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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Use Hp Deskwriter 600 With Osx 10.2.8?

xgipper - Aug 17, 2005 - 2:52 pm

I have an HP Deskwriter 600 connected to my ethernet network using an Asante local talk bridge.

I can print to it using classic apps from the three macs on the network, selecting the original classic driver in the chooser under OS9.

Can I print to it from OSX apps, however? I can't locate an HP driver.

Thanks

gsahli - Aug 17, 2005 - 6:42 pm

Hi,
I'm Greg, your Volunteer Tech. I sincerely enjoy helping people set up their Mac so they can enjoy using it. I try, through a series of short interactions with you, to get enough information to help you. Please don't expect me to solve the problem without giving me more info or not telling me when I haven't yet fixed the problem.

You should install the hpijs and ESP ghostscript driver set:

http://www.linuxprinting.org/macosx/hpijs/

xgipper - Aug 21, 2005 - 6:42 am

Hi
I've installed them but what now? I can't see the printer under print centre. How do I add it to the list of available printers?
Can't see it under 'appletalk' or any other headings

Thanks

gsahli - Aug 21, 2005 - 9:29 am

Asantetalk is a "sensitive" device. It needs to be reset now and then to be recognized. I recommend you power off/unplug the Asante, printer and router if you have it, and repower and try again.

By the way, you didn't tell me anything about your network - do you have a router?

xgipper - Aug 21, 2005 - 11:06 am

Greg

I re-started the Asantetalk, HP Deskwriter 600, router (Netgear DG824M 4-port 10/100 Mbps switch) and the macs connected to it (the printer/Asantetalk, and the relevant G3 mac, plus other 'mac old timers' are actually connected to another hub, and then via ethernet to the Netgear ADSL router).

But I still can't see the printer under OSX to add to the print centre, using the G3 on which I installed the software.

gsahli - Aug 21, 2005 - 7:33 pm

Let me regroup -- I now notice you are talking about a Deskwriter 600, not a Deskjet 600. There isn't a driver available for OS X for a Deskwriter.
Sorry.

xgipper - Aug 22, 2005 - 8:41 am

OK.

Is there any way this could be overcome by using an older mac using pre-OSX as a print server? I have some older macs available.

If so, where would I begin?

Thanks

gsahli - Aug 22, 2005 - 9:46 am

I don't know of a way to use it directly from OS X, but if you're handy with applescript, you could set up a hot folder on an OS 8/9 Mac and print PDFs to that folder and the hot folder triggers Acrobat reader to open the PDF and print it.

(The only direct to OS 9 print server software I know of is free, but requires the sending (client) computer to have the right driver.)

I have another appletalk driver that you might like to try (and then experiment with the other older model Deskjet drivers I had you install). It requires you to do some Terminal commands -- do you want to try that? I've played around with this and it hasn't hurt anything.

xgipper - Aug 22, 2005 - 10:11 am

OK will give it a try - won't be able to get on to it immediately but sometime this week, if the terminal stuff isn't too complicated?
Thanks

gsahli - Aug 22, 2005 - 10:48 am

Start by downloading the file called pap.tar.gz from:
http://www.cups.org/links.php?SD68

Double-click on that (or drag to stiffit expander) to unstuff it. That makes a file called pap - immediately rename it to pap2. We don't want this to be confiused with another OS X file called pap. (By the way, pap means printer access protocol, which is a subset of appletalk)

Open the Terminal.
We're going to be copying pap2 into a folder called backends. backend is what the writers of CUPS call the comm protocol part of printer drivers. It's what you see in the Printer Setup menu that has USB, IP printing, Windows printing, etc choices.

In Terminal, do these commands: (comments to help in parentheses)
cd /usr/libexec/cups/backend

sudo cp {drag pap2} ./
(When I say drag pap2, this is a shortcut way to get the location of the file from the finder into this "copy" command - drag the file with the mouse pointer to the Terminal window, and the path with appear when released.)
(sudo means superdoer = Admin user. give it your regular software install password)
(./ means "right here")

ls -al
(look at the files for the new pap2. We want to see these permissions in front of the size, date and name:
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel
if that's there, we're done with the Terminal)

Restart the Mac. When you've got this far, let me know and I'll try to help you use PAP2.

gsahli - Aug 22, 2005 - 10:58 am

As I'm going thorugh this, I'm realizing this is much easier now in OS 10.4.2 (printers are automatially recognized by pap2). This may or may not work for you...

xgipper - Aug 23, 2005 - 2:37 am

Maybe *I* need to regroup!

Maybe I need a new OS - or printer. Or both.

I need to think about my choices on this one!

gsahli - Aug 23, 2005 - 8:23 am

Ya, It has been a heroic effort for an old printer.

Let me know if I can help further.
Greg