mattp@oakhill.UUCP (Matt Pressly) (08/17/89)
I haven't been reading this newsgroup lately, so this topic may have already been resolved. I need to connect a MacPlus to a Laserwriter using a normal serial connection and send plain PostScript without Appletalk. The reason I need to do this is that I have 2 PCs and 1 Mac that must share 1 LaserWriter. I have a switch box that I can connect all three to and a serial cable which works from the Mac to the switchbox (except you have to set the switch on the back of the LaserWriter to "Appletalk" to use the Mac and "9600" to use the PCs, requiring several minutes each time you switch, since you have to turn off the LaserWriter, change the switch setting, turn it back on, and wait several minutes for the self test to complete and the startup page to be printed). Is there any way to avoid using the Appletalk protocol (a different LaserWriter driver, perhaps) so that the switch on the LaserWriter can be always left in the "9600" position? As mentioned before, the cable is no problem, as that has already been built and works fine. Also, the chooser (with the latest LaserWriter driver) will allow you to select the LaserWriter driver and subsequently turn Appletalk off, but I just get printing error messages when I try that. Does anyone know if doing this should force the driver to send PostScript to the Laserwriter without using Appletalk, or is this just a bogus setting? Also, what is exactly is the asynchronous Laserwriter driver that's available from APDA? Does it do what I need to do? If so, how much does it cost? Has anyone successfully accomplished this seemingly simple feat? -- address: mattp@oakhill.UUCP