[SOLVED] Samsung M2020 Printer Not Working on Zorin OS / Linux – Here's What Actually Works (2025)

[Calabazadechocolate]

Hey folks!

After battling my Samsung M2020 printer for way too long — with broken driver links, “Generic Text-Only Printer” nonsense, and half-abandoned sites — I finally found a method that actually works to get it printing on Zorin OS (and probably Ubuntu/Mint too).

So if you’re stuck like I was, here’s the solution that saved me.

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The issue:

• Samsung M2020 detected by system as "Generic Text-Only Printer".
• Print jobs fail with: “Unable to start printer. Check your setup.”
• Tried using Samsung's SULDR drivers — most of the .deb files are 404 Not Found.
• Installing generic or recommended drivers didn’t help at all.

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The solution that actually worked

Step 1: Download the official Samsung driver package

Even though Samsung/HP says it's not supported anymore, the driver archive is still available (and it works like a charm!).

https://support.hp.com/mx-es/drivers/samsung-xpress-sl-m2020-laser-printer-series/model/16462596

Look for a file like this:

CopiarEditar

ULD_v1.00.39.tar.gz

Download it to your Downloads folder.

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Step 2: Install the driver via Terminal

Open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and run:

bash

CopiarEditar

cd ~/Downloads
tar xvzf ULD*.tar.gz
cd uld
sudo sh install.sh

When the Samsung license agreement pops up in the terminal, scroll through it using the arrow keys until the end, then type Y and hit Enter.

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Step 3: Add the printer

1. Open Settings > Printers.
2. Click Add Printer.
3. Your Samsung M2020 should now appear correctly.
4. Let the system detect and assign the new driver.

Print a test page and you should be good to go!

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Personal note

Big thanks to ChatGPT who stuck with me through all the broken links and dead ends (shout-out to the real MVP ).

If you're reading this in 2025 and still holding onto a Samsung M2020 — I see you, you're a survivor

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If this helped you out or if it worked on other distros too, feel free to comment below and share the love

[Forpli]

My parents have the same printer and I had to install it the same way to get it to work. Afterwards everything was fine. Thank you for creating this guide!

I remember well how difficult the printer setup was for me and how long I had to search for an instruction - it was during my first days with Linux and I had no idea what all these commands did.