AppleTalk printer (4/600PS) on Snow Leopard

[pit29]

Hi,

what happened to AppleTalk? I've got a very old printer, an Apple 4/600PS LaserWriter, that works like a charm... If I understand http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3669 correctly, it should work with Snow Leopard. But what means: connect to a capable AppleTalk printer server? I used an Asante Ethernet-to-AppleTalk box. So far no success in printing.

I appreciate any ideas about what to try...

Pit

 

[sidewinder]

If the printer does not support TCP/IP, it is not going to work with Snow Leopard. AppleTalk is not present in Snow Leopard.

S-

 

[pit29]

So is what they mean by "capable printer server" a computer that can print to AppleTalk (i.e. 10.5 or earlier)? No way to get to that in 10.6? No third party utility? Just trying to become clear about that...

 

[Ashka]

Hopefully this will help:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2133770&tstart=0

 

[pit29]

Thanks for the replys so far... Sigh... Why didn't tell Apple me that before I installed my copy of SL?

Anyway... I had two ideas.

1. I found this page, someone printing on a 4/600PS on Linux. I have only very very fundamental knowledge about Linux - but isn't Mac OS X's foundation Unix, and isn't that similar to Linux, so shouldn't be there a way after all?

2. I remembered that I have an old iBook (the grey special edition, G3). I used to run 9.2 on that but also remember at least trying 10.0 (yeah, it's that old). Would it be worthwhile to try to use that as a printer server? And if so, would 9.2 work (or which version of OS X)?


Hope you have some ideas... It would hurt to throw that printer away. Not to mention to get a new one.

 

[pit29]

Really no way?

 

[MisterMe]

So is what they mean by "capable printer server" a computer that can print to AppleTalk (i.e. 10.5 or earlier)? No way to get to that in 10.6? No third party utility? Just trying to become clear about that...

From a user perspective, the print server is what allows the printer to speak to other devices on the network. If your printer does not have a direct connection to your computer, then it must communicate via a print server. A print server may be a computer dedicated to printing. It can be the computer that shares its directly connected printer with the network. Usually, a print server is a internal card that you think of as the Ethernet port. A print server may be internal or external. Back in the day, you got your print server from your printer manufacturer. Today, many users print wirelessly. Therefore, many routers feature print servers. Print servers are also available as standalone devices from third parties.