[comp.sys.hp] Driver

rit@killdeer.Stanford.EDU (Jean-Francois Rit) (06/07/91)

I would like to buy an inexpensive printer that would work with a
Macintosh and a Next. A HP Deskwriter (with quickdraw) looks good for
the Mac, and a DeskJet with ghostscript fine for the Next.

Are those actually different packages for the same basic printer? Are the
differences so that the ghostscript Deskjet driver is unsuitable for a
"Deskwriter" ?  

A related question is about the availability of good technical manuals
for these printers.

J-F Rit

chappell@witchcraft.sf.ca.us (Tom Chappell) (06/13/91)

My understanding is that the two printers have deep fundamental differences
in the commands they expect - I called HP about it once, and they said that
the DeskWriter and the PaintWriter XL were basically QuickDraw machines,
and that the DeskJet and the PaintJet ** weren't **.  Obviously, you could
write a driver for anything, in fact a Macintosh driver IS available for
the PaintJet from HP. There are third-party programs such as MacPrint
(ComputerWare, EggHead) that include new drivers that allow the Mac to print
to the DeskJet and other "PC" printers.

I don't remember HP's reply when I asked them about a technical manual;
my dim memory is that they weren't exactly helpful.

bcripe@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com. (Brian E. Cripe) (06/18/91)

It has been 3 years since I worked on HP printers, so take everything
I say with a grain of salt.

> I would like to buy an inexpensive printer that would work with a
> Macintosh and a Next. A HP Deskwriter (with quickdraw) looks good for
> the Mac, and a DeskJet with ghostscript fine for the Next.
> 
> Are those actually different packages for the same basic printer? 

The DeskJet and the DeskWriter are very similar mechanically and somewhat
similar electrically -- but the firmware is very different.  DeskJet
implements PCL III and the DeskWriter is tuned for highspeed graphics-only
suitable for a QuickDraw environment.

> Are the differences so that the ghostscript Deskjet driver is unsuitable 
> for a "Deskwriter" ?  

I suspect the ghostscript driver generates PCL which would completely
confuse the DeskWriter.

> A related question is about the availability of good technical manuals
> for these printers.

I don't know the answer to this.

	Brian Cripe