Printer Driver not Available
In the case of CUPS printing sub-system, as used by OS other than Windows, it is sometimes feasible to get a printer working satisfactorily without a specific driver being available
Getting Techhnical
The crucial "settings" file used by CUPS for printers is a plain-text dotPPD. In the case of printers having a Postscript or PDF page description language, it is technically feasible to create a dotPPD which provides at least basic functionality for such printer. A good starting point is the file:
/usr/share/cups/model/Postscript-level2.ppd.gz
Simply changing the "imageable area" definition for common page sizes in the above file to suit the specific printer can provide a working result, which could enable unsupported printers (whether old or new) to be utilised. Printable area tends to be well defined in the user manual for a printer.
Strictly for Geeks
In the case of printers that do not have Postscript/PDF page description language, the above work-around could be extended, but additionally requires knowledge of the "cups-filter" required by the printer. This parameter is also included towards the top of a dotPPD file and might be ascertained from the dotPPD file for similar printers.
