Samsung Brings Linux To Line Of Laser Printers

Linux software laser

Through a development partnership with San Francisco-based Codehost, Samsung laser printers now support a wide distribution of Linux variants including Caldera, Debian, Mandrake, Red Hat, Slackware, SuSE and Turbo Linux.

The Codehost package supports GDI, PCL and PostScript printing systems and includes customer applications to install, configure and manage printers. It covers Samsung's entry-level to high-end laser printers. The technology was introduced at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo here.

"The good news [in Samsung's announcement is every time another company supports Linux, it just opens the door to making it easier for me to sell it," said Paul Kostick, owner of C-Tech Systems, a Sacramento, Calif.-based solution provider that is opening a new branch office focused exclusively on Linux server sales.

The popularity of the open-source platform stands to boost C-Tech's services business from 5 percent to 10 percent by 2003, Kostick said. Because printer drivers are often written by third parties, increasing support from manufacturers is a good trend from a solution provider's perspective, he said.

Samsung makes a line of monochrome laser printers with output rates ranging from 12 ppm to 21 ppm and estimated street prices of $199 to $799.

Samsung executives were not available for comment. However, in a statement, Chanel O'Connor, Samsung printer product marketing manager, described the move as a tremendous opportunity for the vendor to reach new users, "given the increasing popularity of the Linux operating system."

Paula Rooney contributed to this story.