Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!.UUCP!bezanson
From: bezanson@.UUCP (Brian Bezanson)
Newsgroups: comp.laser-printers
Subject: Re: Sun386i -> Laserwriter w/o Transcript?
Keywords: LaserWriterIIntx, Sun386i, Transcript
Message-ID: <8908111521.AA09566@brillig.umd.edu>
Date: 1 Aug 89 21:14:28 GMT
References: <8907311714.AA01253@brillig.umd.edu>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated, Mountain View
Lines: 53
Approved: laser-lovers@brillig.umd.edu


In article <8907311714.AA01253@brillig.umd.edu> awalker@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Alan K Walker) writes:
>Hi. I have a Sun386i and a LaserWriterIIntx, and am wondering if
>it's possible to attach the two so I can send postscript files,

Yes

>using lpr, to the LaserWriter, without waiting for the Transcript

Wait for transcript or use a shell script to send the PostScript file.

>Details: Sun386i/150, running SunOS 4.0.1. Apple LaserWriterIIntx.
>are the same. I know everything is hooked up right, because I can
>print a postscript file by catting it to the serial port. But we
>need the lpr facilities.

Transcipt is designed as a set of translation filters from one format or
another to PostScript. The enscript filter converts text files to postscript 
and sends them to the printer. We also modify lpr to look at the file
being printed, if it's ascii, we do a simple translation to PostScript and
then send the file to the printer, if it's a PostScript file - denoted by
a '%!' as the first two characters of the first line, we send it down as
straight PostScript.

>I called Sun, and they didn't seem entirely convinced that their
>missing $1800 piece of software was the problem. Am I missing
>something, or is it impossible without Transcript to interface
>these two?

First, Adobe wrote transcript and Sun is one OEM - you can call Adobe and
get it for a less (800/344-8335). You don't need transcript to use a PostScript
printer on a Unix machine if your applications create PostScript files and
will send them to the printer, but if you need to print text files, troff,
ditroff, unix plot, diable 630, or techtronics 4014 files, and don't have
a conversion program - transcript is really nice to have.

>(Oh yeah, I also borrowed a Mac and told the printer that its name
>is 'lp'. Seems that is what lpr wants. What bugs me is that Apple
>sells these printers for use on other vendors' machines, and 
>the only way to name them (according to Apple) is with a Macintosh!
>Apple told me it should work without Transcript, maybe, but couldn't
>tell me why it won't.)

With transcript you can name the printer anything, because you install the
printer onto a hardware line (TTY port) and give that port a logical printer
name. You can rename a laserprinter by sending down some postscript code, it
isn't tied to a mac.

Hope this helps.

----
Brian Bezanson					bezanson@adobe.com
Adobe Systems