SOLVED!!!! Help me print, please (postscript printer)

I have added netprinter.device and set it up to match the reserved IP address for my Xerox Phaser 6280 printer with hardware Postscript. In the Printer and PrinterPS Prefs I have it set to "Device: netprinter.device unit 0" When I try to print I chose Postscript.

There is no sign of any kind of data going to the printer.

Can (has?) someone with a working Postscript printer setup under OS4.1 FE written a "How-to" complete with settings for everything?

My Xerox is hooked up to my router via ethernet and works correctly from all of the Windoze computers in the house. The Amiga is hooked up to the same router.

I remember reading in the past that if one has a REAL (hardware) Postscript printer, printing ought to work from OS4.1.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Paul

Hi,

I didn't manage to get netprinter.device to work with my X1000 + HP Laserjet M451 nw, but lpr.device works quite fine. From OS4Depot, download lpr_dev.lha. With it I did the following, (from the lpr.device doc):

- copy the lpr.device to DEVS:

- Edit DEVS:NSDPatch.cfg by adding the following lines:

DEVICE parallel.device UNIT 0 MAPTODEVICE lpr.device MAPTOUNIT 0

- Configuring with the env variable. There is documentation in the archive, I have done something like:

SetEnv lpr.device Save "HOST 192.xxx.yyy.zzz RAW"

where the four-byte IP address represents the one your printer is assigned to.

The Printer prefs is set like you have already done, althought he device is lpr.device. With these settings, I am able to print from AmiPDF, Multiview, CodeBench. As my printer is able to print PDFs directly, I can do something like

Copy mydoc.pdf PAR:


Marko

or use googlecloudprint with gcp.device !

works a treat ! no driver needed, except a computer which holds the printer and a google account.

@Lio


Oh my! I can't wait for googl to make a "privy.device" so all my sh1t goes through them before it comes back and comfortably gets flushed down the bowl in the room next to this! ;->

@Paul

I have set up netprinter.device on my X1000 and it works a treat with a LaserJet 1320 over Ethernet.

Printer Prefs:
- Printer driver : PostScript
- Port device: netprinter.device
- Port unit: 0
- Always init printer: Checked

Also make sure to set the Density (Page size & margins) to something your printer understands, better set it below the max of your printer.
I'm using 300x300 DPI (my printer can do 600x600 DPI but it seems GhostScript has problems with that amount of data)

PrinterPS:
- Set the Driver mode to PostScript
- Adjust the used DPI values

Once you can print, you can play with the rest of the settings

NetPrinter.device Prefs:
Not much to do here but to set your printers address and the way the data is sent
- Hostname: IP of your printer, the same the Windows machine uses
Protocol: I use "Direct", but you need to check either which way the Windows machine sends the data to be on the same size or adjust the firmware of your printer, if possible, to accept Direct data
- Port: 9100

As i wrote in another thread, LPR stopped working for me after update 1 so i wouldn't try to use it with netprinter.device either

Good luck

@Marko and Raziel

Thanks for trying gentlemen. I've followed your directions for both lpr and netprinter and still don't get anywhere. No sign of data going to the printer either way.

I have it set up as RAW 9100 as that's the port assigned on the printer.

Not a big deal now, but if we ever get libre office and I start doing some of my writing on the Amiga again, I'll want to be able to print.

Like others, I'm not thrilled with the idea of being constantly hooked up to Google.

Paul

@Paul

Can you ping your printer from the Amiga?
Maybe you can reach the printer settings using Odyssey (or Timberwolf)
with http://IP_OF_YOUR_PRINTER


I use lpr.device with an old HPL2300n and no problems.

#type ENVARC:lpr.device
HOST=IP_OF_YOUR_PRINTER RAW

And in Printer prefs:
- Printer driver : HP_Laserjet_4
- Port device: lpr.device
- Port unit: 0
- Always init printer: Checked

@Paul

It supports IPP too, so you could try my ipp.device.

It's not entirely compatible with modern IPP but might work for you.

http://www.unsatisfactorysoftware.co.uk/download.php?file=ipp_dev

Also make sure you have all the protocols you are using enabled in the web interface, otherwise nothing you do on the Amiga side will work.

Well, I must be doing something wrong. But I have now tried IPP, LPR and netprint trying to follow your suggestions and the pertinent "read-me's", all with no apparent communication with the printer. In fact the only communication that seems to work between the A1 and the Xerox is "Ping." Thanks for trying, everyone.

Paul

@Paul

Well, I might not like being hooked up to Google, but. . . then. . . OK I hooked up to Google through my wife's Windoze 10 computer. I just printed a page from Odyssey from the A1. Yay. I'm off to see if I can print from Final Writer.

EDIT: I had to play around with some of the postscript prefs in the Prefs settings. But I have now printed succesfully from Final Writer using gcp device.

Paul

@Paul

Not even using web browser to show Xerox's printer properties/configuration?

Maybe the printer by default has some feature/option disabled that makes Amiga PS output not be recongnized by Xerox printer.

@Paul

If you can ping it you can access it.

Windows makes it pretty easy to set up a LAN printer as it tends to bend to the printers rules through it's drivers.

On the Amiga side you have to bend the printer to make it work with out outdated drivers.

See if you can access the printers firmware from a windows machine and browse through the settings.

I too had to alter some of the printers settings in it's firmware to make it work without crashing Ghostscript

Then again you should be able to print simple text through PRT: given that you set the driver up correctly

@jabirulo
Quote:

Yah, I've been to the firmware already using one of our Windoze computers. I can also get in there using Odyssey. By default, lpr, RAW, IPP and about nine others (some of which I've never even heard of, or are APPLE specific) are all active. The RAW port is 9100. I have the printer on a static reserved IP address on the router. The Windoze computers are all using the Xerox PS printer driver. I don't know what else to check for.

Paul

@Raziel

Given what I wrote to Jabirulo above, can you think of other things to look for in the firmware setup that would make a difference?

Paul

@Paul

Well, as it's really hard to check for a printer i don't have access to (and you neither from the amiga as it seems) it would be best to start over checking the program on the amiga you are using.

I can help with netprinter.device

First of all, you can ping your printer, thats essential

Can you make a screenshot of your printer prefs window and netprinter prefs window?

I had problems with lpr/netprinter.device which turned out to be related to the wireless network. I had the Amiga on 802.11ab and the printer (erm, server, not the printer directly) hooked up over 802.11n. This shouldn't matter, however I could ping but most of the time it wouldn't print anything. So it might be network related.

@Chris

It's not a wireless issue here. I have the A1, one Windoze desktop and the Xerox all hard-wired to the router. The laptops, Samsung Note 4's and my wife's work computer are all on wireless.

Paul

@Paul

Could you come to IRC?

I'd really love to help out

@Raziel

Quote:

I have the screen shot, but forgot that Photobucket no longer allows me to link to my photos for "third party" hosting.

Thanks for your generous offer to help via IRC. It's been ages since I've done anything with that. Does Wookiechat still work? I'm afraid you'd have to walk me through that a little bit.

Paul

@Paul

With pleasure

Get Wookiechat
Start Wookiechat
If you are not automatically logged into #amigaworld or #amigans you need to

PD menu, Select Server, Double-Click AmigaworldNET
click on irc.amigaworld.net
add to the "Automatically join these channels" -> #amigans, #amigaworld

Quit
Start the program again and you should be part of the amigaworld irc