Posted By: Jennifer Cisney (8/27/2009)

Comment: Thank you to everyone that left a comment sharing your thoughts and feedback. Due to repeat spam comments left on this post - we will be closing the comments here. You can still reach us at blogfeedbackATkodak.com

Posted By: Ricky (8/17/2009)

Comment: Hi Stephen, will try to see what I can find out about your concerns...first stop for many AiO questions is www.Kodak.com/go/support

Posted By: Stephen (8/10/2009)

Comment: I have an ESP 5 and it works great under 10.5. My problem, though, is that I can't print from XP under Parallels. Does anyone know how to make this work?

Posted By: Gavin (7/30/2009)

Comment: Does anyone else find that the WiFi link for the ESP7 keeps dropping off. I find I have to re-set up the machie approx once every month or so

Posted By: dave (7/16/2009)

Comment: I just have to thank you guys at Kodak for taking care of me in a big way with the ESP 5 printhead problem. I didn't expect all the sincere effort to remedy the problem. You get way high marks for customer service. So far the replacement is getting a high marks too but the printer itself will earn high marks if it lasts a few years. Thanks Again!

Posted By: dave (7/16/2009)

Comment: I just have to thank you guys at Kodak for taking care of me in a big way with the ESP 5 printhead problem. I didn't expect all the sincere effort to remedy the problem. You get way high marks for customer service. So far the replacement is getting a high marks too but the printer itself will earn high marks if it lasts a few years. Thanks Again!

Posted By: Ricky (6/26/2009)

Comment: Hi Dave, I'm sorry to hear that you are having problems with your printer.I need to get some more information on the specific error you're having. For general troubleshooting quesitons please check out http://www.Kodak.com/go/support Look forward to getting you back up and printing soon! Ricky

Posted By: dave (6/26/2009)

Comment: I have the printer head error and reinstalled the head and in cartridges many times and I still get the error. The printer is 5 weeks old and I used it 20 times maybe. What's up? The Vista drivers are all updated. Just turning it on gives me the error. Hmmm?

Posted By: Andrew (6/15/2009)

Comment: No Linux support???? Give me a break Kodak! With so many companies using Linux as their standard, how could you justify overlooking this widespread OS? I recently bought one of these beautiful but useless machines and feel completely abandoned by Kodak. There is no support for Linux users and I'm not holding my breath. Kodak seems to be late to bloom and early to wilt- They were one of the last companies to enter the digital camera market and haven't contributed anything really groundbreaking- very sub-par, in fact. It seems they have decided to be identified as a second-rate company and are not to be taken seriously ***Box stores be warned- large numbers of Kodak printers will be returned!!!***

Posted By: JR (5/15/2009)

Comment: MDB: My impression was that the ESP 5 was just a old 5x00 series in a new shell. The 7 adds wifi built in and the 9 also includes ethernet support. While these are welcome additions, there is no good reason for them not to have included wifi on the 5. Also, why have they still made it a headache, if even possible to share these printers off of your own computer? Mant reviews tend to suggest that this is still an area of major concern. Apparently, this is slightly improved, but only if you are not using different OSes on your multiple machines. No one asked for Wifi to be built in, but it is a nice, minor touch. It would have been better for them to simply allow any wifi router capable of sharing a printer to be able to share Kodak printers. My Epson and HP's have never had this handicap. At least they are progressing, but even with their new major marketing campaign, I think they have burned too many people with their original 5x00 line and these new, somewhat feeble attempts to correct their limitations are likely too little, too late.

Posted By: MDB (5/13/2009)

Comment: Grrr. Was assured that the ESP 5 would work with OSX 10.5 and through an Airport Extreme. IT DOESN'T and when you print direct via USB it's noisy and slow. Returning it and off to find a suitable HP machine.

Posted By: JR (5/5/2009)

Comment: David Rathbone: Glad their offerings have met your needs. I very much wish I could back them. I wish the printer I bought worked as a modern printer should. I wish Kodak didn't choose to release their printers as crippled devices. I wish I would share my Kodak printer. I wish my Kodak printer was network capable. I wish I could use my Kodak printer with Linux. I wish Kodak cared enough to release a usable product. Maybe after a few more years, I will give them another chance. A year after buying the 5300, I still feel burned. It is never good for a company when their customers, who were willing to give them a chance a pay money for their product, to immediately feel it was a mistake. It isn't good when their customers feel forgotten or ignored. It isn't good when their best product in years, with tonnes of potential and great coverage, ends up disappointing so many of their early customers. But their ink is cheap.

Posted By: David Rathbone (5/4/2009)

Comment: Well-done Kodak! You have gone from analogue film to digital image capture and printing and made the changes to the brand, recognising and predicting the market. The new low cost Inkjet inks makes colour printing affordable. I have a Kodak-ESP3 and it simply works and is cost effective!!! Unlike other printer manufactures that want to make money on the over priced consumables (ink). Kodak has taken the bold decision to offer its inks at realistic prices. I strongly recommend that other consumers back Kodak and like myself enjoy being able to print again without having to watch the page cost. David Rathbone (Banbury)

Posted By: Alan (4/10/2009)

Comment: It has been ONE year since the post regarding Linux drivers soon being available- "Posted By: Ron Baird (4/11/2008)" I guess a year is too soon still?

Posted By: BillM (4/2/2009)

Comment: does anyone know how to set up esp 5 from a linksys print server

Posted By: MarkS (3/12/2009)

Comment: I'm shopping for a new printer to replace my HP all-in-one. I use Linux, so it was very helpful to know to not buy this printer. I'm actually looking at the Kodak ESP line, so I'll go specifically check if those work on Linux.

Posted By: Bernard James (2/1/2009)

Comment: Kodak, I admire your stoicism in publishing some 150 complaints that your printers do not have Linux or Macintosh compatability.

Posted By: uk Kodak user (1/4/2009)

Comment: I have a 5100, I bought this for my windows Vista system, since then I have bought an acer one with Linux, I then did some work on it which I needed to print, plugged in my Kodak and discovered that it does not work, I e-mailed Kodak to ask where I can download the drivers from only to be brushed aside with an e-mail that stated we do not support Linux and will however pass your comments on to the relevant department, as it did not work I popped next door to my friend to try his printer which is an HP all in one, plugged it in and away it went, Kodak take notice people will buy HP, you are missing out on a vast market of netbooks not to mention the one laptop per child campaign and major companies such as Dell who now ship with Linux, all of these need printers it is a shame they will not be Kodak printers!!

Posted By: JR (12/29/2008)

Comment: Rick: Too late. Kodak got tonnes of coverage and exposure for their EasyShare line when it launched. People were filling to hand over their money for the promise of a printer that has high quality and very low cost for ink. They actually managed to deliver on this. But, there is always a but. In this case, they managed to alienate huge numbers of their potential customers. In looking over the vast number of complaints, just on this page, you can see that pretty much all of them could have been corrected with software patches. They were pretty much all driver (or lack there of) limitation. Instead of fixing these glaring disabilities, Kodak does nothing. When I first bought my 5300, I contacted Kodak about a glitchy first printed page (since resolved itself) and asked about when they would provide network support. They asked about the fuzzy first page, and completely ignored the question about network support. I responded that the fuzzy printing resolved itself and asked again about network support. Never heard back from them again. They just ignore the question like it was never asked. If you do get lucky and get a response, it is simply that they don't support networks. WTF kind of printer can't be networked? Anyway, Kodak has missed the boat on this. There is so much bad will over their 5000 series, no one will notice when they release new products that kind of, sort of address some of their missing, critical functions. It is really too bad. They could have hit a home run. HP, and even Lexmark and Epson are going to continue to eat their lunch.

Posted By: Rick (12/26/2008)

Comment: Kodak can not afford to let this move into printers fizzle. They are fighting an uphill battle moving into a maturing market with a degraded customer base(film users). I think they have a great idea but that only gets you about 20 percent of the way there. So many companies in their pursuit for market share forget that it is made up of individual customers. Instead of telling potential customers what you can't do, why not work at giving them all you can. Legacy systems and different Operating Systems are going to become more of the market.

Posted By: Joseph Short (12/23/2008)

Comment: Ron, when I see or hear a corporate representative say something along the lines of "we are planning to do X," it is an absolute certainty that "X" will never happen. I am fifty years old and have seen this over and over. You should just be honest and say that Linux will NEVER be supported by Kodak, and make this clear in all your advertising for your products. That way, Linux users won't hate you as much as they will when they buy your product only to find you've taken their money and are giving them the proverbial finger. I just got through watching an advertisement for a Kodak ESP-3 printer, and discovered, through some research, that any Linux-using customer will be burned if he/she actually buys it. (In these tough economic times alienating potential and actual customers is probably not a smart policy, but that's you guys' call.)

Posted By: Ron Baird (12/17/2008)

Comment: Greetings Ken, Your comments will be seen by the right set of eyes, Ken, I can assure you of that. I can also commiserate with you over the difficulty in getting good technology for your work. Technology sometimes moves faster than you can get out your wallet. I am working on a machine now that is several years old as well. We do have Windows XP Pro, however, and our systems are in pretty good shape. If you do decide to upgrade now is a good time as the price of components or entire systems are low. I know some large companies are interested still in making sure our schools have the technology to teach our youth. I would check with them to learn more about programs they might offer. Review the options that your school might get for help from providers like Dell, Microsoft, and others. With the economy in its current state, it would be unlikely that you would be able to get help from the government. Regardless, Ken, once you figure out what to do about your computer woes, you will be well pleased with your printing results. Although I cannot help you more directly, I do understand. I will be sharing your concern with others. Sorry we cannot provide the Win2000 drivers. I wish you success in your efforts and thank you for being such a dedicated teacher. You do make a difference. I wish you a Happy Holiday, Ron Baird The friendly Kodak guy

Posted By: Ken Massey (12/16/2008)

Comment: I appreciate the sympathy, but it doesn't put bread on the table. I have gotten "lucky" as it were in that my school has come forward with an MS Enterprise license that includes staff at home machines so they gave me an XP upgrade disk. Which would be great if my main machine had enough RAM so now I am saving for an upgrade. Last time I upgraded it was from WinXP to Win2K about 10 years ago and that took almost two weeks of re-installing and "fixing" old applications. This time I am losing Visio 4.0 (from long prior to MS purchase of Visio) for which I had a 10 user license for the classroom. It just irks so badly that every "step forward" is so often a LEAP backward for those at the bottom of the food chain........ BTW, it was a Lexmark X83 all-in-one that died thus starting this chain of misery...... was getting hard to find the color cartridges for it anyway <he rationalizes> ........ I understand the financial arguments about not building and supporting "legacy" systems. But it is short sighted in this case as far as the lower legs of our community stand. MS does the same thing with their ever more bloated, ever more expensive version upping and prior version retiring policies. We at the bottom only gain access to the Internet in the first place with long expired passdown machines and often our students are fortunate to even get that much of an advance out of their own disadvantages. But I am rambling (as old codgers do). Just taking advantage of a place to TRY to influence future decisions and otherwise venting on long-standing issues of mine. Thanks for listening.

Posted By: Ron Baird (12/16/2008)

Comment: Greetings Ken, I can appreciate your need and wish I could help. A review of the packaging for the ESP9 did not reveal any reference to Windows 2000. We tried to make it clear that the only operating systems supported were Windows XP and Vista. We have it on our web pages as well. Sorry we cannot help with specific drivers for Win 2000. We appreciate your choice of the ESP9 WiFi compatible printer. Although we do not have drivers to enable your system, there is a USB hub network option from Silex you might try. If you tell them you have a Kodak printer I believe you will get a discount. Options to consider are to upgrade your Operating system. I suspect you can get a pretty good deal on an upgrade, especially since you are a school. If not, and if you still have the option to return the printers, I would. I wish I had more to offer and am sorry that you did not notice the requirements on our packaging and web pages. If you think I can help in some way in the future, let me know. Ron Baird the friendly Kodak guy

Posted By: JR (12/15/2008)

Comment: Ken: sorry to hear that you were also burned by Kodak's in ability to produce a useable printer. It is funny that they then claim "we always suggest the right path forward that is best for our customers". I guess the right path for their customers is to make sure that you are NOT in the following groups: Linux users, users in a heterogeneous platform environment, anyone using a network, wifi users, Windows 2000 users. If you do happen to fall into one of these groups, you can wait and wait until maybe Kodak opts to recommend some third party solution or to recommend that you buy their newer, more expensive printers that _might_ address their limitations. If you fall into more than one of these groups, you are pretty much SOL with Kodak. I used to be a fan of Kodak. I will never recommend their products again. They just seem to wallow in incompetence.

Posted By: Ken Massey (12/15/2008)

Comment: I am a part-time teacher in local high school so budgets are particularly tight (especially in this economy). My old Epson recently bit the dust and I have been searching for a source of Kodak ESP9 based on the commercials for low priced ink. After two months (sans printer) I finally found one and eagerly brought it home. NOW I find out there are no Windows 2000 drivers for it. No return policy (special going out of business sale) and nothing I can do with my 3 computer network. It will be another 6 months before I can save enough to purchase another Epson or HP, all this while without a printer. Come on KODAK, there are tens of thousands of us low-income teachers out here still using Windows 2000 (and Windows 95 even) on donated equipment. There must be something you can do to provide support! Or at least put a surgeon general warning on the box that says in full, bold capitals: THIS PRINTER WILL NOT WORK WITH ANY OPERATING SYSTEM OTHER THAN WINDOWS XP, WINDOWS VISTA, OR MAC OSX SO DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY!

Posted By: Ed Davison (12/9/2008)

Comment: I too vote for Linux drivers. Using the USBLP kernel module, the system can see and detect the printer in CUPS. However, anytime a print is attempted it just disappears and never prints. But, the driver does unload and reload itself every time you print. Nice. An unsupported PPD file would be a big help as well.

Posted By: Rick Burke (11/25/2008)

Comment: I just sold my Kodak 5500 on Craigs. I bought it last summer at the time I assumed it could be used with Linux. To learn that Linux is just out is frustrating. Thanks for the heads up.

Posted By: Ron Baird (11/24/2008)

Comment: Greetings JR, Kodak is always working at imrpoving and updating its products, services, and software and firmware where it makes sense and serves the customer. You can count on it. Yes, JR, if Mohan purchased a 5500 model printer and wants to use it on a Mac Network. I would return it, if possible, and consider the ESP9 model, as it has WiFi capability, which is what was noted. As to the what to do, we always suggest the right path forward that is best for our customers. It may be a little serpentitious at times but it is always best. I understand that you may want Linux support and it as has been noted in the past that Kodak has not given up on that feature. I am afraid that now is not the best time. None of our printers up until the ESP7 and 9 were network devices, yet they are excellent printers that do a great job at a low cost. Many have chosen to use our printers and we will always be here for them. Best Regards, JR, Ron Baird the friendly Kodak guy

Posted By: JR (11/24/2008)

Comment: Ron: Are you serious? Instead of doing the right thing and updating the EasyShare line, Kodak's suggestion to consumers is to try and return the POS and get an ESP? I am going to go out on a limb and guess that the ESP still has no Linux support. And as for the EsayShare not being a network printer...what sort of fool's device is a printer that cannot be shared on a network? I am sorry, but while the ESP might be a decent device, the experience with the EasyShare has ensure that I will never buy a Kodak product again. Far too little far too late.

Posted By: Rick Burke (11/22/2008)

Comment: So from What I have been reading here, Kodak will never have a Linux Driver? What a shame.

Posted By: kannan (11/18/2008)

Comment: hi kodak , I am a inkjet chemist,I am looking a position with kodak, pl contact thenkannan@hotmail.com

Posted By: Ron Baird (11/17/2008)

Comment: Greetings Mohan, Sorry to read that you are disappointed in our Mac support. Please be assured that Kodak stays on top of technology as well as support for the 5500 model printer and we will work diligently on your behalf to make sure your printer works with a Mac computer etc. What it won't do is work with Airport as it is not a Network printer. Also, you need the right version of the Mac operating system, i.e. MACINTOSH OS 10.4.8 or higher, A PowerPC G3 800 MHz (minimum); PowerPC G5 2 GHz or INTEL ® Processor is (recommended), 128 MB RAM (512 MB recommended), 200 MB hard drive disk space available, CD-ROM drive, Available USB port (USB 2.0 recommended). If you have the least of this configuration the 5500 will work for you as a connected printer, with the recommendations, it will be much better. Since you noted that you use Airport and if you are still within the time to return the 5500 printer, I would return it and consider the ESP9 model. It has a new look and a great new look. It includes Fax, and has WiFi compatibility and will work with your computer and Airport. If you are beyond the return date, consider the Kodak alternative of using a WiFi USB. Silex Technology America, Inc. provides full pre-sale and post-sale support for the Silex USB wireless device server. Before installing it, connect the 5500 Printer to your computer with a USB cable and make sure that the printer can print and scan from the computer. If it does, consider the Silex Technology America, Inc. WiFi Hub. If the 5500 is unable to print and/or scan from the computer through a direct USB connection, troubleshoot the 5500 for connectivity. After the all-in-one printer establishes a connection and is able to print and/or scan, install the Silex Server. For further assistance with this Server, contact them at either www.silexamerica.com/kodak or call toll free at 1.866.765.8761. Good Luck Mohan let us know if you have questions (800 421 6699) Ron Baird - the friendly Kodak guy

Posted By: mohan (11/16/2008)

Comment: I recently bought a Kodak Easyshare 5500 and while this printer looks good out of the box, Kodak's Mac support is abysmal. The printer does not interface with my Mac laptop (OS X Leopard) nor with my Airport wireless network. It's pretty much just a heavy paperweight at the moment. Disappointing Kodak.

Posted By: Ben W (11/2/2008)

Comment: This printer does a pretty good job of printing. The scanner works great, too. But I threw it in the garbage because it doesn't have linux support.

Posted By: JR (9/25/2008)

Comment: My sister needed a printer, so we went into BusinessDepot last week. We were not looking at the Kodak, for all of the reasons that have been discussed here. Ironically, when I did ask the sales rep about Kodak, all he could say was "well, they are good for inexpensive ink". Other than that, he just slammed it. "I use Linux and it has no support. My roommates use XP and MacOSX and use an Airport to share a printer. This would not work with the Kodak", "We get almost every one we sell returned for defects, let alone customers that get home and find their various setups at home are not supprted" Good job Kodak.

Posted By: rec9140 (9/22/2008)

Comment: LINUX, LINUX! Where is the Linux support????? I see it all through the comments.... You support OS X, right??? Guess what you've got 80% of the work right there! OS X is based on BSD and uses CUPS. Now that MAC's use Intel x86 porting your binary blob for interfacing to CUPS should be a very trival work. Until you provide Linux support, guess what I've got to purchase HP C7280 at nearly 3x the cost for the equipment and the ink. I'd love to suggest the Kodak 5500 to all my clients, but they only use Linux. LINUX, LINUX. Are you getting the message???

Posted By: Crispus Attucks (9/13/2008)

Comment: You know... As my parents order their first computer, it falls to me to set it up properly for them. The lack of linux support for Kodak doesn't cause me to choose Windows instead of Linux, it causes me to choose a non-Kodak printer...

Posted By: Brian Oehl (9/13/2008)

Comment: Add me to the list of people who are very disappointed with Kodak for lacking Linux support. How can a company get it spot-on with respect to the cost of ink, and then totally drop the ball and alienate all Linux users. Why would you choose to make enemies of the smartest and most tech-savvy 1-5% of all computer users?

Posted By: JR (9/8/2008)

Comment: I don't think she was fired. I just think they don't really care. Too bad, as their lack of concern is costing them a lot of sales. But then, if you have already become irrelevant to modern consumers, what have you got to lose by staying the course.

Posted By: Brian Fistler (9/6/2008)

Comment: Has anyone else noticed that Susan has not posted ANYTHING since this article over 1 1/2 years ago? Does anyone else want to make a guess that MICROSOFT fired her for mentioning Linux?

Posted By: Disapointed (8/30/2008)

Comment: So Mr. Ron Baird, whereis the Linux support now?

Posted By: Phil Taylor (8/28/2008)

Comment: While my experience with a 5300 hasn't exactly been an easy one, I can't fault Kodak's support. I couldn't get the printer to recognise my black cartridge. They sent me a full set of ink FOC. After I installed that, it wouldn't print CYAN, they are now sending me a new head AND a full set of ink as I have used quite a lot printing test prints! With regard to Windows 2000. IT IS EIGHT YEARS OLD! Windows 2000 will be end of life in 2010. Why would a manufacturer waste time and resources developing a driver for Windows 2000? With regard to Linux, I agree there should be a driver but as the Linux community still represents less than 1% of total computer users I can understand why they are not exactly rushing to create one. Phil

Posted By: T. Contini (8/16/2008)

Comment: I bought three Kodak 5100 series P/S/Cs for my office, but had to bring them all back. I was surprised to learn there are no Linux drivers for these otherwise excellent devices. We returned the Kodaks for Epson All-In-One P/S/Cs, instead. For those of you looking for an All-In-One device for Linux, Epson offers excellent support across a wide range of printing and scanning devices for Linux. Epson even offers their drivers in .deb and .rpm files in addition to .tar binaries, so that driver installation is a breeze for most Linux distros.

Posted By: Pete (8/7/2008)

Comment: I'm quite ticked that Kodak does not have a Linux/Unix driver available especially considering that it would be quite easy to write an interface that would work in CUPS if you knew all the escape codes. The scanner part could be written for one of the existing scanner OSS packages. I work in IT infrastructure for a fortune 500 company. I guess I will have to rail against the possibility of my employer buying any Kodak products. You just lost a load of potential business for your arrogance Kodak. Think about that for a while.

Posted By: Andy Wood (7/9/2008)

Comment: I am yet another Lunix user that did not do his due diligence and homework, and went out and purchased a Kodak All-in-One 5500 Printer. It is a shame to see a company of this size and marketshare totally dismiss the Linux community in this fashion. I agree with recent posts that linux drivers do not have to have all of the Fully USB-Compliant flash and pop-ups that Windows users seem to love/demand/put-up-with so much. Linux users want to print, safe and simple. Now I must see if I can re-package this printer back to factory as best I can and return it to the store for a replacement linux-compatible HP or Brother printer. For the record, Xandros 4.1 running KDE.

Posted By: ybechar (7/2/2008)

Comment: Really??? It does not work with Airport... What a piece of S.... Good I investigated before buying. I assume it would connect through the Airport. My old Epson does and it is WAY older... Again, really??? It does not work with airport????

Posted By: Brian Fistler (6/14/2008)

Comment: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=20080608093610AAhOTfX I love being able to affect the purchasing decisions of users, even those who are probably running an operating system who you are "in bed with". I've actually got quite a few "Best Answers" in reference to printers and print choices, after pointing out the problems with your un-responsive company who doesn't seem to care a bit about it's customer's or it's product line? Are we going to get some beta Linux drivers here, or are we to continue to steer ALL customers, not just linux users, away from kodak to your competition. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=20080608112654AAZ5MZX

Posted By: Brian Fistler (6/14/2008)

Comment: I love being able to affect the purchasing decisions of users, even those who are probably running an operating system who you are "in bed with". I've actually got quite a few "Best Answers" in reference to printers and print choices, after pointing out the problems with your un-responsive company who doesn't seem to care a bit about it's customer's or it's product line? Are we going to get some beta Linux drivers here, or are we to continue to steer ALL customers, not just linux users, away from kodak to your competition. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=20080608093610AAhOTfX

Posted By: John Bradley (6/8/2008)

Comment: At work I have a mixed Windows/Linux environment that does a lot (and I mean a lot) of printing. To save $$ on printing costs, we considered purchasing the Kodak Easyshare 5X00 series printer. However, it seems as if there's no Linux support at all. Why do other companies like Brother and HP have such great support for Linux and not Kodak?? I'm getting an eeePC for home as well, which runs on Xandros (another flavour of Linux), and I can't get a Kodak 5300 because there are no Linux printer drivers for it...

Posted By: Brian Fistler (6/8/2008)

Comment: Another answer at answers.yahoo.com . For the rest of you Linux users looking for support... Let's get busy helping Kodak light a fire under the developer's butts... at least get us a beta driver out, or start loosing more WINDOWS customers! . . . If you end up replacing your printer, I would advise you to look at Canon, and would definitely NOT recommend Kodak... Regardless of what appears to be lower ink prices.' Kodak's support system and drivers are probably worse than ***ANY*** other printer manufacturer in the industry, bar none. Forget sharing your printer to other computers, forget anything but a "canned" response to questions, I don't know if their support people CAN NOT read plain English questions, or whether they just FAIL to do so, but answers from them will NOT be answers to your question, unless your question happens to fit their canned responses. At the moment they only support a very limited number of operating systems, and even after more than a YEAR of promises, they do not yet have ANY kind of support for Linux even though the Linux community has offered to produce the drivers FREE for them, if they would only supply the specs needed to write the drivers. They are obviously either completely incompetent, idiots, or being paid by Microsoft not to release linux drivers. (Or a combination of the above) I wouldn't trust them a bit at this point... Supposedly Linux drivers have been in the works for over a year... Who knows if they will ever get it right (Or windows 2000 drivers, or the ability to share from a wireless print server... You can't even share between SUPPORTED operating systems... and who knows if they will EVER support the next version of windows?) I, and the rest of the open source community have yet to get their attention. If they are unwilling to release specs, and unable/unwilling to release drivers for many operating systems, I'm suspecting they may be getting ready to discontinue the products, and you wouldn't want to be stuck with a printer that isn't supported. Stay away from them and go for a good printer that has decent after-market cartridges available for them. Many Epson/Canon printers have good after-market inks available, since thier print heads are not integrated into the cartridges themselves.

Posted By: Brian Fistler (6/8/2008)

Comment: As promised in my last post, I purchased a Canon... I did get a cheap one in hopes that you actually WILL get your act together... In the mean time, I've had to attempt to discourage someone (possible quite a few people) from purchasing a Kodak printer based on your poor software support. I sent an legitimate question about availability to your support staff and only received an canned generic we don't support linux response... Does your companyh actually hire anyone who is NOT an idiot, who can actually READ a question... My question was NOT do you support linux... I knew the answer to that before I asked... Find a printer that uses pigment based inks instead of dye-based inks. Pigmented inks fade much less from sunlight, washing, detergents etc, than dye-based inks do. Epson is a good choice. The Epson photo-transfer (Iron-on) paper is pretty decent also, but technically it should work with most brands. Kodak also uses pigment based inks, but their driver support is absolutely terrible, bottom of the barrel... Who knows if/when they will ever produce drivers for your operating system if you should ever decide to upgrade... I'd really avoid them at all costs at this point. Too bad, because the price of their ink is very reasonable, but since their software department won't support the printer with decent drivers, it makes the hardware pretty useless. HP, Canon (my personal favorite printer company), lexmark etc use dye-based ink in their cartridges. At this point, I'd really stick with Epson. The big thing with Epson, though, is make sure you print something in color at least once a week, or the print heads have a tendency to dry out... As long as you print a little color every week, they work great. (Even a single test page once a week if you haven't printed anything else is good enough to keep the heads from getting clogged.)

Posted By: Brian Fistler (6/8/2008)

Comment: As promised in my last post, I purchased a Canon... I did get a cheap one in hopes that you actually WILL get your act together... In the mean time, I've had to attempt to discourage someone (possible quite a few people) from purchasing a Kodak printer based on your poor software support. I sent an legitimate question about availability to your support staff and only received an canned generic we don't support linux response... Does your companyh actually hire anyone who is NOT an idiot, who can actually READ a question... My question was NOT do you support linux... I knew the answer to that before I asked... Find a printer that uses pigment based inks instead of dye-based inks. Pigmented inks fade much less from sunlight, washing, detergents etc, than dye-based inks do. Epson is a good choice. The Epson photo-transfer (Iron-on) paper is pretty decent also, but technically it should work with most brands. Kodak also uses pigment based inks, but their driver support is absolutely terrible, bottom of the barrel... Who knows if/when they will ever produce drivers for your operating system if you should ever decide to upgrade... I'd really avoid them at all costs at this point. Too bad, because the price of their ink is very reasonable, but since their software department won't support the printer with decent drivers, it makes the hardware pretty useless. HP, Canon (my personal favorite printer company), lexmark etc use dye-based ink in their cartridges. At this point, I'd really stick with Epson. The big thing with Epson, though, is make sure you print something in color at least once a week, or the print heads have a tendency to dry out... As long as you print a little color every week, they work great. (Even a single test page once a week if you haven't printed anything else is good enough to keep the heads from getting clogged.)

Posted By: JR (6/4/2008)

Comment: Actually, does Kodak even realize the number of customers that they have prevented from purchasing these printers? So far, from various readings it looks like no one should consider any Kodak products (especially the AiO units) if they are: Linux users (though Kodak appears to be making some very late, half hearted attempts now), Airport or other USB-->network sharing products (except Silex?!?!), Windows 2000 users, anyone working in a mixed network environment or separately supported platforms (i.e. no sharing a Windows XP printer to Macs or even Vista). So, they appear to be made only for people using only XP or only Vista or only Macs. No mixing, no variation, no exclusions. HP/Epson/Any other brand, here I come.

Posted By: JR (6/4/2008)

Comment: Kodak: add another Airport user to your list of lost sales. (Actually, add a few, as I have now recommended against any Kodak purchases to a number of people)

Posted By: Ian Varney (6/3/2008)

Comment: I am so disappointed that there are no win2000 drives available for the 5500 we purchase a huge amount of printers but only 40% of our 250 PC's have XP installed it looks like we will have to keep purchasing HP and getting ripped off on ink prices unless kodak get their finger out and support what people need and not just what they think we should have. (seems like microsoft's push for people to upgrade is being enforced by other manufacturers)

Posted By: Brian Fistler (5/29/2008)

Comment: Come on guys, let's get some drivers... My Canon IP4300 just died, after almost 2 years of use, and many thousands of pages of paper, and dozens of ink cartridges, both genuine and refilled. (It got friend during a thunderstorm last night, otherwise I'm sure it would still be going strong.) I'd be more than happy to pay the reasonable prices asked by Kodak for their ink, and would love to never have to refill another cartridge. However, I do not, and will not, own a windows machine, nor mac. Without Linux drivers, I'm going to be forced to go buy another Canon printer sometime in the next couple of days... Our digital camera is also getting dated, if we have to go with a canon printer, I'll be replacing our Kodak camera with a Canon, not a Kodak. I also have a computer consulting firm, and lots of customers running linux as servers, even a couple using linux on the desktop now, and would love to be able to take one of your printers for a test-drive and if happy with it, recommend them to my customers for desktop and even small work group printing, but if I can't use the printer, I'm certainly not going to recommend the printer to a client. I'm going to have to continue recommending Canon printers to my customers who's needs include inkjet printing. What does it take for you, and other hardware manufacturers, to understand that the Linux community **DOES NOT CARE** if you create a linux driver for your hardware. They will not hold it against you in any way that you do not have the knowledge, expertise, desire, finances, time, *whatever* to produce a linux driver for your hardware. We could really care less. ***ALL*** you have to do is release the information needed for the community to create their own drivers. If fact, if you produce a driver that isn't open-sourced, you will NOT make a majority of the linux community happy. A great example is ATI video cards. ATI produces a proprietary driver for the linux community and think they are doing a great service to them. The linux community snubs the driver as closed-source, and for good reason... It's can't be included with an linux distro, because it would violate either the GPL or ATI's copyright policy, it's buggy, needs to be re-installed with every kernel update, breaks other sub-systems like network card drivers, etc... They are giving the linux community drivers, but are shunned by any good linux user because they are not up to open-source standards. If the open-source community wanted poorly designed, closed-source drivers that crash your system and hinder performance, they would be running Windows, not Linux. Give the community what THEY need, and THEY will in turn give you what you desire most: Their money! Not to mention LOTS of good press and recommendations. I recommend or NOT recommend lots of products to lots of people and often make that decision on my personal experience with a given company. Like recommending a Canon camera because I know that Canon printers have performed admirably for me for years. I don't recommend Epson printers because I had 2 bad experiences with them, I don't recommend HP products at all, because I have received spam from them to spam-trap addresses, so I *know* they purchased my email address... The same will be true of Kodak and all their products. Either Kodak cares about it's customers, and it's potential customers, or it doesn't. If they don't care about ME, I'm not going to help them out. If you have even some "beta-level" driver available, let's see it, otherwise I'll be buying a new Canon printer this weekend, and I won't have a need to re-evaluate Kodak and it's products for another 2 or 3 years! Remember: If I don't evaluate something which has had a history of being finicky, high-maintenance, and supply intensive as a printer, there is just no way I'm going to recommend it to friends or clients. Doe we have some beta-level drivers yet so I can get a Kodak printer this weekend, or are the "heads" at Kodak still wondering how they are going to make such a minority of people (Linux users) shut the heck up and go lick their wounds? It's not going to happen, we're here, we're vocal, and we're very influential when it comes to people looking for suggestions for hardware. I'll check back here is 36 hours, see what's happening at Kodak. If I see something I like, I'll be back, if not, I'll check in with Kodak again sometime around the middle of 2011 and see if you have wised up (or are still around). Good luck!

Posted By: nerdswarm shawn (5/16/2008)

Comment: Having to return this as one computer in my network is still on Win2000 and no support available. Kodak, get on the ball if you want to be in this business...

Posted By: Bernard (5/5/2008)

Comment: I have two Kodak 5300 printers installed on an XP network. I wish to network share both of them to a Xubuntu Linux PC. Where can I download the necessary Linux driver or Postscript Printer Description file?

Posted By: Ron Baird (4/25/2008)

Comment: "Dear Linux community, we've heard you. Please check out today's post by John Manard (http://1000nerds.kodak.com/default.asp?item=2191668#comments) to see a scan of the first Linux print from our AiO injet printers."

Posted By: Yves (4/15/2008)

Comment: Well Friendly K Guy, it has been more than a year now, there are offers from the Linux community to do the port for free, they have no work to do themselves, I have given up and I do not see how someone would not

Posted By: Ron Baird (4/11/2008)

Comment: Greetings Linux users, Just so you know, Kodak has not given up on Linux-we hope you do not give up on Kodak? I am pretty sure that our engineers and top managers are thinking of Linux users and do want to help. How that will be done is up in the air right now but I suspect it is going to happen sooner or later. So, Kodak has not given up on you. Remember, as a corporation, Kodak has the responsibility to take care of all of its customers. Since the great majority of them are Windows and Mac users at this point, it leaves little time for research and development in Linux. That research does exist and it is ongoing. The fruits of that work may not be released tomorrow, but it is forth coming, it just takes time. Patience has its own rewards. Watch the horizon. Talk to you soon, Ron Baird - The friendly Kodak guy

Posted By: Alan (4/9/2008)

Comment: Awesome printer...if you run Windoze. Won't work with any of flavor of Linux I run, such a shame as The Gimp would love playing with the colors! Got it for Xmas and too late to take it back, such a shame to waste it on my "work" Pc running XP.

Posted By: Darryl Moore (4/5/2008)

Comment: Just bought a 5300 today because of the great ink deal. Figured I trash my otherwise perfectly good HP because they keep hosing me on ink. I didn't realize Kodak was so bad at Linux support. I guess I'll be taking this puppy back. Put me down as another lost Linux customer kodak.

Posted By: Trent Treviso (4/2/2008)

Comment: Add me to your list of Linux users who brought his Kodak 5100 printer back because he couldn't get it to run in Linux. Linux is the future of computing. Apparently, Kodak doesn't plan to be a part of it.

Posted By: http:// (3/30/2008)

Comment: Wish I had read this before the weekend. Bought a 5300 and discovered too late it won't work with Aiport Extreme. It is going back this week and Kodak has lost another customer. It is silly mistakes in execution like this that has resulted in a once great company becoming so irrelevant. This _could_ have been a great printer. Now is it just going to be open box clearance at Staples/Business Depot.

Posted By: Richard Brooks (3/20/2008)

Comment: I understand the Sigmatel STDC2150 inkjet controller is used in the EasyShare All-In-One printers. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but is it true that all that has been implemented so far is Bluetooth printing of images from digital cameras? What is the roadmap to providing network and WiFi connectivity on these devices? I've read the specs, there is support in the controller for it (see http://www.sigmatel.com/products/multi/inkjetallinones/stdc2150.aspx). I have a Lexmark printer that lets me print, scan, copy and fax from any Mac or PC on the network. Surely we can do at least as well.

Posted By: David (3/13/2008)

Comment: Susan, now that you seem to have a good piece of hardware how about some good drivers to go with it? You do not need to spend any development time to get this done, Novell will do Linux driver development for Kodak for the price of $0.00. Please work with them so we can use your product also. http://www.linuxdriverproject.org

Posted By: moi meme (2/29/2008)

Comment: Hi would like to know is S u s a n would like to reply on the linux driver support

Posted By: ken (2/22/2008)

Comment: The company i work for runs linux full time on all our pc's with a small exception of a few windows xp's. Ok lets paint the picture. # buildings in different locations with about 250 computers toatle. 10 of these printers were purchased for testing and were to be divided among our company. At a $160.00 a pop. so lets due the math that would be $1600.00 dollars of paper weights that were usless on our linux machines. All 10 were returned. Come on Kodak how bought some linux drivers!!! By the way this was sent from a linux machine.......

Posted By: Brett Alton (2/12/2008)

Comment: I'm a little ticked off that Kodak doesn't support Linux. I moved one of my web development clients from Windows XP to Linux and she absolutely adores it. However, when I came by to plug in her computer after migrating it, she had a nice Kodak EasyShare 5300 sitting at my feet "because its printer cartridges are cheaper." Well, it would have cost more for her to get me to switch her OS back from Ubuntu Linux 7.10 to Windows XP so she bought a Brother due to better support. I don't understand how Linux users can be so vocal and yet Kodak will do nothing about the situation. I'd like to see the statistics on Kodak's EasyShare AIO printers to see how often it was bought and how often it was returned. I guess you won't see those statistics because if Best Buy/Future Shop purchases your printers and then has a customer return the printer, it doesn't matter because you still got your money's worth. More corporate responsibility is what's needed. Good luck not supporting Linux in 2008, the momentum for Linux is a locomotive powered by solar panels, heat exchangers and wind turbines and backed by soon-to-be-developed quantum-mechanic technology.

Posted By: Sebastien Bailard (2/8/2008)

Comment: No linux drivers? I'll go somewhere else.

Posted By: Sebastien Bailard (2/8/2008)

Comment: I run debian linux or ubuntu linux at home. I'd get one of your printers, but they're not so useful without (GPL, ideally*) drivers. It looks like I'll go with another company. *Closed-source drivers are a pain, because it means much more work every time I upgrade a kernel or do a reinstall.

Posted By: Jeff (2/3/2008)

Comment: Linux support!!! where is it? why are companies so pig headed to think that Linux isn't a viable option? Or is it Microsoft (and to a lesser extent Apple) are now paying vendors not to write drivers for "that other operating system?" I smell a conspiracy going on!

Posted By: Ben A. (1/31/2008)

Comment: I recently bought a 5100 AiO printer for my mom, who does most all of her printing in Windows XP, though she uses Linux for all her online activities. I am very pleased with the design and functions of this printer. It is easy to use, and does a great job both in scanning and printing. I'd buy another one for my own use in a heartbeat, if Linux drivers were available. I use Linux exclusively, except for a few programs which I run in Windows 2000 running in a viortual machine on my Linux desktop. Since Kodak supports neither Linux nor Windows 2000, it pretty much renders this printer useless for me.

Posted By: Joshua (1/27/2008)

Comment: I love everything I've read about this product. I was just about to go out and buy one even though it was missing 2 items I really wanted (Duplex ADF for scanning both sides of a document and a built in ethernet port (NIC)) when I hit the deal breaker - no Linux support. I run XP on a couple of machines at the office, but mostly use Linux. Especially after Vista. I'm disappointed. Please support us. The numbers of Linux users are only growing, especially in European countries where its use has been mandated for state governments - hint, hint (more sales). Help the community out.

Posted By: Yves (1/11/2008)

Comment: To add to my comment below from 1/8/2008: I sadly had to return the printer. I do not understand why Kodak is so slow at supporting Linux. The other manufacturers are doing it. This will affect all my next purchasing choices, not only printer related when the Kodak name will be involved. I will have to go with the other brands.

Posted By: Mike (1/9/2008)

Comment: Man... I'd buy the 5100 today if it worked with Linux :-/

Posted By: Yves (1/8/2008)

Comment: Hello Susan, I found this web page from looking for help to make the printer work on Linux. Going from XP to Vista I was disappointed. I then turned to Mandriva as I work with my PC (no games) with Office and similar softwares. I liked it so much that I soon got an ultra compact laptop, Eee pc from Asus which runs on Debian. Both my pc and the Eee can not make my new 5100 work. I only have a few days to make it work before I ´ll need to bring it back to the store. Wish me luck to make it work on one of the two pcs. I like the 5100 very much, I wish to keep it. Thanks to Kodak to try and support a linux distro and thanks to you for your work.

Posted By: snacker (1/1/2008)

Comment: "We are thrilled to finally be able to talk to you about how we intend to change the future of printing..." on MS and MAC (kinda) and... what is a printer server?

Posted By: snacker (1/1/2008)

Comment: "We are thrilled to finally be able to talk to you about how we intend to change the future of printing..." on XP and MAC (kinda)

Posted By: Richard Nelson (12/28/2007)

Comment: I just got a 5300 and really like the print quality along with the ease of use. My wife is really goint to enjoy this and I like the low price replacement cartridges (low enough I don't even mind the propietery nature of Kodak regarding their ink cartridges) If they can keep the price down I believe they will have a hit with this product line. I was able to add mine to my home network. I have it hooked up to my main desktop (XP Home) and connected my laptop (vista) to it. It was a pain. here is what I did. Hopefully it will help someone else. This was for adding a vista machine to my Kodak 3500 printer on XP desktop Go to Control Panel. Choose printer. Then choose Add Printer. ChooseAdd a local printer. Click on Create a new port. The default in the drop down box is Local Port. Do not change that. Click Next. A dialogue box will appear asking for you to enter a port name. Type in the \\computer name\printer name ie. My computer's name is basement and the printer name is EpsonSty so I typed in \\EMACHINE\KODAK350 Yahoo! It worked. Go figure! I guess Microsoft thinks printers on a intranet are local. Hope this helps someone else so they don't spend the hours I did on it!

Posted By: Bob Bronkhorst (12/22/2007)

Comment: Any new news on the wireless networking? I purchased a 5500 (Mac compatible printer) and have a wireless network with an Apple Airport Extreme(n). Running Tiger and Leopard. Is this fix in the works or should I return? Thank you, Bob

Posted By: Jeremy Spurway (12/22/2007)

Comment: Hi, we have a single PC in the house. My lovely missus is (mostly) happy in M$ world, so that's what she boots up; me, I opt for Linux... unless I want to use our, otherwise fantastic, Kodak5300AiO. C'mon, Susan - your team put so much effort into designing a top-notch printer, can't you go the final step and produce Linux drivers, or even just put the required information in the public domain? I guarantee that there are Linux programmers out (t)here who will have drivers posted in under a week. Then you'll have gained a potential extra 30 million customers (estimated: http://counter.li.org). Apparently 'pester power' is at its strongest around this time of year, so mine is one more voice to add to the large number who've already requested Linux support... Any more? best wishes, Jeremy

Posted By: Jeff Rice (12/21/2007)

Comment: For get the printer for a minute I just have to say Susan is one attractive lady.

Posted By: Billy Smith (12/20/2007)

Comment: I bought an EasyShare 5100 about six months back, used it plenty, and loved it. Had a computer crash and, being a poor student, decided to reinstall with Ubuntu since I didn't have the WinXP CD and couldn't afford it. Guess what? Now I have an expensive paperweight. Well, I guess it still does copies. Maybe I can write documents on OpenOffice and hold the laptop screen up to the copy glass to get a "printout". :P Seriously Kodak guys, is this *that* incredibly difficult? They're saying there's 8 million Ubuntu users out there now (not even counting the users of all the other Linux distros), and the number is growing rapidly. Do you really want to alienate that many customers? If you don't want to put the resources into developing a Linux driver, at least provide the Ubuntu developers with the information they need to do it themselves!

Posted By: Ron Baird (12/17/2007)

Comment: Greetings Beth, I was reading the posts here and noted yours. Sorry to hear of your plight. I am afraid that the information you have is correct, that printer does not support Windows 2000. Rather, these printers are made to work with Windows XP SP2, Vista, and Mac OS 10.4.8. and later. It seems to me that the operating systems go back several years which in computer terms is a very long time. Kodak apparently chose to focus the resources they had to support the greatest majority. There are no drivers or support for Windows 95, 98, 98se, or Me, as well. Windows 2000 is in that time frame. I have not heard of any drivers that are planned for supporting your operating system. If you do not plan on updating your operating system soon, and since you have only recently purchased the printer, you may want to return it. It is a shame as the printer you chose is a really nice one with lots of features. If you do plan on updating, you will enjoy it. Good Luck and enjoy the holidays, Ron Baird

Posted By: Beth C (12/16/2007)

Comment: I very excitedly bought this all in one today, Kodak 5500, hoping to use it tomorrow for work, BUT, it does not support Windows 2000??????? Are you kidding?? I don't have time for this and I really wanted to be on the bandwagon against the outrageous hp ink prices. The hp rep was at Best Buy today trying to tell me I was wasting my money buying this printer, I just looked at him like he was crazy and walked away. Please email me and tell me you have drivers, I don't want to buy another hp and support their

Posted By: Mike Stone (12/14/2007)

Comment: What a shame. Kodak creates something truely innovative and puts themselves in a position to make a run at the big boys. Then they drop the ball. I'd like to say they fumbled on the one yard line, but it looks like they aren't even going to make it into enemy territory.

Posted By: Jerome Tiali (12/11/2007)

Comment: I bought one of these from Best Buy. Got it home and found that Ubuntu Linux just would not support it. I contacted Kodak but they couldn't help either. I am amazed that they are making no effort to provide even minimal support on Linux. Needless to say, I boxed it up and took it back to the store, and bought an HP.

Posted By: Ron Baird (12/10/2007)

Comment: Greetings Jim, My Daughter lives in Boston and works in the city schools. She is a confirmed Mac person. I also had one used it for a long time. I know the value of a network, Jim, and have worked on one for myself. I use a 5500 for my home and when I wanted to connect I learned that none of the current models work directly on a network. They are not designed for that purpose. When I investigated further, I learned that one alternative would be to connect the printer to one of the computers on the network, and then use that connection to reach the printer. It saves space and time. Worked for me and I let my Daughter know so she could use Airport to try the same thing. Anyway, just thought you might appreciate knowing about an alternative. Best Regards, Ron Baird The friendly Kodak Guy **************************** Comment:"We have amassed a worldwide team of inkjet experts. We have technology that is leading edge, with future generations already in the works." Sounds to me like experts they aren't. I bought this printer for a home network. Now I can't even use it with my two Macs over the wireless network. Unless this gets fixed I'm putting all my Kodak stuff on ebay and buying Canon. Cameras and everything. This is the type stuff that gets their attention, advertise a boycott somewhere!!!!

Posted By: D Crunkilton (12/8/2007)

Comment: A friend recommended that I get the new Kodak printer because of the many reasons mentioned. However, I will not buy any printer unless linux driver support is available. I only need to boot windows once a year at tax time.

Posted By: Albrecht (11/23/2007)

Comment: I appreciate Kodaks Mac OS X support very much. But while the printer driver seems to be somehow based on CUPS it is not really compatible to CUPS. I.e. it is not possible to use the printer over the network with a Mac. This is especially disappointing, since the PC version of the printer can be used over the network! I need this functionality for my home network, where I would like to share the printer with my Fritz!Box, which offers this functionality as a HP Jet Direct server.

Posted By: Don (11/8/2007)

Comment: A shameful waste of a former good name of Kodak. Who knows if the printer is any good the 5100 is not even Vista compatible? 8 hours of downloads support, remove this install that and no printer! THEN a support tech that tells me I must change my OS settings and when he crashes Vista just hangs up and leaves me to do a restore. Horrible support. Maybe a good printer if you have XP but for Vista stay far away.

Posted By: Bill (9/22/2007)

Comment: I have to say that my "out of the box" experience was pretty horrid...and I worked for Kodak for 34 years so I'm pretty biased! Got caught first by the OSX version check off the disk. Downloaded the new software package and abosulutely can not print to the beast from OSX. The utilities work and show everything is fine. I can scan photos into Easyshare etc. though I am disappointed that VueScan doesn't see the scanner...so much for great photo scans under OSX. Printing just sends everything to the bit bucket....sigh. I have WinXP on my Mac via Parallels and installed the driver set under windows. Prints just fine. What the heck is wrong with the OSX DIRVERS?...or me? All the local features work fine but not being able to just simply print has pretty much ruined the experience. ...that and the fact that I had to wait 5 weeks to get at 5500 from Kodak.com. I'm also disapponted that Kodak doesn't want you plugging this thing into a USB hub. Heck, I only have two ports on a MacBook Pro and I sure don't want to tie one up with a printer of all things. I suspect I'll get a lot of this cleared up tomorrow when I'm awake but the last 6 hours have not been pleasant. It leaves one scratching his head....

Posted By: Tux (9/7/2007)

Comment: Quit ur whinin'. There are other solutions. http://solutions.brother.com/linux/en_us/index.html

Posted By: Pat (8/23/2007)

Comment: Dear Kodak, I intend to buy an AiO printer within one month. Please make a formal statement regarding the support of Linux drivers for the AiO printers. I am hoping that you will support Linux so I can buy a Kodak printer otherwise I have no choice but to buy an AiO device that DOES support Linux. Thank you.

Posted By: Willy (8/18/2007)

Comment: I just bought the 5100 at Best Buy. It quickly became clear to me when I got it home that it doesn't support sharing. I have SMB setup correctly, have the client drivers installed on my Mac, and yet can't connect to the printer attached to my Linux server. I want to share it out in this way as we also have a Windows box in my child's room. Even just a basic Linux driver would help in this situation, as the server could print and the clients could just hook up as "Raw". Why the limitations, Kodak? I'm glad that you at least considered Macs plentiful enough, but it's a CUPS driver there so you're already on the right track! Please take the last step and just release a linux driver already. This is the particular audience that already knows how badly the other co's are over-charging, and would support you full-bore if you'd just take the small amount of time to release a driver.

Posted By: julakali (8/9/2007)

Comment: The ONLY damn thing that printers are lacking is Linux support. I would instantly buy one if it had Linux drivers available. And I'm impressed how many people are thinking the same :) I guess it's the more advanced users that realize that HP and Co. are overpricing their cartridges. The kind of users are more likely to use Linux...

Posted By: Sherry & Sheanice (7/31/2007)

Comment: We also would be interested in purchasing a printer thats affordable to use. We are looking at getting the Kodak printer for our store because it is a name that people trust, But for Scrapbookers a 12x12 printer is what we need to meet all of our customers needs.

Posted By: Mike (7/30/2007)

Comment: I contacted Kodak directly on the issue of Linux drivers for the 5xxx printers. What I got back was a line of double talk, that when filtered and translated into English, comes down to "We're in bed with Microsoft, and we're happy there". Oh well.

Posted By: Trevor (7/29/2007)

Comment: Do you remember only a couple months ago when Dell decided to start selling Linux-based systems? It was all over the front page of Digg and people were blogging about it like crazy! I think it would be a fantastic marketing decision for Kodak to embrace the Linux community and release drivers. We are very vocal and I'm sure it would result in lots of publicity.

Posted By: Pat (7/26/2007)

Comment: Well, its been over a month since a Kodak manager initially responded and we haven't heard anything more. No Win2k drivers, no Linux drivers (even though CUPS is used for Mac OS X). By limiting the platforms that can use the printer it appears that Kodak doesn't intend to run with the big dogs (Canon, Epson, HP) after all. And I was hoping...

Posted By: E. Murphy (7/21/2007)

Comment: Ditto on Linux support. I was at Best Buy this morning and the printers were in stock. I am delaying my purchase until Kodak adds support for Linux. Hurry!

Posted By: Tom Tucker (7/14/2007)

Comment: I too would love to get a printer like this, but as other people have posted, I would have to have linux drivers for the printer and scanner before purchasing. If Kodak would come out with these, I would purchase one in a heartbeat! Judging by the large number of comments, it would be a shame for Kodak to ignore the linux community.

Posted By: Steve Mathesius (7/12/2007)

Comment: It's interesting to learn that the OS X printer driver is based on CUPS 1.1. I am trying to print from OS X to my new Kodak 5500 shared off of a Windows PC. SMB is working, but when I try to print or run the Kodak utility I get an error that it can't connect. I understand that it if it were an actual CUPS driver, it should work. Alternatively, if Kodak helped develop a gimp-print driver it could also work. I contacted Kodak support via e-mail, but they didn't support me. They wrote back to say sharing a printer was unsupported & they couldn't help. Anyway, count me in as voting for a Linux driver. My sense is if Kodak brought out a Linux driver, then the folks on the Gimp-print project could add it and I could use the gimp-print driver rather than the native Mac OS X driver which doesn't appear to work in a cross-platform sharing situation.

Posted By: Eric Myers (7/4/2007)

Comment: I work on Windows 2K and XP, Linux and Mac, and I'm in the market for a replacement for an HP PSC 1600, in part because on the Mac it "just doesn't work". The price of ink is also an issue. I am likely to put the new printer on the Mac, but only after I hear that the supporting software works better for HP. But count me in as another person interested in Linux drivers. While the number of "users" of Linux is growing, there are a subset of active developers who would likely be willing to help you get your printer working with CUPS. Don't miss out on making use of that resource.

Posted By: Another linux user (7/3/2007)

Comment: I'm cheap and lazy, so I use linux. Your new line of printers is perfect for me, and lots of others just like me. So, how about that driver?

Posted By: Arno Wald (7/1/2007)

Comment: The printers do sound _very_ interesting, but only if I could use it with linux. So please, Kodak, help the open source developers to support your printers. (And no - no closed source drivers, please!) Otherwise HP will be the winner on the linux printing sector.

Posted By: Jim Gregory (7/1/2007)

Comment: I, too, would be very interested in purchasing this printer--but only if it had a linux driver available

Posted By: Kathy Hodge (6/29/2007)

Comment: There is an updated release available at the Printer Support Center on Kodak.com that corrects the 10.4.10 installation issue. The url directly to the download is: http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/downloads/dln_ekn033540.jhtml?operatingSystem=mac_os_x_10_4_x&downloadLanguage=en

Posted By: Scott Turner (6/28/2007)

Comment: Just bought a 5100 and tried to install on my brand new out of the box iMac running OS X 10.4.10. Printer software will not install due to some version checking problem. Very disapointing out of the box experience so far. I bought a mac so I didn't have to be a pc admin anymore. HELP!!!!!

Posted By: Robert Cornell (6/26/2007)

Comment: I was wondering what the resolution of your printers are. I often see printers state 4800x1200 resolutions and the like. Also, is the resolution the same for all three printers? Thanks, Robert

Posted By: Jackie (6/22/2007)

Comment: Yes, please add Linux support. I am dying to purchase this printer, but only use Linux (Kubuntu 7.04). Your product looks like a dream come true.

Posted By: Brien (6/21/2007)

Comment: Please add Linux support! I recently started dual-booting Ubuntu Linux and plan to phase out my Windows use entirely in the next year (both at work and at home). Linux support is now the first thing I look for when buying new hardware. p.s., kudos on the reasonable ink prices!

Posted By: Pat (6/20/2007)

Comment: The Linux Foundation even wants to make it easier by providing the <a href="http://linux-foundation.org/weblogs/press/2007/06/18/linux-foundation-improves-printing-functionality-in-linux-with-lsb-driver-development-kit/"> LSB Driver Development Kit</a> and as mentioned in a Feb 6th comment you can have it written for free: <a href="http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/free_drivers.html">linux kernel monkey log</a>

Posted By: Florin Andrei (6/19/2007)

Comment: No Linux support? No business from me.

Posted By: Pat (6/19/2007)

Comment: Susan: Thanks for listening to your potential customers. Here's a thought, since Kodak based the Mac OS X drivers on CUPS 1.1 does that mean there is a PPD file for the AIO? Would it be possible for Kodak to release the PPD file as unsupported so that Linux users won't be forced to buy a Canon/Epson/HP? Even a PPD would be better than absolutely nothing. Please do some very serious thinking about supporting Linux and Win2k since they are often found in SOHO environments where an AIO is a likely purchase. When Kodak chooses to not support these other environments it makes me wonder how long it will before Kodak drops support for XP. I've had my Epson printer for 10 years and used it with NT, 2000, XP and Linux and I don't want to buy a printer if Kodak won't support it for the long haul across the changing environments. The ability of Kodak or for that matter any supplier to support more than just the XP/Vista and Mac environments plays a significant part when I make purchasing decisions.

Posted By: Susan Tousi (6/18/2007)

Comment: I want to thank all of the many people who have read and responded to The Inkjet Story. Many of the comments have been positive, some have had doubts, and many have contained questions and suggestions. I want to thank all of you for reading our story and for starting a conversation. With many third party reviews now coming in, there are other resources available for evaluating features and performance of our Easyshare All In One printers. The comments you have sent me regarding new products and features which you, our customers, desire have not fallen on deaf ears. In fact, I have found myself in many new product definition meetings referring to some of the ideas that have come through the blog. And last but certainly not least, I want to thank the many passionate Linux users out there for their responses. Your enthusiasm is certainly attention grabbing! We appreciate the interest in a Linux solution for our inkjet products. While we do not have Linux drivers available for release at this time, our Macintosh drivers are based on CUPS 1.1, which was chosen by our development team in part to position us well for a future Linux offering. We are currently evaluating the technical effort and resource requirements involved to port this software to a Linux compatible solution. Please keep the responses coming. We are listening.

Posted By: Marc (6/17/2007)

Comment: The printer so far seems to be really good and the ink price (operational costs) was the key issue to buy it. But what I did not recognize before buying is that there were Win2K drivers and Linux drivers missing (nowadays I think this is both a MUST have!!). A lot of people have still Win2K installations, especially in office use. This might lead to giving back the printer or selling it for me. So it would be really necessary to provide Win2K and Linux drivers.

Posted By: bill (6/14/2007)

Comment: I'm another Linux user that would purchase one of these in a heart beat if Linux drivers are made available.

Posted By: mark (6/9/2007)

Comment: I also would like to see this product have Linux drivers. That's my number one concern these days when buying computer equipment.

Posted By: Pat (6/8/2007)

Comment: Drivers for both Linux and Windows 2000 are required for my SOHO if you expect me to buy your product. If you already have drivers for Mac OS X (Unix based) and Windows XP (Windows NT/2000 based) then why not support Linux and Windows 2000?

Posted By: dhananjay shahane (5/30/2007)

Comment: Hi susan, wanted to get in touch with you. If you rememeber i was with shinei Singapore - working on Gen2 while in Phogenix.looing for potential association with kodak R&D. I am Currently in India.

Posted By: C Meier (5/17/2007)

Comment: I'm in the market for a new printer also. But Linux drivers are a must have requirement.

Posted By: Terry (5/12/2007)

Comment: I'm another customer who has already bought a 5100 and I switching all my computers over to Linux little by little. Please help with the drivers for Linux. Even Mr. Dell uses Linux. And will be bringing computers with Linux to the market soon.

Posted By: mike (5/11/2007)

Comment: I'll put my vote in for Linux support too. I just experienced the output of the 5300 today, and the prints are great. But I won't buy it unless it works with Linux.

Posted By: george wood (5/2/2007)

Comment: I've used and preferred HP inkjets for years because of their flat paper storage. I don't like their cartridge price and would glad switch if your equipment would work with linux. Please contact me when it does, or if you develop drivers and would like them tested. For that I would go ahead and buy one of your printers.

Posted By: Mark Mueller (4/27/2007)

Comment: When I read about this printer, I thought "This is exactly what I've been looking for." I was surprised and disappointed to hear that they don't support Linux. HP does a good job of supporting Linux, but their cartridges are too expensive.

Posted By: James H (4/27/2007)

Comment: This page was the third hit on google when I searched for "kodak easyshare 5100 linux" I started converting a non-prof I work with to Linux (knoppex, then Ubuntu) after MS refused to allow us to keep windows licenses on donated computes. Switching to Linux saved us so much in support costs on virus and spyware issues alone that I've convinced other clients, as well as my Home Users, to switch. Needless to say, Linux support is now a requirement to even consider a hardware product. Linux support aside, I'm really excited by the prospect of an affordable pigment printer. Just like how an expensive per-minute phone plan will keep you from calling your mother, expensive inks discourage printing, which discourages creativity and production.

Posted By: dt (4/27/2007)

Comment: I am hoping for two things: IP printing for small work groups. Generic Linux support. I exclusively use HP as a low end solution and just about every copier or minifridge size printer works fine with standard PCL6 drivers. Darn, Kodaks smallest cheapest one doesn't seem to work. Of course, I just randomly selected PCL 5 and 6 drivers. Maybe someone has a better idea?

Posted By: Joe (4/26/2007)

Comment: I want GNU/Linux support! Don't provide it-don't buy it.

Posted By: Jack (4/26/2007)

Comment: When will companies learn! If you don't support the customer they won't buy your products. Samsung is the only company that makes and explicitly lists support for all-in-one machines. They aren't very consumer oriented however. HP produces consumer all-in-one printers, but fails to properly mention support for it on packaging and in other documentation. My dad doesn't want to search the internet to find out if GNU/Linux will work with it. Just release drivers, and state it is compatible.

Posted By: john ryan (3/15/2007)

Comment: Can't wait for these to hit the market

Posted By: john ryan (3/15/2007)

Comment: I am really looking forward to these printers hitting the market

Posted By: T Callen (3/13/2007)

Comment: I am an advanced ameteur photographer and print a lot of photos. I've been anxiously awaiting Kodaks new printers as the succesion of HPs, Canons and Epsons I've owned have been very expensive to use. I was able to use compatible tanks on some but never found any that produced similar quality photos as the OEM tanks. I purchased a 5100 2 days ago and thus far I am very happy with the quality of pictures it produces, though my experience with it is limited (approximately 15 8X10s and 20 4X6s). I find the driver and print settings cumbersome (I use Photoshop. It appears to me the printer was made to use Kodak's Easy Share system). Perhaps a little more experience and manual browsing will help. I'm willing to sacrifice that effort if this puppy ends up being more affordable to use. Thus far I would recomend purchasing one to my friends.

Posted By: Chico el Innovador (2/17/2007)

Comment: Can't claim my experiences have any statistical validity- but the fact is I exchanged a Canon wireless 3-in-one system for an HP and it has been a disaster. The wireless settings change at random, paper jams repeatedly, print stops in middle of page. If the system goes dormant it needs to be turned off-on. I, along with two techs, have configured its IP settings to no avail. HP service- no help. This is my second HP lemon in the past 5 years. Even if the ink were not cheaper- I'm going to invest in Kodak when this comes out...

Posted By: Bruce (2/15/2007)

Comment: If you can truly produce a robust, easy to use printer that produces beautiful and durable prints at an economical price point, you will grab the market by the throat and put it in your pocket. It will be a printer worthy of being labeled Kodacolor Technology. I wish all of you the very best in your new endeavor.

Posted By: Steve (2/12/2007)

Comment: I have just finished doing some simple photo printing tests with June Tailor Sew-in Computer Printer Fabric. I compared the Goya printer with a Canon dye ink printer. You must be careful that the fabric sheets are flat without corners turned up to avoid media feed problems, but I found that the EasyShare printer gives images that are sharper and higher in density than the dye ink prints. Both printers needed to be run in photo mode to avoid banding on the fabric. The EasyShare prints have the added advantage that the images are waterfast.

Posted By: Joanna (2/9/2007)

Comment: I'm a textile artist and currently use Epson (pigment) and HP (dye) printers. What testing, if any, has been done with this printer and textiles such as Printed Treasures?

Posted By: Kevin Andresen (2/8/2007)

Comment: If this can do black and white half-toning (or any kind of dithering) with the Black cartridge (for inexpensive graphic-laden printouts), I'll not only get one, I'll make sure all my friends know Kodak is the best option. (Presents for my sisters!) I'll probably get a 5500 anyway and bug you to change the software until it works to create the most savings. Thank you Kodak!

Posted By: Fred Knauf (2/8/2007)

Comment: The printer looks very nice and I am in need of another home printer. My only worry about purchasing a Kodak printer is the longevity of the repair, parts and suppliy chain (ink cartridges). If the product line does not fly, how long will Kodak continue to support these???? I've seen many equipment horror stories over the past 21 years where four years out, the equipment isn't supported...(Cameo cameras, for one). If I can get a 10 year guarantee on ink supplies, I'd buy it the day it came out. I'd hate to have to send this to a landfill after only four or five years....

Posted By: T Callen (2/8/2007)

Comment: Glad to read the great news. I'm an advanced amateur photographer, who prints a lot of photos. I currently have to refill ink cartridges or buy compatibles. It will be nice to be able to get a printer that I can afford to use O.E.M. tanks with. Now Kodak should expand this to a wide format printer and really nail us shutterbugs.

Posted By: Jamie Mignott (2/8/2007)

Comment: Personnally, I prefer HP supplies, they are reliable and well worth the slightly higher cost. I would much rather pay for quality, and HP also reduce ink wastage and are better for your printer!

Posted By: Billy Grossman (2/7/2007)

Comment: Finally I can afford ink lol! I am ready to buy one of these today but have to wait until march I suppose. In all seriousness, the high cost of printer ink has always seemed like a TOTAL SCAM. Im thrilled Kodak has come up with a NORMAL GOOD IDEA to end this RIP OFF from hp with thier OUTRAGEOUS printer cartridge cost. Maybe everyone else out there is rich, but even if I have some money, I think its really the fairness issue that makes this important to me. HP has been ripping me off for YEARS. That will end when I get one of your printers. THANK YOU KODAK. BG -everyday normal printer user

Posted By: Avery (2/7/2007)

Comment: Where the rubber hits the road for me when it comes to the scanner portion is the software. Scanners(the hardware part) are pretty much identical at this price range. I have written off several brands because of bad software. I don't understand why scanner manufacturers don't get this...it can make good scanner ineffective or inoperable. I bought my first scanner over 15 years ago...the software part seems to be getting worse and worse. Although I use a Mac most of time I have seen this in Windows as well. If you think the scanner software is good enough at this point...go out and hire a few more programmers, especially some with Mac experience. I have a really nice Epson scanner sitting here that I bought over 2 years ago before Mac OS 10.4 came out....when I installed 10.4 it stopped working with my Mac and hasn't worked since...ie. keep the software up to date...10.5 is coming out in a few months. I am also using linux routinely, I don't need to print from it much, but the option would be nice. I look forward to checking this out...remember...it's all in the software!

Posted By: Kendall (2/7/2007)

Comment: As the husband and father of "scrapbookers", I want to echo the suggestion that Kodak manufacture reasonably-priced large format scanner/printers. With 10 megapixel cameras now available for under $300, consumers can print good quality photos up to 11" x 14", even 20" by 30". At present, no one is addressing a consumer market for such formats. I would love to be able to print unique 12" by 12" pages for the foundation of my wife's and son's keepsake masterpieces. KK

Posted By: Gwen (2/7/2007)

Comment: This is the part that excites me: "permanence for many generations regardless of environmental factors". I'm seeing too many of my photographs fade after only a few years. Combining a solution for that with affordable cartridges - I can't wait to buy one!

Posted By: ReR (2/6/2007)

Comment: if it has a linux driver, I'll buy it!

Posted By: VWWall (2/6/2007)

Comment: Add my voice to those seeking a good printer to use with Linux. I'm sure Kodak's first interest is to satisfy the largest market which is presently Microsoft. Linux is gaining rapidly and we're all loyal supporters of those companies that help us!

Posted By: F Johnson (2/6/2007)

Comment: I have not been able to find out specifics regarding the print head technology in terms of wether this is thermal/bubblejet or piezo technology. I would also welcome any comparisons with Epson Professional and the latest HP Wide Format printers and Kodak's efforts to lead the way in the Fine Art Pigment/Ink Jet market. When Kodak gets it right, new standards and quality can be achieved and realized by all of us in the imaging/photographic field. I hope this is an indication of better more affordable print quality that Kodak will be offering the Professional Market as well.

Posted By: David Raschen (2/6/2007)

Comment: I'm another Linux user in search of a new printer. It most certainly would be nice if Kodak would provide driver support or, lacking that, provide information to (http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/free_drivers.html). I would also like to see a large format scanner available, even if it were as an additional cost option. 12" x 19" would be fantastic.

Posted By: Todd Beverly (2/6/2007)

Comment: There is an offer by one of the Linux kernel folks to write and maintain Linux drivers for free (http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/free_drivers.html)

Posted By: James (2/6/2007)

Comment: I was searching for someplace to voice my concern for Linux support. Interestingly, Mark beat me to it. I strongly agree with what Mark has to say. Drivers don't have to be flashy (generating pop-ups when ink is low, run some kind of service in the background to monitor some kind of system state, etc.), they just need to work with existing software. As for the number of Linux users, I know of one effort to count Linux users (http://counter.li.org/), and the numbers aren't trivial. While not all of these would be for home use, I'm sure the need for low cost and high quality printing reaches beyond just the household. Thank you Tim Wright for bringing up the topic of scrapbooking. My wife is fond of both traditional and digital scrapbooking. Not only would a 12x12 (a very common scrapbooking format) scanner be great, the ability to make 12x12 prints would also be a boon for the digital scrapbook community. I do have one technical question in regard to the printer's design. I understand the printer heads are a permanent fixture within the device, which I've heard is a nonstandard practice in the industry. This begs for the question "Why?", and what are the ramifications. What is the average life span of a printer's heads? Are they prone to wearing out faster than the rest of the printer, and if so, is the consumer empowered to replace these parts? Clearly, the reduced cost of printing each print is attractive, but if the life span of the whole printer is dramatically shorter than the competition, is there really going to be that big of a cost savings? Overall, kudos on a very innovative and interesting product.

Posted By: Steven Polakof (2/6/2007)

Comment: If you really want to grow the inkjet printing business, you need the support and recommendations of the tech support industry. I currently recommend HP solutions and my customers follow my recommendations. I wish I could test your products to see if they are worth recommending and supporting. My franchise group has over 270 offices in the USA alone and influence a large number of customers.

Posted By: Mark (2/6/2007)

Comment: This is really great - I'm excited to see how it develops. One thing I'd like to *strongly* suggest, though, is that you produce drivers for Linux operating systems. I don't know if you plan to do so or not (I couldn't find any drivers for the new printers on Kodak's website), but it would help differentiate your product from the competition. There are literally millions of Linux users (I'm sure your market research can figure out exactly how many there are), and while that may not seem like a very large market, the key is that for many of us, Linux-compatibility is the foremost criterion for choosing new hardware purchases. I am currently shopping for an all-in-one printer, and at the moment it looks like HP's offerings are my only choice, due solely to their good support of Linux (http://hplip.sourceforge.net/). If Kodak provided solid Linux drivers for these new EasyShare printers, I would most likely choose them instead, due to the approach you're taking with the pricing of consumables. Please consider it. Thanks!

Posted By: Chris Reddy (2/6/2007)

Comment: I have been waiting for years for some company to make a printer that I can get decent photos out of without breaking the bank! Fingers Crossed, if these printers do what is advertised, I am standing in line to buy one!

Posted By: Tim Wright (2/6/2007)

Comment: Kodak is giving the consumer credit for figuring out that it's cheaper to buy a new printer (with cartridges) than to buy new cartridges!! Somewhere there is an eco-friendly marketing angle (and the time is ripe for eco-friendly). Now if Kodak is listening to trends... they will build a 12x12 scanner on top and call it scrapper heaven. I'd shell out $500 for something that could scan my wife's scrapbook pages. They are the only thing (besides the wife & kids) in the house that I would risk running into a burning building for. Kudos to Kodak!

Posted By: Michael Wang Comments (2/6/2007)

Comment: I am proud of being part of this project - something really big and historic for Kodak.