Perhaps but the next Windows 11 update is NOT going to “break your printer”. If you already have a printer setup it will keep working even if its driver is an old V3 / V4.
Most of the old drivers are not distributed by vendors since we are talking about the era when CDs were included in the box.
I dunno about that. I just looked up an HP LaserJet P1015. It was a very inexpensive laser printer released back in 2003, over two decades ago, and it has drivers available for download from HP both Windows and Linux. The P2035 was released in '08 and it has available drivers to download.
Granted that is only two printer models from a singly company but I think you may be overstating the impact of this.
A lot of older printers may also support “Universal” PCL 5 or 6 Drivers from HP / Cannon / Epson etc.
As near as I can tell the HP PSC 1315 was released in 2004, over two decades ago. I can see how it’s aggravating for you but there can’t a double handful of those clunkers still working anywhere in the world. There’s no way it could be worth it to HP to rewrite drivers for the 10 or so people still using them.
The driver disc from archive.org still works just fine
I do use Linux, and it “just works” there, except for high DPI
So if I want to use high DPI, I need Windows in VirtualBox.
By the way, the high DPI mode takes 20 minutes to print one A4 page. But the result is really damn sharp, almost like a laser printer.
Perhaps but the next Windows 11 update is NOT going to “break your printer”. If you already have a printer setup it will keep working even if its driver is an old V3 / V4.
I dunno about that. I just looked up an HP LaserJet P1015. It was a very inexpensive laser printer released back in 2003, over two decades ago, and it has drivers available for download from HP both Windows and Linux. The P2035 was released in '08 and it has available drivers to download.
Granted that is only two printer models from a singly company but I think you may be overstating the impact of this.
A lot of older printers may also support “Universal” PCL 5 or 6 Drivers from HP / Cannon / Epson etc.
I’ve got HP PSC 1315. When I tried it with Windows 11, it said it couldn’t find drivers, and to use manufacturer’s website.
Le HP
As near as I can tell the HP PSC 1315 was released in 2004, over two decades ago. I can see how it’s aggravating for you but there can’t a double handful of those clunkers still working anywhere in the world. There’s no way it could be worth it to HP to rewrite drivers for the 10 or so people still using them.
Switch to Linux. :)
Except that
So if I want to use high DPI, I need Windows in VirtualBox.
By the way, the high DPI mode takes 20 minutes to print one A4 page. But the result is really damn sharp, almost like a laser printer.