Digital Equipment RapidPrint 500, Reference Manual

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Macintosh Service Configuration AppleTalk Host Setup
6 - 2
6.2 Macintosh Service Configuration
To print from a Macintosh, you will need to enable both AppleTalk and PostScript. In Figure 6-3 , a
parallel service (RP_PRT) is created using the Set/Define Service command.
Figure 6-3: Enabling AppleTalk and PostScript on a Service
Once you’ve created the service, it should be visible in the Chooser of any Macintoshes that are in
the same zone as the RapidPrint 500. If you have multiple zones on your network, the service will
appear in the default zone specified by the AppleTalk router.
Once you locate your RapidPrint 500 printing service in the Chooser, select it and complete the
appropriate setup options. Close the Chooser window and send a test page to the printing service.
6.2.1 Using AppleTalk on UNIX or VMS
If you are using third-party software that provides AppleTalk for UNIX or VMS, the RapidPrint
500 services should be visible like any other AppleTalk printer, and print queues should be able to
access the RapidPrint 500 as any other AppleTalk printer. Due to the variety of software packages
and their configurations, setup details cannot be shown here—refer to your local documentation
for details. Note that native UNIX and TCP/IP printing methods such as lp and lpr are generally
easier to set up and administer than non-native AppleTalk printing, and should be used whenever
possible.
6.3 Printing from AppleTalk
6.3.1 Using LaserPrep
The LaserPrep application reduces the size of print jobs and therefore saves bandwidth. All
Macintoshes printing to the RapidPrint 500 must be running the same version of LaserPrep, other-
wise print jobs can be lost; reloading the LaserPrep file repeatedly can prevent jobs from printing
reliably.
6.3.2 Printing Bitmap Graphics
Files containing embedded bitmap graphics may not print correctly even if the text surrounding
the graphics does. This is because the bitmaps are actually binary data in this case, and binary data
cannot be printed via serial or parallel interfaces.
Most major application packages have provisions to print using either “binary PostScript” (for
printers connected to the network via LocalTalk) or “hex PostScript” (for printers connected to the
network via a serial or parallel port). If the application you’re using does not have this provision,
contact the application vendor to see if there is an upgrade patch that adds this functionality.
Local>> DEFINE SERVICE RP_PRT APPLETALK ENABLED POSTSCRIPT ENABLED