wireless Printer help GCC Elite all round help needed please!

[AlBDamned]

I've just managed to get hold of a GCC Elite 600 Laser Printer for the house, however, I'm completely at a loss with how to hook it up through an ethernet connection. My PowerBook is not seeing it when plugged straight into the modem ( ) and I have no idea if it should be or not or really where to begin.

Have not had much luck searching online for help so can anyone help at all? Specs and equipment are all listed below.

G4 Powerbook with Airport Extreme (machine in Sig).

D-Link 624 Wireless Modem/Router with four ethernet ports unused.

GCC Elite 600 Printer, formerly connected as part of a two computer OS 9 network. The only lead I have for the printer is an ethernet cable.

Printer is certified as working. PowerBook and Modem are all A-OK.

Can anyone give it their best shot? Can it even be done?

When setting up the PowerMac at work, Panther needed very little to get the Elite 1212 printer working on the network. I thought this would be as easy but I think I'm missing something obvious and simple!

Cheers All!!

Alex

 

[CanadaRAM]

Couple of things to check:

Have you tested the ethernet cable from the router to the printer? What happens when you plug the 'book directly into the router?

Have you turned AppleTalk on on the Powerbook?

Are you sure that the DLink DI624 passes Appletalk between the wireless and the wired ports? A number of reports suggest that it doesn't
http://www.macintouch.com/wirelesslanreader20.html

Here's you'r problem I think.
THe GCC does not support TCP/IP printing, only Appletalk
THe DLink does not support Appletalk via wireless, only TCP/IP

http://support.gcctech.com/cgi-bin/...29ydD0mcF9yb3dfY250PTMwNyZwX3BhZ2U9MQ**&p_li=

 

[AlBDamned]

Couple of things to check:

Have you tested the ethernet cable from the router to the printer? What happens when you plug the 'book directly into the router?

Have you turned AppleTalk on on the Powerbook?

Are you sure that the DLink DI624 passes Appletalk between the wireless and the wired ports? A number of reports suggest that it doesn't
http://www.macintouch.com/wirelesslanreader20.html

Here's you'r problem I think.
THe GCC does not support TCP/IP printing, only Appletalk
THe DLink does not support Appletalk via wireless, only TCP/IP

http://support.gcctech.com/cgi-bin/...29ydD0mcF9yb3dfY250PTMwNyZwX3BhZ2U9MQ**&p_li=

Hi C.RAM, how's it going?

I've just tried plugging the printer straight into the 'book. However, because my ethernet is configured for when I plug the laptop in to the office network, it overrides airport and then won't let me connect to the internet here so I took it out. I'm not too keen on messing with it in that respect though I'm sure I canre-configure it of anything broke.

What should/could happen if I plug the printer cable into the ethernet port on the Powerbook? Would it print direct if I set it up?

 

[CanadaRAM]

Hi C.RAM, how's it going?

I've just tried plugging the printer straight into the 'book. However, because my ethernet is configured for when I plug the laptop in to the office network, it overrides airport and then won't let me connect to the internet here so I took it out. I'm not too keen on messing with it in that respect though I'm sure I canre-configure it of anything broke.

What should/could happen if I plug the printer cable into the ethernet port on the Powerbook? Would it print direct if I set it up?

If you wire the Ethernet straight from the book to the printer, turn on Appletalk in the Network Preference Pane on the book, (assuming you have previously installed the GCC printer definitions in Printer Setup) it should find it as an Appletalk printer.

You can't be on Airport and Wired Ethernet at the same time AFAIK. However you can wire the book to the router, and the p[rinter to the router, and print and Internet that way. The physical router should have no trouble with Appletalk, it's just the wireless of the DLink that doesn't do Appletalk.

You can set up more than one "Location" for your Ethernet configuration in the Network PP, so going between Office, HomeWireless and HomeWired should be a doddle. Just make yourself a new Location to mess around with, and you won't bork your Office configuration.

Or... get an Airport Extreme base station instead lf the DLink. Some also say that NetGear routers will work with wireless AppleTalk.

 

[AlBDamned]

Ok, after a little bit of trial and error, I got the correct definitions , sorted a new location for the ethernet and wired the printer into the 'book. Turned on AppleTalk as directed and sure enough, the Elite 600 came up. Description was Generic PPD but I'm familiar with that as that's what my Elite 1212 comes up with at work.

I printed one word doc. the usual icon came up in the dock, I had to press 'continue on the printer for some reason and, aside from some toner marks, it came out ok. Excellent. Then, I tried printing a .pdf and it just stalled. If the printer could beachball, I'm sure it would have at this point. No icon came up in the dock and there was nothing to go on.

After some messing, I thought what the hell and spotlighted all 'Elite' files, dumped them in the trash, emptied and started over, fesh, thinking I could handle it. So, I installed the driver etc etc, made sure all was as it was before but now, even with freshly installed defs. and AppleTalk switched on and all that, I can't see the printer at all.

Balls.

Luckily, this is more of a 'if I can get it working cool, but if I can't, it's not the end of the world' type scenario, so it's not causing major pains inmy head. It would be cool to understand it and get it working though.

 

[AlBDamned]

Got it working now. Had to re-set Apple talk. Doesn't like PDFs much but most other things print ok. Not bad for a 10 year old printer.

Thanks for the help CanadaRAM.

 

[CanadaRAM]

Got it working now. Had to re-set Apple talk. Doesn't like PDFs much but most other things print ok. Not bad for a 10 year old printer.

Thanks for the help CanadaRAM.

If you are creating the PDF's yourself, use ASCII instead of Binary. Lots of older Postscript clone printers have a problem with Binary PDFs.

Also try opening and printing from Preview rather than Acrobat Reader (or vice versa)

Your printing willl be more reliable if you can source Elite 600 definition files (if they exist) rather than Generic.

 

[AlBDamned]

If you are creating the PDF's yourself, use ASCII instead of Binary. Lots of older Postscript clone printers have a problem with Binary PDFs.

Also try opening and printing from Preview rather than Acrobat Reader (or vice versa)

Your printing willl be more reliable if you can source Elite 600 definition files (if they exist) rather than Generic.

The PDFs are ASCII but a newer problem has presented itself in the shape of some fairly severe toner marks on each page which could signify it's on the way out. I think I may just plump for a new one.

The Canon PIXMA 4000 is about the same price as a toner for the 600. You think this would work with the D-link and Appletalk?