I'm trying to install the driver for my Brother laser printer model MFC-L2807DW, but I'm stuck. I managed to download the installation file and found it in my Downloads directory. However, when I try to unzip it using the command `gunzip linux-brprinter-installer-2.2.6-0.gz`, I get an error saying there's no such file or directory—even though I can see the file there when I check my Downloads folder. I'm new to using the terminal and would really appreciate any help with what might be going wrong!
5 Answers
I've found that Brother printers usually just work out-of-the-box with modern Linux distros. No extra installation needed for basic functions—this includes scanning. It's designed to make it easy for users!
Honestly, don't worry too much about what others say. While many printers just work, some models do need drivers. For your model, though, the official Brother download page has what you need. Look for the 'Scanner driver 64bit (deb package)'. Download it, double-click to install, and you should be set!
Modern distros like Linux Mint typically have the Brother printer drivers pre-installed, so it should auto-detect and configure themselves when you connect the printer. You likely don’t need to download anything unless you’re using an outdated system.
There are a few reasons why the command might not be working. Make sure you're in the right directory—remember, 'Downloads' is different from 'downloads'. You could also be mistyping the file name. Try using tab completion by typing the first few letters and hitting the Tab key to automatically fill in the correct name. Additionally, if you already ran the command once, it would have extracted the file and removed the original, so trying again would give you that error.
You might not even need to install a driver from the Brother website! Your printer supports AirPrint and Mopria, so if you've got CUPS set up correctly, it should automatically recognize your printer and use a built-in "driverless" driver. I've had this work seamlessly on other Linux distros, like KDE Neon and Solus Budgie.

Related Questions
How To Get Your Domain Unblocked From Facebook
How To Find A String In a Directory of Files Using Linux