The HP Linux Imaging and Printing Driver or HPLIP for short is an open source project that provides users with an universal solution for successfully installing and using HP printer and scanner devices under any Linux operating system.
It’s comprised of two projects, HPIJS, a printer driver for HP devices, and HP Linux Imaging and Printing (HPLIP), a complete printing and imaging solution. Please note that the first is included in the latter.
Allows you to print, scan and fax with HP printers
It is a HP-developed solution that allows users to print, scan and fax with HP ink and laser based printers in Linux distributions. It includes a plethora of drivers, supporting a wide range of HP scanners and printers.
Supports over 2,000 printers
The program supports over 2,300 printer models, including LaserJet, Deskjet, Officejet, Business Inkjet, Photosmart, Edgeline MFP, LaserJet MFP, and PSC (Print Scan Copy). Unfortunately, we can’t list them all here, but you can easily access the official list of supported devices at http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/supported_devices/index.html.
Supported operating systems and availabiliy
Popular Linux distributions like Ubuntu already include the HPLIP software, making for an out-of-the-box document printing and scanning experience. The project is distributed as a source archive that can be configure, compiled and installed on any Linux distribution.
In addition to the source archive, the developers also provide a self-extracting archive, a native installer that can be used to effortlessly install HP Linux Imaging and Printing Driver on your favorite Linux box.
Bottom line
It is not a perfect software, as some printers are unsupported (at the moment), but it is the best open source solution for most HP printers and all-in-one Hewlett-Packard devices. If you own a HP printer or scanner and it is not supported by default on your Linux distro, install HPLIP. If HPLIP does not support your HP device, then you’re out of luck as no other software project will support it.
