scanner into the lp group. You can use System -> Users and Groups from the start menu to do this, or use the adduser command. Logout and re-login to take the effect.
  3. Now xsane should be able to detect the scanner! You can use sane-find-scanner or scanimage -L to detect the scanner too.

2. Some Technical Details

Splix is included in Ubuntu 9.10. So it is now possible to use the printing feature of the printer out-of-box (without using the Samsung unified printer driver.)

For very complete and detailed instructions including various approaches for setting up Samsung printers, please refer to http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=341621 and http://www-personal.umich.edu/~tjwatt/suldr/.

Comments

Thank you!!!

Thank you!!!

Yes - thanks you kind sir.

I got stuck trying to install our xerox pe220 on a fresh build of ubuntu 8.04. Your instructions were perfect and have saved me many hours. This is my first attempt to move away from windows after ten years+ and it could have been a show stopper but for your effort.

Thank you again - all the best.

David from New Zealand.

Thanks!

Boy, was this a godsend! Thanks for the extremely clear instructions, and the cogent explanations. I would have been sunk without you.

Thank you.

I have been struggling to install this printer dirver for a long time now. Thanks to your clear instructions. Could install in a few mins.

Thank you for the help.

Thanks! It works for the SCX-4100 also.

Thank you so very much for the well-written steps, for not assuming a PhD+ decades of *nix expertise, and especially for the explanation of Why, in addition to How.

Print and scann all working lovely!

Mike F.

Works fine with SCX 4300 also

Your instructions are clear and precise - thanks ! I have been able to configure SCX 4300 for printing and scanning on Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 after I found your post. Since printer drivers for SCX 4300 are not available, the nearest choice SCX 4200 worked well.

-apillai

Stops Working in Kubuntu 8.10 / KDE 4.2

I followed these instructions in Kubuntu 8.10 with KDE 4.1 and it worked like a charm.

However now I've upgraded to KDE 4.2 (and done other things) and it has stopped working. I've tried troubleshooting and failed. If anyone knows of a solution I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks,
Erik

hello

Thanks, for the good articles...I am very intiresting..

Troubleshooting Workaround

A general-purpose workaround if your printer driver stops working is to remove and reinstall the driver.

I noticed that you can't use the provided menu option to uninstall the Samsung Unified Driver. Instead in Kubuntu you need to do the following:

sudo /opt/Samsung/mfp/uninstall/uninstall.sh

Simply then reinstall the driver as noted above. There's no need to remove the extra files mentioned in step 4 if you're reinstalling.

Problems with the samsung page

Hi, thanks for the info, you save my life.

But i have a proble, the samsung page dont works, i cant download the dirver.

Can you upload to rapidshare or something like that????.

Thanks

I just tested the Samsung

I just tested the Samsung link again... it does work. Maybe you can try it again?

ok

Ah, yesterday the page dont works, but today i can download the driver.

Thanks!.

SCX4300 successfully prints and scans on Ubuntu 9.04 32Bit

Thank You very much for this post. I could also manage to get the Samsung SCX printing and scanning with your hints on Ubuntu 9.04 32Bit. I used the driver for the SCX 4200 because the SCX 4300 did only work for the printer. With the installation of the 4200 driver the scanner was recognized but the wrong printer was installed. So I used the Ubuntu printer management and first installed with this the SCX4300 and then removed the wrong printer (CLP-300 when I remember right) within the Samsung Unified Driver Configurator. That was it.

My scanner Samsung SCX-4300

My scanner Samsung SCX-4300 doesn't work properly with Ubuntu 9.10. Reading yours guidelines I instaled only samsungmfp-scanner package helping synaptics and is OK. Thaks You.

Hi, I can't download Samsung

Hi,
I can't download Samsung unified linux printer driver, Samsung removed it from download center ...
have you saved a copy of it? can you upload it to rapidshare?
Thank you. G78

Hi G78, Oh... I found that

Hi G78,
Oh... I found that the driver was really removed under the driver download for SCX-4521F. But the unified driver is still available under other printers, e.g., for SCX-4500, from this link.
However, you don't need to download the driver directly with the method written here. Instead just get the driver from the repository.

It works

many thanks

pascal