[WinMac] Printing with IP from Mac to Win network

Mark Malson(mmalson[at]colorsavvy.com)
Fri, 16 Apr 1999 05:31:57 -0500

>
>Short Question: I'm trying to get postscript printouts from an HP8000 and a
>Xerox 32N which live on the PC side of our network.
>

Here are some other things to try. All may not apply cuz I'm not familiar
with the details of your printers.

1. You said they both have NT Queues associated with them? You should be
able to turn on Mac Printing on the NT Server and you'll be able to see
both of those guys as AppleTalk PostScript printers. This even works for
non PostScript printers -- NT's Printing Services for Mac (or whatever
it's called) has a PostScript RIP for PCL printers built in. It's
EXCRUCIATINGLY slow, however.

2. If they're Ethernet-connected printers, you should be able to
configure the printers themselves to be AppleTalk PostScript printers. If
they have HP JetDirect cards, you can download the JetAdmin software for
your Mac from HP's site and see them that way.

3. If they're parallel printers, you can run PC MacLan from Miramar
Systems (www.miramarsys.com) on the PCs they're connected to in order to
get them to show up on the network as AppleTalk PostScript printers. PC
MacLan is not the greatest utility for file sharing, but it works OK for
printing. Saved me a boatload of work at Seybold last fall.

4. You can also get JetDirect (or similar) boxes for parallel printers.
They've got Ethernet and parallel connectors so you can stick parallel
printers on an Ethernet network and talk to them a lot of different ways.
I find these boxes to be a big pain in the neck. If anyone finds a good
one that's easy to configure, let me know. I used the Axis one and I
hated it.

(Rant) What really sucks about networking printers is that it costs so
much in time and extra equipment that you can usually save money by just
buying more printers, unless they're really big expensive ones you're
trying to share, but those are usually EASY to share. (Rant off)

- Mark Malson
   Color Savvy Systems Limited
   mmalson@fuse.net
   mmalson@colorsavvy.com

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