[net.micro.pc] MS-Windows and HP-thinkjet

simpsong@ncoast.UUCP (Gregory R. Simpson @ The North Coast) (07/27/86)

*** frozbot ***

I recently purchased MS-windows for my AT&T 6300. I have a Hewlett
Packard Thinkjet printer. Windows comes with a paint program and 
a word processing program, however, none of the printer drivers (I
have tried about 4 so far.)
seem to work with the thinkjet. Thus, the paint, and word, are 
fairly worthless to me. Does anyone else have windows working with 
a thinkjet. If so, I would greatly appreciate knowing what driver
you are using. 

Please respond by mail, since I doubt the entire world is interested
in hearing the answer. If you also have this problem, but no fix, send
me mail, and I will forward you any help I receive.

If all else fails, perhaps Microsoft would be kind enough to provide
me with enough information to write my own printer driver. My hp-thinkjet
manual contains all the information, but the windows documentation doesn't
say anything technical.

Thanks in advance,

Greg
---------
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      Gregory R. Simpson       

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broehl@watdcsu.UUCP (Bernie Roehl) (08/13/86)

>If all else fails, perhaps Microsoft would be kind enough to provide
>me with enough information to write my own printer driver. My hp-thinkjet
>manual contains all the information, but the windows documentation doesn't
>say anything technical.

I'm in the same boat, but we have an Imagen laser printer that we want to
use with Windows.  Is it possible to get any kind of technical information
on writing a driver for Windows?  (Yes, I know I can reverse-engineer it,
but why bother if the information's available?)

connery@bnrmtv.UUCP (Glenn Connery) (08/21/86)

> >If all else fails, perhaps Microsoft would be kind enough to provide
> >me with enough information to write my own printer driver. My hp-thinkjet
> >manual contains all the information, but the windows documentation doesn't
> >say anything technical.
> 
> I'm in the same boat, but we have an Imagen laser printer that we want to
> use with Windows.  Is it possible to get any kind of technical information
> on writing a driver for Windows?  (Yes, I know I can reverse-engineer it,
> but why bother if the information's available?)

1. You can order the Microsoft Windows Developer's Kit for around $500.00.
   It includes the Microsoft C compiler and all the information you need
   to write said printer drivers.

2. You can wait about a month for the 1.03 release of Windows.  The pictures
   in the PC Week article on it explicitly list the Thinkjet driver.  Not
   sure about the Imagen laser printer, though PostScript is supported.

3. You can pester both Microsoft and the printer maker until they do
   something about the availability of a driver.

4. You can set up windows to spool to a file instead and write a complex
   program to convert the output file to your printer...
-- 

Glenn Connery, Bell Northern Research, Mountain View, CA
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