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Summary: starting in a year or two, the vast majority of Samsung-branded printers will no longer be able to print when using a version of Linux incorporating CUPS 3.0 or higher.

When CUPS 3.0 is released, printer drivers will no longer function.  The only printing methods supported by CUPS will be driverless options listed here:
https://openprinting.github.io/driverless/

Most Samsung printers do not support any of these options (although some later models do apparently work with IPP, possibly with a reduced feature set).  While the CUPS team has provided a limited mechanism for driver-mandatory printers to still function the 3.0 series, that mechanism is not applicable to the Samsung driver.  The CUPS team has effectively declared that these older printers are simply to not be supported.  I do not have any information to help you determine if your printer is an impacted one or not, other than to suggest that you try installing it using IPP instead of the driver (which can be done with existing CUPS versions) and see if it works.

As of May 2024, the planned release of CUPS 3.0 is "mid-2025".  It has been pushed back several times already, so it may be later.  And your particular distro may not incorporate CUPS 3.0 until significantly later still.  But once 3.0 is on your system, the Samsung (or HP version) drivers will cease to function.

Note that all the packages will still be installable, as I have no plan to make them explicitly conflict with CUPS 3.0, and I will continue to provide the Samsung installers as well.  There are two reasons for that: (1) the scanning functions of the drivers will still likely be useful to some people even when the printing drivers do not work, and (2) I do not want to cripple any possibility of a future work-around that allows these drivers to continue working, though I view that as extremely unlikely.

Use of this repository has slowly been declining since Samsung sold off their printer business, and HP sold only a couple of models that used the same driver system.  I anticipate a significantly greater rate of decline over the next few years, but I intend to leave this resource in place as long as there are a significant number of people apparently benefitting from its availability.

At this time, I do not anticipate any future updates to the packages or content.  Therefore, there is no reason to leave the repository enabled on computers once the desired packages have been installed.

I have posted version 1.00.39hp.  These are the latest (I think) HP-released drivers based on the Samsung technology.  These are experimental and 100% untested with any Samsung-branded printer (as far as I know), but it appears they will probably work.

Perhaps most importantly, these also provide ARM64 (and MIPS64) support.  Again completely untested.

Feedback is welcome, but I make no promises anything will work, now or in the future.

The forum has undergone a major upgrade.  If you run into technical issues that seem related, let me know.

Minor update to a few packages to allow for installation on ARM systems (Raspberry Pi in particular) via emulation.

I have removed many packages that were of little or no use to anyone, based on multiple years of download data:
  * The "armel" packages that were never of much use (and whatever use they had is obseleted by the ability to emulate amd64 on ARM).
  * The Qt3 version of the Configurator and all associated old library files, which have been out of date for nearly a decade.
  * Driver versions 3.00.90, 4.00.35, and 4.00.36.  Use driver version 4.00.39 instead (or, if your printer is supported, 4.01.17 or driver2 1.00.39).
  * Driver2 versions 1.00.06, 1.00.27, 1.00.29, 1.00.35, and 1.00.36.  Use driver2 version 1.00.39 instead.
  * ppd-3 (was only required by driver2 1.00.06).

I have not created transitional packages of the eliminated versions, so users who have the old versions installed are free to continue using or to move to the later version.  However, it is no longer possible to install the versions listead above using the repository.  None of those versions are essential for any particular printer (as far as I know).  If for some reason you still need to do a fresh install of one of those versions, the installers from Samsung are still available for download.  You can also post to the forum and I will consider restoring a deleted package if there is a clear use case that requires it.

I did not remove driver version 3.00.37 because it still sees a surprisingly high use, but there really should not be any need for that version.  For a couple of printers, the limit is 3.00.65 (still available), and everyone else using 3.00.37 should really move to 4.00.39, 4.01.17, or driver2 1.00.39 if they support your printer.  I may eliminate it in a year or so.

See also the previous announcement about the limitations for the Qt4 version of the Configurator.  That version is not installable in any recent (mid-2020 or later) distro version, and insecure in any installation.  I expect I will remove those packages entirely in approximately 1 year.

All driver packages have been updated to include a dependency on libcupsimage2, to reflect a change in CUPS package structure start with CUPS 2.3.1.  This should prevent (or fix) issues with the printers that rely on the raster component of CUPS.

For those still using the Configurator, note that Debian has removed qt4 libraries entirely, so the Configurator is not installable with Debian testing, the next Debian Stable, or the latest Ubuntu (or other distributions) that pull from Debian testing/unstable.  Because of a major security issue a couple of years ago in openssl, after qt4 development was discontinued, one of the essential qt4 libraries for the Configurator is no longer functional.  Therefore, there is no secure way to keep the Configurator installed with a new distribution, and I am officially declaring my support for the Configurator ended.  I am leaving the packages in place for a while longer, but they will eventually disappear, likely along with many packages that are being utilized less than once a month on average (some driver versions, most i386 packages, and all armel packages).  I expect more compatibility issues to arise as CUPS evolves and these drivers continue to age, so I will need to prune the packages down to only those receiving significant use to match the effort I can invest in keeping any packages working.

For all practical purposes, the Scan to PC utility is dead and will rarely work.  Nobody is actively maintaining it.  You are free to try it, but if it does not work then you are on your own.  For the reasons outlined in the link below, there is no real motiviation to address the issues.

See this announcement: https://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/forum/index.php?topic=366.0

Additionally (as of June 2020), some of the necessary python2 libraries have been removed from Debian as part of the planned elimination of all python2 code.  Therefore, anyone interested in utilizing this tool would first need to update it to all python3 libraries.  Unfortunately, not all the libraries utilized by scantopc have 1:1 replacements in python3, so it is not just a matter of substituting all libraries directly.

HP has shown no interest in updating the Samsung printer driver, and has no financial incentive to do so (after all, there has not been a new Samsung-branded printer in nearly 3 years as of this moment).  As of this post, the latest driver release is nearly 3 years old, and is really based on code that is now 5 or more years old.  So the driver is going to gradually stop working on modern Linux systems as Linux and CUPS continue to evolve.

In addition, qt3 and qt4 are long obselete, so the Configurator packages (last updated 7 years ago) will often not install, or even if they do they still not work.  This will continue to get more frequent.  Even if you do manage to get everything installed, note that the relevant qt packages depend on an obselete and insecure openssl, and will not work with a modern library.  That is the main reason I am not attempting to repackage these programs in a way that will allow them to be installed even after distros drop the necessary dependencies.

Finally, CUPS has made design changes that, starting with version 2.3 (included in most mid-2019 Linux distros), are intended to make all drivers and PPD (printer instruction) files obselete.  As of 2.3, some releases of CUPS already do not work with the Samsung PPD files due to the use of non-standard keys in the Samsung PPD files.  Sometime in the next couple of years, it is likely that a current CUPS install will simply not work at all with these drivers on any system.  The new approach for CUPS is based entirely on the IPP protocol, which some (but by no means all) Samsung printers support, to varying extents.  See, for example:
https://www.cups.org/blog/2018-06-06-demystifying-cups-development.html
https://github.com/apple/cups/issues/5562

Somewhat related, scanning support that depends on the Samsung drivers continues to get less reliable each year due to various system changes in Linux, and there is no work around for this.

So nearly all Samsung-branded printers are going to stop working in Linux over the next few years if you keep an up-to-date system.  I will continue to host the files and resources here for a couple of more years, but after that there will not be much point and the best solution to a non-working Samsung printer will probably be to replace it.

The SULDR (and all of bchemnet.com) will be shutting down in May 2019. I no longer have the time or ability to keep up with hosting it. In addition, it is unlikely that HP will be updating any drivers for the Samsung-branded printers, and many drivers already fail to work correctly with new Linux distributions. Finally, for those with a Samsung printer less than ~10 years old, the newest drivers available for download from the HP website work just as well, if possibly not quite as conveniently, as the repackaged versions here.

If anyone is interested in taking over some or all of this content, I am willing to assist in that process. Post in the forums expressing interest.

The latest driver version is now available for direct download and via the repository.  It updates support for numerous printers and adds support for a few newer models.  This is the first driver release since HP completed acquisition of the Samsung printer line, but appears to have been developed by Samsung well before then (i.e., even though it is only recently released, the actual files are already about 18 months old).

Announced today is that HP is purchasing Samsung's printer business.  The deal may take a year yet to close, assuming no regulatory hurdles.  Presumably after that there will start to be significant changes in the distribution of printer drivers.  Historically HP printers have been well-supported on Linux, so I would guess that within 2-3 years there will be no need for this repository for new printers based on Samsung technology.  I have no idea how long support will be provided for existing printers through current drivers, or for how much longer (if at all) the Unified Linxu Drivers will continue to be updated by Samsung/HP.

I have no plans to change anything here, but will watch this development with interest.  Even if HP drops support for some existing models of Samsung printers, I can continue to provide drivers through this website for some time, at least until the drivers start to develop incompatibility with the latest Linux distributions or interest in obtaining the drivers drops off.

See the official press release here:
http://h30261.www3.hp.com/news-and-events/news-library/2016/09-12-2016.aspx

The Samsung installer for driver version 1.00.37 (December) is available on the Samsung Installer page, but I do not plan to package it.  The only differences from 1.00.36 are the ppd files for the M301x, M306x, C3010, and C3060 series printers, none of which appear to be actually for sale yet.  The driver itself is identical to 1.00.36 (and therefore also 1.00.35).

Driver version 1.00.36 is now available.  The only significant changes are updates to many ppd files and a couple of minor fixes to the packages, together which should probably address many of the problems some people have had with the 1.00.35 driver.

I have added packages for the latest Samsung driver, driver2-1.00.35.  This was released by Samsung in March, and seems to provide a lot of ppd adjustments that may fix minor issues (although I have tested anything) with a range of printers.

There was no ARM driver version provided for this version.  I don't know if this is a fluke, a mistake, or if Samsung no longer intends to provide ARM drivers.

I have uploaded packages for two new versions of the driver, 1.00.27 and 1.00.29.  I have also updated updates to 1.00.06 and 1.00.21 that may address some issues.  No testing has been performed.

I have posted packages for the 1.00.21 driver (driver2-1.00.21), which Samsung released in March.  I have performed zero testing on these packages.

I am putting out official notice that this repository will probably not last forever.  There is no short-term risk it will disappear, or that anything currently available will be removed.  However, there is a serious risk that updates will become even more infrequent and/or eventually stop altogether.

There are three major reasons for my winding down my effort in this project, in order of least to most important:
1. I no longer own a working Samsung printer.  I am therefore unable to test any drivers, so all packages are untested when posted.

2. The latest Samsung installer is decent, and most of the problems that originally led to the creation of this repository are fixed.  (At least, for those printers supported by the "driver2" drivers, 1.00.06 and higher.)  Therefore, motivation to keep creating packages is considerably reduced, although there is still some benefit to such an approach.

3. At this point in my life, I have very limited free time.  Every significant update to this project consumes most of a weekend, and I rarely have a weekend free any more.  Even minor updates and occasional forum responses take up a significant fraction of my free time.  I do not expect to have time or energy to spend on this project with any consistency.

All that said, the current repository and files will remain indefinitely.  And I would be happy to have someone else contribute or even take over, while retaining the infrastructure I am currently using.

If you have any interest in potentially ensuring that this project continue, just post here and I will be in touch (you do not need to share you email address publicly).  In the meantime, I will continue to respond to forum posts when possible and deal with what maintenance of the packages that I can.  I am uncertain whether any future drivers released by Samsung will be packaged or not; if they are similar to existing drivers and relatively painless to wrap up, I will.  If Samsung releases yet another drastically changed driver, I expect to give it a pass.

Packages for the newest driver (1.00.06) have been released.  These are marked "driver2" because there are major changes compared to the previous versions, including a lack of parallel support and no Configurator.  However, there is support for arm (soft float, armel).

Packages are completely untested.  Please post with problems, and see the web pages for more information if you encounter problems.

As of Aug 1, Samsung appears to have released a new driver for all currently supported printers, with the version of 1.00.06.  Theis driver appears to add ARM support, but the structure of the driver is very different from previous versions.  Samsung also appears to have removed the Configurator and many other components.  As time permits, I will work on packaging this version and creating packages for ARM devices.  It will be at least a few weeks, due to my limited free time and the complexity involved.

In the meantime, if anyone tests the installer directly from Samsung, please share any experiences.

I will be changing web hosts this week.  As a result, there is the possibility that this site will be down for a day or two, or that you may have trouble accessing it as the registration changes propogate through the internet.

suld-driver-4.01.17-1 is now available for anyone who wants to try the latest from Samsung.  However, note that several printers are no longer supported by this release.

Note that I cannot verify that this version of the driver works on even a basic level - my printer is one of those for which support was dropped.

The repository and website have both received a major overhaul, including a renaming and restructuring of all repository packages.  You can find the most important details here:
http://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/index.html
http://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/repository.html#rename

Except for the confusion that will likely result from the renaming, the repository changes should be seamless for most users.  The motivation was to clean up some of the complications that have developed over the past couple of years and create a structure that will be easier to maintain and update (meaning I can be more reponsive to issues as they develop instead of waiting for several to accumulate).  The changes should also address many scattered issues leading to some users having to apply various manual hacks or to need older versions of packages.  Finally, I expect that not only will this structure work as well or better for everyone, but that future updates will also be less likely to cause issues.

Please post here or in the appropriate forum if you encounter problems with the updates.  The website will continue to receive smaller updates over the next few days.

The repository has been updated with the two latest driver versions from Samsung.  Chances are that most people won't notice any changes, but hopefully it will resolve a few issues, and several additional printers are supported for both printing and scanning.

I had to make a bunch of "under the hood" changes to the structure of packages; I believe I resolved all issues so that upgrades should go smoothly, but it is possible you will encounter a hiccup.  If so, I suggest just updating the samsungmfp-common package; that will generally get the package manager straightened out and pull in all the other updates.

Note that there are a few new packages, which are of only administrative interest, and the samsungmfp-scanner-sane-fix(-multiarch) packages are gone - I incorporated them directly into the scanner package.

[Using the Samsung Unified Linux Driver repository]

See this announcement: https://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/forum/index.php?topic=366.0

Quick Guide to installing Samsung printers & the Unified Linux Driver:

Using the Samsung Unified Linux Driver repository
This method installs the proprietary Samsung drives while avoiding all the problems associated with the manual installation and allowing you to retain control over exactly what gets installed.  View the instructions on the repository webpage for setting up the repository: https://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/.

Just installing one of the suld-driver-* or suld-driver2-* packages should enable full printing and scanning support.  See the list of supported printers at https://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/supported.html for suggestions about which version to install.  All other required packages will be automatically installed.

The Configurator and other packages are really only necessary in a subset of cases, or if you happen to like the Configurator interface to manage printers.  Note that the suld-driver2-* packages do not support the Configurator, nor many older printers.

Other approaches: check here if you are looking for alternatives: https://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/alternatives.html.  Much more information and technical details are available on the main SULDR web page, as well as the links above for common questions and solutions.

The Samsung Smart Panel and Printer Utilities
Samsung also provides additional utilities for certain printers.  Since they are printer specific (unlike the Unified Driver, downloading the Smart Panel for a different printer model than your own will often not work), and not available for the CLP-550N, I have never tested these.  These utilities pose a security risk to your system.  See the repository main page for details on these, and why you should consider the implications of installing them.  The page also explains why I will not be producing .debs for these programs, so please do not ask me to.

A request: contact Samsung.  Please look at the first question here: https://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/questions.html, and then contact Samsung about the issues raised.  I've spent hundreds of hours (as of have other users) trying to create workarounds for issues that Samsung should be able to address.  However, no change in the drivers or installation process is likely unless many of the thousands of users of this repository and forum make their voices heard.

Also please note that there is no Samsung driver available for Arm-based systems, such as smart phones or Raspberry Pi, except for partial support for a few of the now older driver2 versions.  You will have to look into other alternatives for your printer on those systems.

See this announcement: https://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/forum/index.php?topic=366.0

First, please read http://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/scanning.html, and/or the other links above regarding common questions, to see if your question is answered there.

When posting, please provide:
1. Your printer model
2. The Linux distribution and version you are using (Ubuntu 12.04, Debian Testing, etc.)
3. How the printer is connected (USB or network protocol)
4. Which driver version (packages) you have installed (or if you are not using the repository)
5. The specific problem including any error messages you see
6. Other relevant information, such as anything you have already tried to resolve the issue, whether the printer worked at some point in the past or in a different configuration, etc. - the more information you can provide, the more likely it is that someone will recognize the problem

Without this information, it is unlikely anyone will be able to help you, and your question may well be entirely ignored. I monitor this forum and will respond to public posts (although it may take a few days); do not attempt to send me a private message or email. On the other hand, I don't always know how to solve the problem, which is why I insist on public posts, and other readers are welcome to jump in and help out.

Please be aware of two very common solutions:
1. If you installed the driver using the Samsung installer, the first thing to try when having problems is to remove it and set up the repository to install the driver.  This will always be the first thing I suggest you do if you tell me you used the Samsung installer for any v3 or v4 driver (the "driver2" v1 installers seem to be okay).

2. If you installed one driver version and it doesn't work, try a different version.  Check the list of supported printers (http://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/supported.html) for particular versions that are likely to work with your model.

Also note that there is no Samsung driver available for most Arm-based systems, such as smart phones or Raspberry Pi.  Although there is an "armel" driver available, most Arm current hardware is "armhf" and so does not work with the provided driver.  You will have to look into other alternatives for your printer on those systems.

See this announcement: https://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/forum/index.php?topic=366.0

First, please read http://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/printing.html, and/or the other links above regarding common questions, to see if your question is answered there.

When posting, please provide:
1. Your printer model
2. The Linux distribution and version you are using (Ubuntu 12.04, Debian Testing, etc.)
3. How the printer is connected (USB or network protocol)
4. Which driver version (packages) you have installed (or if you are not using the repository)
5. The specific problem including any error messages you see
6. Other relevant information, such as anything you have already tried to resolve the issue, whether the printer worked at some point in the past or in a different configuration, etc. - the more information you can provide, the more likely it is that someone will recognize the problem

Without this information, it is unlikely anyone will be able to help you, and your question may well be entirely ignored. I monitor this forum and will respond to public posts (although it may take a few days); do not attempt to send me a private message or email. On the other hand, I don't always know how to solve the problem, which is why I insist on public posts, and other readers are welcome to jump in and help out.

Please be aware of two very common solutions:
1. If you installed the driver using the Samsung installer, the first thing to try when having problems is to remove it and set up the repository to install the driver.  This will always be the first thing I suggest you do if you tell me you used the Samsung installer.

2. If you installed one driver version and it doesn't work, try a different version.  Check the list of supported printers (http://www.bchemnet.com/suldr/supported.html) for particular versions that are likely to work with your model.

Also note that there is no Samsung driver available for Arm-based systems, such as smart phones or Raspberry Pi.  You will have to look into other alternatives for your printer on those systems.