AMAX & DeskJet
18 messages in this thread
Just curious if anyone has used a DeskJet as a printer from AMAX. If so,
what hardware and/or software did you use to make it work? Thanks. Les
Clark
Leslie,
The DeskJet by itself may not work. However, HP makes the
DeskWriter, which is a DeskJet specifically designed as a Mac printer.
Perhaps you could talk with them about adapting the DeskJet by itself.
Otherwise, you would need some sort of Mac compatible driver for the
DeskJet. HP would be the first source for inquiry.
Steve
Steve,
I already have a DeskJet and I'm very happy with it. I was just looking
for a way to use it with AMAX. I believe that there has to be some way to
make this all work together. (If not, then this is what a friend would
call a "marketing opportunity".)
Thanks.
Les Clark
Les,
There is a shareware DeskJet driver in one of the Mac forums here
on CIS. Is use it to drive my LaserJet II compat. under A-Max and it works
great! Let me know if ya can't find it.
-Rocky
Rocky,
Thanks! I'll go poking around in the MAC forums and see if I can find
it. Les Clark
Les,
If you find it, let me know, please. I don't have Amax yet, but
when the Amax II+ comes out I plan to get it for my 2000. I, too, have a
DeskJet and would find the driver most useful at that point.
Steve
Steve,
As I told Dan, I've pulled one down and I'm playing with it. I'll let
you know how it turns out. Les Clark
Les,
Thanks, I'd appreciate your evaluation. I'm really looking forward
to seeing Amax II+ become a real product. I just hope it's not too, too
expensive. The ad in AmigaWorld certainly whets the appetite. I wonder if
Amax II+ will use the 256k ROMs or will still use the 128k ROMs of the Mac
Plus.
Steve
I pulled down two different mac drivers for the HP deskjet and couldn't get
either to work for me with amax, good luck and please let me know if you
are able to get one to work!
Dan,
I downloaded one yesterday and it seems to work. The only problem I've
seen so far is that the printout isn't lining up exactly right on the page.
There may be some parms to fix that, but I haven't had a chance to play
with it much. (It comes with a nice manual, but the manual is in MS Word
format and I don't have a way to look at it. I spent most of yesterday
trying to find someway to do that. I wish I understood how the Mac marks
the tool to be used with a file.) Les Clark
I would be interested in trying out that mac handler for the hp deskjet, do
you have the file name and sig location I can find it in? How did you
configure your Amax to accept the printer/driver, maybe that is my problem.
Dan
The driver is djtdrv.sit in lib 11 of the MACPRO forum. I have AMAX
setup to use the parallel port for the printer with no emulation. I still
haven't had any more time to play with it. (Gee, work sure does get in the
way of the important things in life…) Les Clark
Les:
Thanks Les, I'll stop by lib 11 over at macpro and pick that handler up.
Les,
I still think you may be able to use it if HP can help you. After
all the DeskWriter is nothing more than a DeskJet modified to work on a
Mac. I would call them and see what might be worked out. The alternative
is to try some of the Mac products. Orange Micro makes a product which
permits Epson printers to be used with the Mac. Perhaps their product is
able to facilitate using other printers. I wouldn't give up just yet!
Steve
A Deskjet cannot be driven by the DeskWriter driver (the DeskWriter runs
only at 57,600 baud, and the DeskJet can't go above 19,200 from the serial
port). But there are Deskjet drivers available (which I discussed in
another msg). ===Scott
Scott,
So I've learned. Les has apparently found one and is trying it
out. I hope it works for him. If so, then I'll know what to look for when
I eventually get an Amax II+ when it's released.
Steve
If the AMAX is fully compatible, it should work with the Deskjet as long as
you have the driver for it (and the right font support files, if you want
the best output, although it should even print without those files, as long
asyou have the driver itself). There are a variety of companies (at least 4
that I know of off-hand) that make such drivers. The two best are probably
MacPrint from Insight and JetLink Express from GDT.
MacPrint is faster, and they provide Mac screen fonts that exactly match
the spacing of the DeskJet's internal and cartridge fonts, so you can do
WYSIWYG with those fonts (and they print fastest).
JetLink Express is designed primarily NOT to use the DeskJet's internal or
cartridge fonts (although they will print), rather they provide the
necessary software to drive the Deskjet with their own _scalable_ fonts
(any size). They include Times, Courier, and Helvetica, and others are
available. This driver also has some other nice features, including
excellent grayscale printing.
For additional scalable fonts, you can add Adobe Type Manager to either
set-up. ATM has the advnatages of giving you access to all the Adobe
Postscript fonts (if you buy them), and of scaling them on screen as well
as when printed. The downside is that ATM slows things down, so you might
not want to use it on AMAX if you're running just an 8 mHz 68000. ===Scott
Scott,
Thanks, I was primary concerned that whatever driver I used had to go
thru AMAX. It seems that AMAX doesn't get in the way. Thanks for the
info…
Les Clark