knapp@cs.utexas.edu (Edgar Knapp) (10/15/89)
Is there a straightforward way to connect a NeXT laser printer to a Mac? The NeXT printer has a higher resolution than Apple's and is less expensive than the NT. If possible, has anyone actually done this? Edgar (knapp@cs.utexas.edu)
dayglow@csli.Stanford.EDU (Eric T. Ly) (10/15/89)
In article <7037@cs.utexas.edu> knapp@cs.utexas.edu (Edgar Knapp) writes: >Is there a straightforward way to connect a NeXT laser printer to a >Mac? The NeXT printer has a higher resolution than Apple's and is less >expensive than the NT. If possible, has anyone actually done this? Not unless you have a NeXT computer to go with it. The NeXT laser printer basically contains only the machinery to generate laser printouts. It does not have a PostScript interpreter or other comparable intelligence to draw pages. All of the processing goes on inside the NeXT computer, which then bit-blasts the entire page to the printer for hard-copying. If you have a NeXT, though, it is possible to send the Mac's PostScript output to the cube for processing and subsequent print out on the laser printer. Eric Ly CSLI, Stanford University
osborn@cs.utexas.edu (John Howard Osborn) (10/15/89)
In article <7037@cs.utexas.edu>, knapp@cs.utexas.edu (Edgar Knapp) writes: > Is there a straightforward way to connect a NeXT laser printer to a > Mac? The NeXT printer has a higher resolution than Apple's and is less > expensive than the NT. If possible, has anyone actually done this? No. On a NeXT, postscript is digested inside the cube itself and a rastor image is sent to the printer via a non-standard connection. The real reason the NeXT printer is cheaper is that it doesn't have an internal computer (680?0 + ?MB of memory!) to jack up the cost. I guess the whole point of what I'm saying is that in order to use the laser printer on a macintosh, you'd have to buy a cube to go with it. You're better off buying a standard issue postscript printer. If the Apple printer is too expensive, go with a third party. No matter what, you ought to move this over to comp.sys.mac or some other apple group if you want to continue asking questions about mac printing. :) - John H. Osborn * University of Texas at Austin Comp. Sci. Dept. osborn@cs.utexas.edu * "Love your SysAdmin."
epsilon@wet.UUCP (Eric P. Scott) (10/16/89)
In article <7037@cs.utexas.edu> knapp@cs.utexas.edu (Edgar Knapp) writes: >Is there a straightforward way to connect a NeXT laser printer to a >Mac? The NeXT printer has a higher resolution than Apple's and is less >expensive than the NT. If possible, has anyone actually done this? This is about as straightforward as it gets for serious DTP: +-------+ +-------------+ +-------+ +---------+ | Apple |_| Mac II with | | NeXT |_| 400 dpi | |Scanner| | NCSA Telnet | | 16 Mb | | laser | +-------+ +-------------+ +-------+ +---------+ ====ethernet==== Saves the cost of the Apple LaserWriter, assuming you already have the other hardware. Works great, looks awesome. It you were looking to connect the NeXT Laser "directly" (without the NeXT), you're SOL, since all the rasterization is done in the cube, not the printer. Now if someone would come up with the software to allow me to plug an Apple (or Abaton) scanner directly into the NeXT's SCSI port without the Mac II, I'd be very interested--the savings would be comparable to THREE NeXT Laser Printers... -=EPS=-
gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu (10/17/89)
[discussion of whether Next printers can be used with Macs] Next does the postscript imaging in the computer, so postscipt images couldn't be printed from a Mac on a Next printer. But what about QuickDraw images? The LaserWriter IISC works with a Mac, as does the HP LaserJet, I think. You could then use a Next 400 DPI printer instead of a IISC, couldn't you? Robert ============================================================================ = gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu * generic disclaimer: * "It's more fun to = = crsp_ra@gsbacd.uchicago.edu * all my opinions are * compute" = = * mine * -Kraftwerk = ============================================================================
dorourke@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (David M. O'Rourke) (10/17/89)
knapp@cs.utexas.edu (Edgar Knapp) writes: >Is there a straightforward way to connect a NeXT laser printer to a >Mac? The NeXT printer has a higher resolution than Apple's and is less >expensive than the NT. If possible, has anyone actually done this? It is my understanding that the NeXT laser printer uses the NeXT machine to do the postscript imaging. So that's the reason why the NeXT printer is cheaper than an NT. Assuming you could connect a NeXT printer to a Mac, all you'd be able to do is run QuickDraw printer interface, and then who's driver are you going to use to print to the printer... You couldn't use the Apple LaserWriter driver because that requires the printer to have postscript. If you want a cheap LaserPrinter I'd consider the LaserWriter SC, or the HP DeskWriter {not a laserPrinter but just as good :-) }. Both of those printers connect up the mac with no problems, they both have good quality drivers, and both offer acceptable output quality. I'm personally partial to the DeskWriter, great product!!!! If what you want is a cheap postscript printer I'm afraid you're out of luck, since Adobe seems to charge an arm/leg for a postscipt license. Now there are postscript clones...... But thats another story that I don't know how to tell. :-) Hope this helps. -- \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\|///////////////////////////////////////// David M. O'Rourke____________________|_____________dorourke@polyslo.calpoly.edu | Graduating in March of 1990, with a BS in Computer Science & need a Job. | |_____________________________________________________________________________|
bergman@m2c.m2c.org (Michael Bergman) (10/18/89)
A new wrinkle on this is described in the recent MacWorld magazine -- there's a software package that does postscript processing and sends the results to a wide variety of printers. Whether that includes the NeXT printer, or if it can be customized to work with it, I don't know (nor do I recall the name of the company) I do recall that it is essentially a Postscript clone, not a liscensed product based on Postscript. -- --mike bergman Massachusetts Microelectronics Center 75 North Drive, Westborough, MA 01581, USA +1 (508) 870-0312 UUCP: harvard!m2c!bergman INTERNET: bergman@m2c.org
chari@nueces.cactus.org (Chris Whatley) (10/18/89)
bergman@m2c.m2c.org (Michael Bergman) writes: [stuff about the NeXT printer] > I do recall that it is >essentially a Postscript clone, not a liscensed product based on >Postscript. Where do you remember this from? NeXT's Display Postscript(TM) is more postscript than Apple's really. The main problem with printing mac postscript on the NeXT is having to append Apple's dictionary which enables PS to emulate QuickDraw. One could also argue that this is a problem with the mac but.... Anyway, DPS is definitely licensed from Adobe Inc. and the NeXT version has enhancements such as the alphaimage operator. -- Chris Whatley Work: chari@pelican.ma.utexas.edu (NeXT Mail) (512/471-7711 ext 123) Play: chari@nueces.cactus.org (NeXT Mail) (512/499-0475) Also: chari@emx.utexas.edu