gilgalad@caen.engin.umich.edu (Ralph Seguin) (02/06/91)
Hi. It's me again :) Anyways, since I got very little response on my first post, I thought that I'd make a more pointed post. What printer should I use with my NeXT? I am loathe to purchase a laser since I really cannot afford it. Is there any hope of using a dot matrix with it? Graphics is a must. Has anybody been able to use a dot matrix or an ink jet with the NeXT? If I do decide to get a laser, would I be better off getting a postscript printer instead of the NeXT laser (ie, so I can transport it to a different machine)? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ralph Ralph Seguin gilgalad@dip.eecs.umich.edu 536 South Forest Apt. #915 gilgalad@caen.engin.umich.edu Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (313) 662-4805
zazula@uazhe0.physics.arizona.edu (RALPH ZAZULA) (02/07/91)
In article <1991Feb6.080032.18350@engin.umich.edu>, gilgalad@caen.engin.umich.edu (Ralph Seguin) writes... >Hi. It's me again :) Anyways, since I got very little response on my first >post, I thought that I'd make a more pointed post. What printer should I >use with my NeXT? I am loathe to purchase a laser since I really cannot >afford it. Is there any hope of using a dot matrix with it? Graphics is >a must. Has anybody been able to use a dot matrix or an ink jet with >the NeXT? If I do decide to get a laser, would I be better off getting a >postscript printer instead of the NeXT laser (ie, so I can transport it to >a different machine)? Any help is greatly appreciated. > > Thanks, Ralph > >Ralph Seguin gilgalad@dip.eecs.umich.edu >536 South Forest Apt. #915 gilgalad@caen.engin.umich.edu >Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (313) 662-4805 Hey, anyone out there???? I also would like to know if a dot-matrix (ie. EPSON,PROPRINTER) can be hooked up to a NeXT. I'm assuming you would do this via one of the serial ports. Ideally, one would want a way to convert postscript to dot-matrix graphics. But, being able to print plain ASCII text (ie. source code, mail messages, etc.) would be a good starting point. Is it as simple as getting a serial-to-parallel cable??? Please respond... Ralph |----------------------------------------------------------------------| | Ralph Zazula "Computer Addict!" | | University of Arizona --- Department of Physics | | UAZHEP::ZAZULA (DecNet/HEPNet) | | zazula@uazhe0.physics.arizona.edu (Internet) | |----------------------------------------------------------------------| | "You can twist perceptions, reality won't budge." - Neil Peart | |----------------------------------------------------------------------|
ne201ph@prism.gatech.EDU (Halvorson,Peter J) (02/07/91)
In article <6FEB91142917@uazhe0.physics.arizona.edu> zazula@uazhe0.physics.arizona.edu writes: > >Hey, anyone out there???? I also would like to know if a dot-matrix >(ie. EPSON,PROPRINTER) can be hooked up to a NeXT. > I haven't answered because I don't have a full answer. There was a program which would let an Apple Imagewriter ( or whatever they call their dot matrix printer) be hooked up to the serial port of a 1.0 NeXT. The software was based on the NeXT laser printer software ( or maybe just provided similar function), and converted postscript to a raster image which was dumped to the printer. That was the only printer that I've heard of being supported this way. There was also some clause in NeXT's contract with Adobe which restricted them to low resolution printers ( except for the NeXTlaser). The clause has been lifted for 2.0, the software is writable, but no one has done a version supported a few of the main dot matrix printers ( as far as I know). You could also rig up a lpd filter which would route a plain ASCII file out the serial port to a regular printer, but I haven't heard of anyone doing this. -- Peter Halvorson -- Nuclear Engineering Program Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 uucp: ...!{allegra,amd,hplabs,ut-ngp}!gatech!prism!ne201ph Internet: ne201ph@prism.gatech.edu -- peter@fission.gatech.edu
osborn@cs.utexas.edu (John Howard Osborn) (02/07/91)
In article <6FEB91142917@uazhe0.physics.arizona.edu> zazula@uazhe0.physics.arizona.edu writes: >Hey, anyone out there???? I also would like to know if a dot-matrix >(ie. EPSON,PROPRINTER) can be hooked up to a NeXT. I'm assuming you >would do this via one of the serial ports. Ideally, one would want >a way to convert postscript to dot-matrix graphics. But, being able >to print plain ASCII text (ie. source code, mail messages, etc.) would >be a good starting point. Is it as simple as getting a serial-to-parallel >cable??? Your options are: - Buy a NeXT laserprinter. (This best from a technical standpoint, but can be expensive.) - Use a serially connected postscript printer. (This is the best option if you already own such a printer.) - Use a networked printer. (2.0 has a nasty bug concerning this, consult your technical support person.) - Use a non-postscript serially connect printer and just do line printing. (No graphics.) - Get an Apple ImageWriter-II, connect it serially, and run iwf. (iwf is a program that rasterizes the postscript, converts it to imagewriter commands, and sends it out the serial port. This is cheap, but I don't know if iwf works under 2.0 (Anybody know?) and the print quality is so-so. - Wait for software to be announced that will let you connect an HP DeskJet-500 to your serial port and operate it as a postscript printer. (Much like iwf drives an Imagewriter.) - -John H. Osborn -osborn@cs.utexas.edu
alan@wor.umd.edu (Alan Joseph Schunemann) (02/07/91)
In article <17688@cs.utexas.edu> osborn@cs.utexas.edu (John Howard Osborn) writes: >In article <6FEB91142917@uazhe0.physics.arizona.edu> zazula@uazhe0.physics.arizona.edu writes: >>Hey, anyone out there???? I also would like to know if a dot-matrix >>(ie. EPSON,PROPRINTER) can be hooked up to a NeXT. I'm assuming you >>would do this via one of the serial ports. Ideally, one would want >>a way to convert postscript to dot-matrix graphics. But, being able >>to print plain ASCII text (ie. source code, mail messages, etc.) would >>be a good starting point. Is it as simple as getting a serial-to-parallel >>cable??? Let me rephrase this. HOW do you set up the system to handle a serial printer on a serial port? Just a "dumb" line printer. Thanks! Alan -- _______________________________________________________________ Alan Schunemann Well, what shall we throw away this year? alan@wam.umd.edu -Andrew Carnegie
kls30@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Kent L Shephard) (02/08/91)
In article <6FEB91142917@uazhe0.physics.arizona.edu> zazula@uazhe0.physics.arizona.edu writes: >Hey, anyone out there???? I also would like to know if a dot-matrix >(ie. EPSON,PROPRINTER) can be hooked up to a NeXT. I'm assuming you >would do this via one of the serial ports. Ideally, one would want Yes you can connect one to a serial port. >a way to convert postscript to dot-matrix graphics. But, being able ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I know I do. I have a Panasonic KXP-1524 and I would like to use it on the NeXTcube I'm about to buy. I may write something, but it will only be something to convert raster images (what goes to the NeXT printer) to something my printer can handle. I have a program that I got called Ghostscript that does postscript to Epson, VGA, etc on a PC and it has portable code that is supposed to compile under UN*X, VMS, etc. I'm having some problems trying to compile it under MS-DOS but I do have an executable for MS-DOS that sort of works. >to print plain ASCII text (ie. source code, mail messages, etc.) would >be a good starting point. Is it as simple as getting a serial-to-parallel >cable??? Well what you would need is a serial cable and a serial-parallel converter to handle the data stream from the NeXT to the printer's parallel port. Some printers have a serial option or have both serial and parallel interfaces built in and selectable by dip switches (my KXP-1524 has both serial and parallel). > >Please respond... >Ralph > |----------------------------------------------------------------------| > | Ralph Zazula "Computer Addict!" | > | University of Arizona --- Department of Physics | > | UAZHEP::ZAZULA (DecNet/HEPNet) | > | zazula@uazhe0.physics.arizona.edu (Internet) | > |----------------------------------------------------------------------| > | "You can twist perceptions, reality won't budge." - Neil Peart | > |----------------------------------------------------------------------| -- /* -The opinions expressed are my own, not my employers. */ /* For I can only express my own opinions. */ /* */ /* Kent L. Shephard : email - kls30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com */
rbp@investor.pgh.pa.us (Bob Peirce #305) (02/14/91)
In article <1991Feb6.080032.18350@engin.umich.edu> gilgalad@caen.engin.umich.edu (Ralph Seguin) writes: >Hi. It's me again :) Anyways, since I got very little response on my first >post, I thought that I'd make a more pointed post. What printer should I >use with my NeXT? I am loathe to purchase a laser since I really cannot >afford it. Is there any hope of using a dot matrix with it? Graphics is >a must. Has anybody been able to use a dot matrix or an ink jet with >the NeXT? Eric Scott wrote a filter to drive an Image Writer. I am converting it to work on an Epson LQ-510. So far I just have the text part working, and it works great. Since the LQ-510 has Times Roman and Sans Serif (similar an maybe equal to Helvetica) and does proportional spacing, saving Edit or WriteNow text in ascii allows it to be printed pretty much the way it looks. I do need to do something about <TAB> and I don't know about underline, italics and bold, but straight text is fine. I did find the arguments you can send to the filter seem to be limited to those the lpr command already uses. I don't know if or why this is true, but that is my experience so far. Since I do not know postscript or the Image Writer, I have had trouble understanding that phase of the program. However, it appears to be straightforward and I expect to be able to convert it. I am told 1.0 is limited to 72 dpi. However, 2.0 supposedly has much higher limits, well beyond what I am likely to need. -- Bob Peirce, Pittsburgh, PA 412-471-5320 ...!uunet!pitt!investor!rbp rbp@investor.pgh.pa.us
eps@toaster.SFSU.EDU (Eric P. Scott) (02/16/91)
In article <1991Feb13.211037.25446@investor.pgh.pa.us> rbp@investor.pgh.pa.us (Bob Peirce #305) writes: >I am told 1.0 is limited to 72 dpi. 150. On the ImageWriter II, I found that higher resolutions contributed little to legibility (since the dots are so large), and slowed things down considerably. Unfortunately, I lost my chance to play with an ImageWriter LQ--the person I knew who had one traded it with someone who wanted a wide carriage printer. :-( Anyway, a "typical" 72x120dpi printer isn't going to violate the terms of your license agreement. > However, 2.0 supposedly has much >higher limits, well beyond what I am likely to need. 900. -=EPS=-