Can't duplex print in 12.04

[David Fletcher]

On Wed, 2013-01-09 at 18:42 -0600, Jim Byrnes wrote:
> Fresh install of 12.04.
> Samsung CLX-3160FN network printer
> On 10.04 this same printer did and still does print duplex just fine.
> 
> Thanks,  Jim
> 
> 

I was asking for advice about purchasing a new printer a couple of weeks
ago, but there were no replies.

I've ended up getting a Brother HL-3040CN. Using the CUPS drivers from
the Brother web site, it works, but not until you've found the comment
on a mail list that you need to first delete the resulting queue, then
add it again using the ppd file that's buried somewhere
under /usr/share/.

What I wanted to do was have it working on the USB socket on my server
but so far I've not managed that so it's plugged into an ethernet socket
on the router. I suppose this isn't too bad with a home network but in
an office environment you'd have to go around installing the drivers
onto every damn machine in the place in order to use the printer. What
I've always thought is supposed to happen is that you install it on a
server then any other computer user who wants to use the printer just
sends to the queue on the server and doesn't even need to know what
make/model the printer is - it "Just Works".

Why am I tagging onto this thread?

It seems to me that CUPS and Gutenprint support is very much lagging
behind the market. When you start browsing the available printer support
on CUPS there's hundreds of models from all manufacturers but I couldn't
find one model in there that is currently available to purchase from a
retailer. Everything on there seems to be an old model, some from many
years ago.

I've no idea how to get this situation rectified, but something needs to
be done I think.

Dave