AdobePS & PostScript Printers

[ArmorAlley]

A neighbour gave me an Oki C321dn because she had finished her studies and didn't need it no more.

It is a PostScript printer but comes with no drivers for Mac OS 9. It does have drivers for Mac OS X 10.3 onwards and I have installed PostScript drivers for both Ubuntu and Windows 10.

I have installed the Adobe PostScript driver (AdobePS) v8.8 on my PM 8100/400 but nothing appears when I click the AdobePS driver in Chooser. It is not seen on the network. The Oki page gives PPDs for Linux which I have downloaded and put into the Printer Description folder in Extensions. The OS is 9.0.4. The Powermac can get online and both the Windows machine and Ubuntu can see it.

What am I doing wrong? Am I simply expecting too much from generic PostScript printers? I have never used the AdobePS before but I have heard a lot about it. I was under the impression that all PostScript printers were supported. If AdobePS is the way to go, would someone kindly point me in the right direction please?

Thanks very much.

 

[NJRoadfan]

Unless the printer supports AppleTalk, you can't print to it using the LaserWriter or the AdobePS drivers. Looking at the spec sheet, it doesn't appear this printer's network card has AppleTalk support.

 

[trag]

Unless the printer supports AppleTalk, you can't print to it using the LaserWriter or the AdobePS drivers. Looking at the spec sheet, it doesn't appear this printer's network card has AppleTalk support.

Yes, that's the gotcha.    The older Xerox Phaser printers' data/spec sheet had a field for "network protocols" or some such.  That's where tcp/ip, spx/ix (?)  and Appletalk would be listed.  They don't specify those things any more.  It can be very difficult to determine what network protocols are supported.  They have dumbed it down to just telling  you want OS's they think they support.

I suspect Appletalk has disappeared from most new printers, but I keep hoping that the companies which used to support it, would just leave it in through inertia.

 

[ArmorAlley]

Thanks for this. Something learned today.

According to the menu map of the printer, EtherTalk is set to disabled, so I might be lucky yet, if I can enable it. I'll give that a go.

 

[olePigeon]

@NJRoadfan Are you certain?  I'm pretty sure with the LaserWriter 8 driver + Desktop Printer Utility, you can add a networked printer via IP address.  I'm fairly certain you can.

 

[ArmorAlley]

@OlePigeon may have a bigger point and, in short, I hope that he is right.

What I do know was that my problem lay with the internal configuration of the printer. I enabled EtherTalk in the Network menu and "C321" appeared in both the LaserWriter8 and AdobePS printer driver in Chooser. I chose the AdobePS driver, created a PPD and was able to print. The printer is connected by ethernet.

So, a happy end. Thanks to all who responded.

 

[ktkm]

What I do know was that my problem lay with the internal configuration of the printer. I enabled EtherTalk in the Network menu and "C321" appeared in both the LaserWriter8 and AdobePS printer driver in Chooser. I chose the AdobePS driver, created a PPD and was able to print. The printer is connected by ethernet.

So, a happy end. Thanks to all who responded.

This sounds interesting! I have an Oki C841 that I have been trying to hook up, but never made it.

 

[ktkm]

That did it! Now, for the first time ever, I can print from system 7.1 to my OKI C841! Thank you so much!

By enabling the EtherTalk protocol in the printer menu /Admin/Network Setup/EtherTalk) everything works like a charm! I have always assumed EtherTalk was active since it was listed together with TCP/IP, IPX/SPX (who are active by default).

Assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups! 

 

[ArmorAlley]

That did it! Now, for the first time ever, I can print from system 7.1 to my OKI C841! Thank you so much!

By enabling the EtherTalk protocol in the printer menu /Admin/Network Setup/EtherTalk) everything works like a charm! I have always assumed EtherTalk was active since it was listed together with TCP/IP, IPX/SPX (who are active by default).

Assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups! 

Glad I was able to help.

It was only after I posted the initial post was that I should really look at the sheets it spews out at me.

When I got the printer, my gut feeling was that if it supported Mac OS 10.4, then it should work on 9.2.2 and below.