ebert@arisia.Xerox.COM (Robert Ebert) (11/10/90)
When I saw the add for Freedom of Press Light for only $57 (MacWarehouse) I couldn't resist. It arrived today. Here are some thoughts after playing with it for about half an hour. Host machine: 5 MB SE/30 Target printer: Pre-AppleTalk DeskWriter Installation was easy, there's an installer. The main application runs in just under 1500 K. With the main application, you can select any PostScript file on your disk and print it. Printing is pretty quick, and can take place in the background. When operating in the background, the application seems well behaved, and hardly slows down foreground tasks at all. The rub is getting the PostScript file. I used the LaserWriter 6.0.1 driver with the `Disk File' check bok enabled to generate a couple of test files. But, to do this I've got to select the LaserWriter driver in the Chooser, which means turning on AppleTalk, which means I can't leave the DW connected and powered on in the Printer port. (FOPL recommends connecting the DW to the Modem port. But then, what do I do with my modem?) You can also have FOPL print for you automatically. To do this, you run an application called FP Spooler, select the LaserWriter printer named "FP Spooler", and run FOPL. (You need MultiFinder to do this.) Now, when you print to the printer "FP Spooler" a file on the disk automatically gets generated, and this file is handed off to FOPL which images it and prints it. I tried this (with my DW in the modem port) and it worked very nicely... it took a little longer than just printing to the DW, but it happened in the background. Speeds seem comprable to the speeds I've witnessed when people use SuperLaserSpool. I had ATM running, and I never gave a thought to installing new fonts or dealing with this at all. I didn't seem to have any font problems. I'll try to post a follow-up on Monday after I've had a chance to thrash things out a bit. (I want to try some *serious* PostScript code...) I'm guessing that, if I had the AppleTalk version of the DeskWriter, I could use this scheme very nicely and get fairly fast background printing on my DeskWriter. (So, that means you can get a 300 dpi PostScript compatible printer for less than $760. Fry's has DW's for $699, and FOPL is $57. But don't forget you need to sacrifice 1.5MB of memory and keep both FOPL and FP Spooler running under MultiFinder.) Since I don't have the AppleTalk DW, here's the scheme I plan on using for the occassional PostScript job. I'll turn off the DW, then select the LaserWriter in the Chooser. Then I'll print everything I want to with the Disk File check box on. Then I'll select the DeskWriter in the Chooser, launch FOPL, find the PostScript files, and set them printing in the background. This leaves my modem port free for (what else) a modem. Admittedly, this is a bit klunky, but I only need PS occassionally. I think I got my $57 worth. --Bob P.S. I checked into upgrading my DeskWriter to the AppleTalk version. HP will do this, but they want $140 plus they want me to pay for the shipping to send it to them. I got my information from HP Tech Support (800) 752-0900. Call them if you're interested. P.P.S. Is anyone interested in buying a non-AppleTalk DeskWriter for $650? I'll throw in an almost new (less than 10 pages) 'new ink' print cartridge and a ream of standard copier paper...