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From: tj@utgpu.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.apple,comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: Hooking up a Laserwriter to a PC or a 3B2?
Message-ID: <1987Apr27.122721.23091@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>
Date: Mon, 27-Apr-87 12:27:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: gpu.1987Apr27.122721.23091
Posted: Mon Apr 27 12:27:21 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 28-Apr-87 00:54:36 EDT
References: <199@houxj.UUCP> <151@hubcap.UUCP>
Reply-To: tj@gpu.utcs.UUCP (tj)
Organization: University of Toronto Computing Services
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There are a number of ways to get there. Here is some more specific
stuff.

If you want to connect to a Unix environment then the Adobe Transcript
sutff works well (not everything everybody wants but well).

To a PC you can go three or four routes.
1) Buy a TOPS card to put your PC onto AppleTalk. You can then transfer
text and PostScript files to the LaserWriter easily. You can also
transfer to and from Macs on the Appletalk network. Works VERY WELL.

2) You can hook it up via serial port with Xon/Xoff handshaking. Works
OK, but it is up to each software package to handle XOn/Xoff. Some like
Microsoft Word, FInal Word II, PC Write do handle this. Others like
Nota Bene 2.0 give a TSR Xon/Xoff thing. Others like Word Perfect
and their user hostile LaserWriter driver don't support Xon/Xoff and must
use hardware handshaking. (see below)

3) Hardware handshaking (DTR) can be done with LaserWriters with release
2.0 or later ROMS. (The test page top graph has the release number in bottom
left corner) (The test page is a real source of info... learn how to use it.)
This involves sending a PostScript program to the printer that PERMANENTLY
changes (where permanent means until you specifically change it back, ie
powering off WILL NOT change it back) the communications for the particular
port to DTR instead of Xon/Xoff. WordPerfect is a program that sets the
printer this way to work. Note that you should use a small PostScript
program to find out the way it WAS set before you change it. WordPerfect
supplies a program to set it to DTR mode and one to set it back to
factory default, but nowhere do they tell you how to find out how it was
set. Setting it wrong may cause data loss from the host computer with
very unpredictable regularity. After making chhanges be sure you can print a
10 full page document before you assume things are right..... 

4) Parallel connection is available on most of the newer PostScript
printers. They now come with Serial, Appletalk, and Parallel connections.
Hook it up like a standard printer! 

PostScript printers are good beasts. They may be expensive but I think they
are worth it. And IBM/PC's are just starting to take advantage of them.
tj