campbell@Thalatta.COM (Bill Campbell) (06/20/90)
In article <9006180306.AA13555@crayola.cs.UMD.EDU> buck@siswat.UUCP (A. Lester Buck) writes: : :In article <9005080408.AA26490@crayola.cs.UMD.EDU>, LSPUGNARDI@bat.bates.edu writes: :> Has anyone printed to a non-Next laser from a Next machine? If so what :> printer was used and what preparation was needed to do so? :> Also, has anyone printed to a Next laser from other machines over a network? :> Thanks :> lspugnardi@bat.bates.edu :> BATES COLLEGE The NeXT laser printer shouldn't work with anything but a NeXT computer since the computer does all the processing rather than the printer. -- ....microsoft--\ Bill Campbell; Celestial Software ...uw-entropy----!thebes!camco!bill 6641 East Mercer Way ....fluke------/ Mercer Island, Wa 98040 ....hplsla----/ (206) 232-4164
izumi@mindseye.Berkeley.EDU@ (Izumi Ohzawa) (07/13/90)
In article <9007120321.AA28472@crayola.cs.UMD.EDU> campbell@Thalatta.COM (Bill Campbell) writes: > >In article <9006180306.AA13555@crayola.cs.UMD.EDU> buck@siswat.UUCP (A. Lester Buck) writes: >: >:In article <9005080408.AA26490@crayola.cs.UMD.EDU>, LSPUGNARDI@bat.bates.edu writes: >:> Has anyone printed to a non-Next laser from a Next machine? If so what >:> printer was used and what preparation was needed to do so? >:> Also, has anyone printed to a Next laser from other machines over a network? > >The NeXT laser printer shouldn't work with anything but a NeXT >computer since the computer does all the processing rather than >the printer. This response doesn't appear to answer the original questions, at leaset the quoted part. To the first question, the NeXT machine already supports standard PostScript printers via serial port (RS232). I have not done this, but you should be able to use the "Choose" printer button from the PrintPanel of applications, and select Apple LaserWriter as the printer. It should work with any other PostScript printers which connects to serial ports. I don't think there is any special preparation is necessary other than physically connecting the printer to NeXT serial port. There is one potential problem with respect to the size of VM in that some very complex documents with a lot of graphics (particularly inported graphics as EPS) that print fine on NeXT machine may exhaust the VM of other printers. The size of VM on the NeXT is essentially unlimited due to the virtual memory of the system itself. I have also downloaded NeXT generated PostScript and took it to a DTP shop to print on a Linotronic L300. This also works fine. Regarding printing from other machines to NeXT printer via network, we regularly do this. From machines running BSD or SunOS, you can do this by modifying the /etc/printcap file of the remote machine, and making appropriate entries into hosts.lpd on NeXT. From other type of machines, if it has "rsh" command (many IBM PC TCP/IP packages have this) for remote execution of commands, you could do; cat filename | rsh next-hostname lpr to do printing on NeXT printer. You can put this into a shell script to make it into a single easy-to-remember command. You should also create a ".rhosts" file in your home directory on the NeXT machine with entries like, mindseye.berkeley.edu izumi anotherhost.berkeley.edu yourlogin indicating the hostname and login for the machine you want to print from. We use the second method to print from IBM RTs (sigh). One caution about printing from other machines to NeXT printer, you should not send documents containing fonts other than Courier, Helvetica, Times-Roman, Symbol and its derivatives (Fonts of the original Apple LaserWriter). NeXT has only these fonts installed as received from NeXT. If you absolutely must have other fonts, Adobe will sell them to you on an optical disk. Izumi Ohzawa, izumi@violet.berkeley.edu