Printing to network HP Laserjet 4 from Mac?

[sanddrag]

Can I print to an HP Laserjet 4 (on the network) from a Macintosh running system 7.5? The macintosh uses MacTCP control panel and Ethertalk driver to get on the network. In the menu on the printer there is an option for ethertalk on or off. How do I set up the mac to print to this printer? Do I need the Apple LaserWriter 8.5.1 driver? If so, once I install that, then what?

I noticed HP made a Laserjet4M model. Does the M stand for Macintosh and if so does that mean that my non M Laserjet will not work with the Mac?

I'm usually good with computers but I've never set up a printer on a Mac.

Thanks.

[Adam Richards]

Have you tried to use Chooser to find it?

[sanddrag]

Yes, didn't find anything. Also, do Macs only print to postscript printers? If so, is my Laserjet 4+ a postscript printer?

[roboticscom13]

Well traditionally how network printers work is that it is given a IP address so that the other computers on the network can read it. Saying that I really doubt that Mac 7.5 can do it. Why don't you upgrade to the much more stable, and better for that matter, Mac 9.2.2? And to answer your question Yes Mac can print to postscript printers.

[sanddrag]

7.5(.5) is the highest this Mac will officially run. I can use a special program called Born Again to put 8.1 on it but 8.1 costs money plus the cost of an external SCSI CDROM. So, 7.5 it is.

As for Macs printing to postscript, I know they do but I'm asking is that the only kind they do? Will it print (over the network) to my non-M model Laserjet 4+?

Does anyone have experience with the Apple LaserWriter 8.5.1 driver? From what I read it can do IP printing. But before I load 6 disk images and do the install I'd like to know if it has a chance of working.

[jdiwnab]

We have a LaserJet4 at our school. Using it's IP address, we can print from any computer in the network. We actually have a wireless and wired network. When in doubt, we printed out the printer's info sheet and it tells us it's IP address and the "default gateway". The wired network consists of PC and uses the IP address. The wireless network consists of macs and uses the gateway. Both look like IP addresses. This has been done with Mac OSX, but if you can print using IP addresses, then you should be set.

[sanddrag]

I've determined that there are these things called PPDs or Postscript Printer Descriptions that you need to use the printer. I was able to get the one for the laserjet 4 but it didn't work. I even tried using truetype fonts in simpletext and it still just printed garbage. So I have determined that the Laserjet4M model is what you need to print from an older Macintosh.

Next try will be getting a QMS Magicolor CX on the network to see if I can print to that since that does officially support PostScript.

Stupid Postsript anyway. Adobe, making the computer world a better place and a worse place at the same time... Don't even get me started on e-Books

EDIT: In case anyone ever revisits this thread here is an update to my situation. I guess it turns out you need a Postscript printer. I was able to print to the QMS just fine. I still needed the LaserWriter 8.5.1 driver (LaserWriter 8 recognized the printer but no printer response when document allegedly was sent) but the printer is recognized in the Chooser so I don't even need to use IP/LRP printing. Also, the Generic PPD works just fine too.

So, starting in a few weeks I will be doing all my word processing in Microsoft Word 5 on a 25MHz Macintosh LCIII with 20MB RAM and 160MB Hard Drive. Ah, what great memories of the good ol days.

And now I'm just thinking: I have more storage on my keychain than this computer has on its hardrive!