[comp.protocols.appletalk] AppleTalk'ed Hi-Vol Printers

yahnke@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Ross Yahnke, MACC) (10/13/89)

In putting together a new lab, I'm looking for some better printing
solutions. We're currently using ImageWriters, which suck; they
need too much maintenance. The powers that be don't want to use
LaserWriters cuz of the costly toner cartridges. So.

Does anybody know of any hi-volume dot-matrix or other types of
printers that can be either AppleTalk'ed or Ethernet'ed into a
Mac lab? Such a printer a) would use fanfold paper, and b) would
not necessarily have to print Mac graphics, just draft ascii
text files. 

I'm currently looking at an Epson DFX-5000, a hi-vol parallel port'ed
dot matrix, but I sure can't figure out how I'd turn it into an
AppleTalk based printer...

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jeff@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Jeffrey M White) (10/13/89)

In article <2536@dogie.macc.wisc.edu> yahnke@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Ross Yahnke,
MAC
C) writes:
>In putting together a new lab, I'm looking for some better printing
>solutions. We're currently using ImageWriters, which suck; they
>need too much maintenance. The powers that be don't want to use
>LaserWriters cuz of the costly toner cartridges. So.
>
>Does anybody know of any hi-volume dot-matrix or other types of
>printers that can be either AppleTalk'ed or Ethernet'ed into a
>Mac lab? Such a printer a) would use fanfold paper, and b) would
>not necessarily have to print Mac graphics, just draft ascii
"/u/staff/jeff/.article" 32 lines, 1179 characters
>not necessarily have to print Mac graphics, just draft ascii
>text files.
>
>I'm currently looking at an Epson DFX-5000, a hi-vol parallel port'ed
>dot matrix, but I sure can't figure out how I'd turn it into an
>AppleTalk based printer...

  You experience personally, but Shiva sells a NetSerial box that is
supposed to allow access to serial ports from AppleTalk.  I'm not sure
what it looks like in the Chooser (probably a custom rdev driver), but it
you can specify it as the printer for your Mac, you should be okay.  You could
also add a Grappler interface to do the Imagewriter to Epson conversion,
and get graphic capability as well.

                                                Jeff White
                                                University of Pennsylvania
                                                jeff@eniac.seas.upenn.edu

yahnke@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Ross Yahnke, MACC) (10/14/89)

|In article <2536@dogie.macc.wisc.edu> yahnke@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Ross Yahnke,
|>I'm currently looking at an Epson DFX-5000, a hi-vol parallel port'ed
|>dot matrix, but I sure can't figure out how I'd turn it into an
|>AppleTalk based printer...
| 
|  You experience personally, but Shiva sells a NetSerial box that is
|supposed to allow access to serial ports from AppleTalk.  I'm not sure

I called Shiva, the product is a 'TeleNet' box that retails for $399.
It'll interface to the serial port of my Epson DFX-5000 and supposedly
allow me to see it in the Chooser as an AppleTalk ImageWriter. I guess.

If it works, this is just what I'm looking for. Thanks much!

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