t-jondu@microsoft.UUCP (Jonathan Dubman) (08/02/89)
What is needed to hook up an Epson FX-80 to a Mac Plus? I guess a serial-to- parallel converter, and a printer driver that is either public domain or that I can buy from company X. If we can use our FX-80 we'll order the Plus. How good is the output? Is there an Epson driver that mimics the ImageWriter? Thx- Please respond via email unless answers are of general interest. Jonathan
parent@apple.com (Sean Parent) (08/02/89)
Check out the Grappler C/Mac/GS from Orange Micro. It is a smart serial to parallel converter that can also interpret ImageWriter II escape sequences and generate output for most 9 pin dot matrix printers. Since it is all external hardware there are no application compatibility problems (you use the ImageWriter driver). It will work with system 7.0 when it is available. And if you find a driver else where that has different features you can just use the C/Mac/GS as a serial to parallel converter (this is also usefull for applications like Microsoft Word and Excel that can just send plain ASCII formated for a given pitch size). You can also use it with the Grappler Spooler (or any ImageWriter spooler) so you can work while printing in the backround. Sean Parent
BARRY@S66.Prime.COM (08/03/89)
I STRONGLY advise against the Grappler C/Mac/GS! I tried it with my
Epson FX 80 and found it to be much too slow. Draft output was
unusable and was even slower than Best output. There are better
options that let you use draft output, namely:
o Hanzon Universal Card is a serial i/f board that installs
INSIDE the Epson and provides an ImageWriter I emulation
mode. This is what I use. List price is about $129, but
you might find it for much less in a computer store (I
paid $25 for mine on a close out!)
o Epson 8143 serial i/f board (list about $59) plus GDT
Printworks driver (about $62 by mail order)
Either of these will give much better results than the Grappler.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barry Wolman | barry@s66.prime.com
Principal Technical Consultant | 492 Old Connecticut Path
Prime Computer | Framingham, MA 01701
| 508/626-1700, ext. 4187
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing in this posting is to be construed as representing an
official position of Prime Computer.parent@apple.com (Sean Parent) (08/04/89)
In article <166000008@S66.Prime.COM> BARRY@S66.Prime.COM writes: > I STRONGLY advise against the Grappler C/Mac/GS! I tried it with my > Epson FX 80 and found it to be much too slow. Draft output was > unusable and was even slower than Best output. There are better > options that let you use draft output, namely: You had an old version of the Grappler C/Mac/GS. Draft mode printing was redone almost a year ago and is very fast now. > o Hanzon Universal Card is a serial i/f board that installs > INSIDE the Epson and provides an ImageWriter I emulation > mode. This is what I use. List price is about $129, but > you might find it for much less in a computer store (I > paid $25 for mine on a close out!) > > o Epson 8143 serial i/f board (list about $59) plus GDT > Printworks driver (about $62 by mail order) > > Either of these will give much better results than the Grappler. I have never tried the Hanzon card so I can't comment on it. I have used Printworks when it was marketed by SoftStyle (is it the same one) and had all kinds of problems. Their "Spooler" (really just a buffer) kept crashing and there was no way to remove it short of reinstalling my system. I couldn't print from about 50% of the applications I tried (I don't remember now which ones they where but I do remember I couldn't print from the Finder). GDT may have vastly improved it since I used it (about a year and a half ago) so you should look into it. I believe the C/Mac/GS lists at $79 so it is less expensive then either of the above options. Egghead Discount Software usualy carries the C/Mac/GS and I have seen Printworks there. They let you try before you buy so it might be a good place to look. Sean Parent