sce@runx.ips.oz (Simon Evans) (07/10/87)
I am involved in writing a database application for a client who currently owns a Brother daisywheel printer and wishes to continue using it (both to save investing money in a new printer, and to continue to have a high standard of printing of his accounts). I therefore need a printer driver that will talk to the daisywheel printer and that I can sell to client [ie I cannot just use such a driver from a word processor that includes one unless the driver is PD]. There is such a driver advertised in the directory of the May MacUser (p203) from GDT Softworks, Canada, called Print-Link. Does anyone know anything about this product (cost, efficacy etc)? Are there any shareware/PD drivers available that would do the job? If none of the above is any good, how hard is it to write a printer driver that simply does text streaming and recognises the lPrReset, lPrLineFeed, lPrLFSixth amd lPrPageEnd iPrDevCtl parameters? Finally, is it possible to simply send ASCII out through one of the serial ports and ignore the printer manager ? (I know that this is undesirable, but the product is a one off and the simplest possible solution is the one desired) Thanks for any reviews/recommendations, estimates of time required or simple answers to any of the questions above, Simon Evans (@ JAM Software) Simon Evans ISD: +61 2 90-7031 or +61 2 799-1696 c/o JAM Software Pty Ltd STD: (02) 90-7031 or (02) 799-1696 27A Nowranie Street ACS: sce@runx.ips.oz Summer Hill NSW 2130 UUCP: seismo!munnari!runx.ips.oz!sce AUSTRALIA ARPA: munnari!runx.ips.oz!sce@SEISMO
jww@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU (Joel West) (07/18/87)
Writing a crude, bare-bones printer driver (such as for a daisywheel
without graphics or multiple fonts) is 3 man-months, +- a factor of 2, assuming
you know what you're doing. If this is your first serious Macintosh
programming effort, double that, since you'll be flying without any documentation.
--
Joel West, Palomar Software, Inc. (c/o UCSD)
{ucbvax,ihnp4}!sdcsvax!jww or jww@sdcsvax.ucsd.eduearleh@dartvax.UUCP (Earle R. Horton) (07/19/87)
In article <1014@runx.ips.oz>, sce@runx.ips.oz (Simon Evans) writes: > ...how hard is it to write a printer > driver that simply does text streaming and recognises the lPrReset, > lPrLineFeed, lPrLFSixth amd lPrPageEnd iPrDevCtl parameters? > > Finally, is it possible to simply send ASCII out through one of > the serial ports and ignore the printer manager ? I have not attempted the first solution, but I assume from the dearth of any kind of software that does this that it is extremely difficult. The second method is easy. In fact, it's just like writing to a file. I can mail you some example code, or, if there is enough interest, post it. -- ********************************************************************* *Earle R. Horton, H.B. 8000, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755 * *********************************************************************