Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac:50242 comp.sys.next:5367 Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!rutgers!umn-d-ub!cs.umn.edu!ux.acs!spexet From: spexet@ux.acs.umn.edu (D. Robert Spexet II) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Printing from a Mac to a NeXt laserprinter Message-ID: <1313@ux.acs.umn.edu> Date: 9 Mar 90 15:08:25 GMT References: <1990Feb17.212036.4311@athena.mit.edu> <1169@ux.acs.umn.edu> Reply-To: spexet@ux.acs.umn.edu (D. Robert Spexet II) Followup-To: comp.sys.mac Organization: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Lines: 43 In article dennis@yang.cpac.washington.edu (Dennis Gentry) writes: > > > I wonder if anybody knows whether it is possible to directly print > >from a Macintosh computer (II, IIcx, IIci, or SE) to a NeXT laser printer. > >I wanted to do this because the NeXT laser printer is so much more cheaper > >than Apple's Laserwriter. Please let me know what hardware and software > >are needed. > > If you mean sending the Macintosh PostScript output to the NeXT printer, the > answer is no. The NeXT laser printer is cheaper partly because it is lack- > > [incorrect hypothesis about NeXT laser printer deleted] > >This is wrong. I regularly print Mac postscript output on a >cube's laser printer. To produce a postscript file on the Mac, >press command-F (or command-K to avoid the PS header) just after >you click "OK" in a print dialog. Move the file (probably named >PostScript0) to the cube (Kermit, ftp, zmodem, daynafile, or >whatever). Print it using "lpr". > No, I don't believe that I am wrong. Reread the question--it doesn't refer to transferring the Mac Postscript output to the cube, it refers to a the possibility of a direct connection of the NeXT laser printer to a Mac, so that the Mac can print on the NeXT laser printer, *without having to go through the cube*. (<--very important distinction.) Now, I understand that if you are using lpr to print anything, that the cube's Display Postscript interpreter takes care of the image processing, and bit-blasts the output to the printer. This is a very important dis- tinction, as the Apple LaserWriter has a built-in Postscript interpreter, and doesn't need to have a computer to do the imaging for it. So what's the point of all this? I claim that you cannot hook a NeXT laser printer to a Mac, and have it display Postscript output. That was the question that was asked, and I believe my answer stands. Thank you kindly, -Dennis R. Spexet II UUCP: rutgers!umn-cs!ux.acs.umn.edu!spexet Internet: spexet@ux.acs.umn.edu SnailMail: Post Office Box 14909, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414-0909 USA