I'd like to have a package for my scanner/printer with the official drivers (only supplied as .rpm and .deb), as the generic one is only for printer and not that good (missing the lower part of the page).
So far I managed to get the three .deb I need, and I converted them to tar.gz, I looked into the .deb control scripts but that's all. The pointers on this page help people who have a minimal practice on Arch and package building (I don't, consider me as newbie here, even thought I use Linux since a long time, this isn't an area I delved into).
Either I do it all by hand (for once), but I feel I might eventually try other flavors or Garuda Linux, so having an .arch package would definitely help.
What should I do?
A package request here, where I provide the 3 URLs for the .deb? (for one .arch, as a scanner/printer owner would want them all)
Asking directions for the detailed steps suggested on this page?
Forget it and do it all myself? (do it by hand or learn all what is required)
Hi @Dadrake, I moved this post to its own topic because it’s not really the right kind of request for the Chaotic-AUR thread. That thread is meant for requesting AUR packages be added to the Chaotic-AUR build routine (so a pre-built binary can be installed, instead of needing to be built on the user’s machine), or for requesting packages be rebuilt, etc. The Chaotic-AUR is not really intended for requesting custom packages.
This page is a little daunting to read through, especially if you are not already familiar with working with PKGBUILDs. Creating a PKGBUILD from a .deb or an .rpm is a particularly brutal introduction to PKGBUILDs, because if your printer doesn’t work it will be hard to know if it is because of a mistake made somewhere when writing the custom PKGBUILD, or a problem with the drivers or the printer, or a problem with the installation, etc.
Fortunately, most of the .debs and .rpms have already been converted into PKGBUILDs by other folks in the community. You can find them in the AUR. Check it out:
There are 464 hits for “brother”. A handful are not related to printers, but almost all of them are printer drivers for a specific model of Brother printer that have already been packaged and are ready to build. All you need to do is identify the model of printer you have and install them manually with makepkg, or with an AUR helper like Paru.
Paru is installed by default, and is very easy to use (good for searching, too). For example:
paru brother-hll2335d
I just picked brother-hll2335d at random–obviously use the package appropriate for your printer when you run it.
When you install a package with Paru, press Q to exit the PKGBUILD review and then you’re ready to install.
I hope that helps, let us know how it goes or if you need a hand with anything.
On the official site of Brother, you can find the right .gz file for your model and download it in your /home.
For my printer-scanner it’s : linux-brprinter-installer-2.2.2-2.gz
Adapt it for your model…
I don't recommend choosing this option. This doesn't install the drivers as a package, but rather into the filesystem directly, with no way of really properly uninstalling them after the fact.
Choose your printer here and you'll see drivers for it. Install the equivalent package from your package manager.
i'd only choose the brother website as a last resort, if everything else fails
