Laserwriter Pro 630, USB to Parallel, Original Airport Extreme-- in 10.6.4

*If you have used a USB to Parallel adapter to place a pre-LPD/IP Laserwriter on your Snow Leopard machine, I'm looking for your input!*
I have a Laserwriter Pro 630 -- no more AppleTalk in Snow Leopard. I'd like to attach it through my Airport Extreme's USB printer port.
It seems that:
- Some people have had success with USB to Parallel cables
- Some have been able to do this without additional software
- Maybe the cable is the issue
- Maybe it won't be possible
I read several sources that explained you can use a USB to Parallel cable to bring up the printer in Snow Leopard. I bought such a cable. In the *Add Printer* dialog, it could see the cable, but would not allow me to Add the printer.
I found a thread (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12060195#12060195) that referenced what I was seeing, and the USBTB back-end. After installing that, I was able to print (though when I changed the name of the printer queue, it didn't work -- I had to add the printer again). Further, if Airport Utility, under Printers, it doesn't see the USB cable or the printer at all.
I read an 11 page thread (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2073321&tstart=0) which referenced a handful of people using a USB cable, though several of them seemed to be able to do this without USBTB. It strikes me that if my printer (cable) required the addition of USBTB to the Mac, it might be that the Airport wouldn't be able to see it without that same backend.
So I'm left wondering:
- should I get a different cable?
- should I install something else besides USBTB?
- is it even possible to connect the LW Pro 630 to the Aiport Extreme over the USB to Parallel adapter?
Thoughts, experiences... Sought!

You should get a parallel print server and not use USB.
Why do you say that? Many people report success using USB to parallel, and while there may be advantages of using a print server, there seems to be several disadvantages:
1- another power-consuming device I have to plug in and either run all the time or turn on when I turn on the printer
2- more cables and connections and configurations
3- more expensive
I should probably note, too, that I re-read the 11 page thread and went ahead and bought the one cable mentioned there (iogear's). It works fine, selecting the 630's PPD. It won't be recognized by the Airport Exteme.
Oh well. Waking the Mac so I can print from the MacBook is pretty trivial, since to turn the printer on, I have to go to the same room the Mac is in.

Similar Messages

Laserwriter Pro 630, Mountain Lion, and Macbook Pro

Hi,
I have a very old Laserwriter Pro 630 that I use for simple inexpensive proofing. On my old system (G4 Tower w/Leopard), it was connected via an ethernet hub.
I'm now the proud owner of a Macbook Pro Retina (with no ethernet port), and I can't figure out how (or if) I can use this printer. Can someone give me some advice on this?
Thanks,
Mark

There are certainly potential obstacles, but the "lowest common denominator" approach of a parallel to Ethernet (or wireless) solution works for me. If using a print server, the goal is to create an IP address where this printer will reside on the network. Since the LW Pro 630 is a PostScript printer, the rest is easy.
To summarize the results of the thread you linked, including the links within it, regarding this specific model LaserWriter, based on my own testing on OS X versions from Jaguar through Mountain Lion:
IOGear GUC1284B parallel to USB adapter attached to a Mac's USB port: works
The same IOGear adapter connected to an AirPort Extreme or Express USB port does not work with the LaserWriter Pro 630, though it works with other parallel printers. I was never able to determine the reason but am pretty confident I exhausted every possibility. Read my responses to Loroi near the end of this thread: USB to Parallel Cable for LW Select 360?
D-Link DP-311P and D-Link DP-G301 parallel to wireless adapters: both work. Similar parallel to wireless or Ethernet adapters ought to work as well.
Another possibility would be to use a USB to serial converter, such as the Keyspan (Tripp Lite) USA-28XG. I have not attempted this potential solution. The challenge would be to discover the LaserWriter's default serial port settings, but a good guess would be 9600-n-8-1.
Configuring the Mac to use this alternative would require no small amount of tedium with which you are well familiar I suspect the LaserWriter used a configuration utility that requires OS 9 and AppleTalk to configure its serial port, and may also have been required for the AAUI transceiver which the OP probably doesn't have. The fact this particular LaserWriter has a parallel port that requires no configuration makes this an unattractive alternative.
The disadvantage of any of the above solutions is that complete, bidirectional communication won't work, meaning the printer will not be able to inform the Mac that it's out of paper for example. If the printer is not ready the print job will patiently wait until it becomes ready. Communicating with the printer to determine details such as page count are also unavailable without Intel-coded utility software that does not exist in OS X.

LaserWriter Pro 630 : flashing 'Ready' light?

Howdy, all!
My LaserWriter Pro 630 just started 'acting up' recently and I was wondering if anyone has seen these symptoms before...
The 630 is attached to my home network--there haven't been any changes to the network in the past 8-12 months.
I can send a document to the printer from my PowerBook G4 (which is connected to the network through an Airport Base Station).
The printer 'fires up,' as if it's getting ready to do some printing. Then, it spits out a blank sheet of paper--completely blank.
The 'Ready' light continues flashing, even though the print queue is empty.
I have pushed the Service Test Page Button, and the 630 successfully printed the page o' lines.
I took the printer this afternoon to a laser printer guy, and he replaced the Laser/Scanner Assembly. Unfortunately, it hasn't remedied the situation.
I've also got a brand new toner cartridge in the printer. I initially thought that the printer was simply out of toner, but I guess I was wrong.
Anyone have any clues, hints, or words of encouragement?
Thanks in advance,
mg

HMMM - tried it with the Appletalk connection - or even the parallel port on a PC?
Tried your Mac with another printer (even a USB printer) - Could show some problem
Can any other computer hit the printer?
Just some thngs to check out -- hope this helps

Laserwriter Pro 630 with Linksys Router. Do I need a driver?

I have a two Powerbook G4s and a Linksys Wireless G router. I want to use the Laserwriter Pro 630 wirelessly through the router. How do I do this?
I first tried by connecting this printer via ethernet cable directly from my laptop to the printer. The printer has a Farallon ethernet adapter. The computer could not find the printer.
Do I need a driver for this printer?
-Luis
Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.4)

To be able to use the printer connected directly to the PowerBook you may need to use a crossover cable if you have an older PowerBook. The driver is built into OS X. Also you need to make sure that AppleTalk is turned on for the ethernet port. See http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=339353&tstart=0 for details.
To try and set it up wirelessly you will need to switch AppleTalk to Airport and go through the same setup as above. You may not be able to print wirelessly as a lot of routers do not work with AppleTalk. Another possibility is to get a parallel print server, which uses TCP/IP.

My LaserWriter Pro 630 thinks it's a LaserJet IIP and prints dirty pages!

I recently aquired a LaserWriter Pro 630, and have been trying to get it to work. I've been using it with a WinXP Pro SP2 laptop as my PowerMac G4 doesn't have a parallel port and my print server has not arrived yet.
Basically, the only time it'll print anything is when the push button on the printer interface rail is set to 1 or 3 - which is PCL output. While the printer will print when set to PCL, it's output is... undesirable. When configured in XP as a LaserWriter Pro 630, it simply starts printing out the raw PostScript sent to the printer! interestingly enough, the printer will print on push button setting 4 - it'll print the printer spec sheet, and nothing else. Anything other than 1, 3, 04 4 will result in the printer thinking for a bit then giving an "out of paper light" or having the print job pass on in to oblivion, not giving an error on the printer or computer.
Now, the LW Pro 630 supports LaserJet IIP emulation... So I manually configured the driver to a LaserJet IIP in XP, set the push button to 3, and it prints! Only problem is, the pages look like they were sent through a bad fax machine.
I uploaded the scan of the XP Printer Test page here (http://img221.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lwpro630xp2cq7.jpg). Obviously the printer works, but I'd rather not print reports and whatnot on it when it looks like this.
For reference, here's the scan of the printer spec sheet that prints when the push button's set to 4 (http://img221.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lwpro630specsdy0.jpg).
Does anyone have an idea how I can resolve the LaserWriter's identity crisis and make it print cleanly again? Thanks!

The LaserWriter Pro 630 is a Postscript level 2 printer with LocalTalk, serial, Ethernet, and parallel interfaces.
To use it with your Mac, you may need to convert its 14-pin AAUI Ethernet port (marked with <_> Icon) to an RJ45 Ethernet port by adding a used US$5 transceiver.
It can then be used with the standard Apple LaserWriter driver when you turn on AppleTalk on your Ethernet port. No additional print server is required to use with a Mac.
The overall smudginess is caused by shipping it with the cartridge in place, with the tape seal removed. The toner has flown all over the inside of the cartridge. You need a new cartridge.
The LaserWriter test page is trying to explain the settings of the number dial in the center oval of the printout. It lists the ports in order and the settings imposed by each switch setting:
8 -- for the MiniDIN-8 port, used for LocalTalk
RS-232 -- for the RS-232 port, probably a DB-25, and shows the serial settings, like 9600, 8 data, etc.
Ethernet -- for the AAUI Ethernet port, which accepts Postscript level 2 data using "EtherTalk" -- AppleTalk-over-Ethernet
parallel -- for Centronics parallel, which will likely only provide HP PCL 4+ emulation and not Postscript.

LaserWriter Pro 630

I have a LaserWriter Pro 630 which will not now work with OS 10.6 because Apple Talk is no longer supported. Here are the connections I have been using: An Asante FriendlyNet adapter is plugged into the printer's D-connector LAN port. From there, an Ethernet cable goes to my Airport Extreme's RJ45 LAN port.
Does anyone know if there is a way to get this printer working with 10.6? The LaserWriter Pro 630 is a slug, but it works and is paid for.
Thanks!

See Mac OS X v10.6- Mac 101 - Printing.
AppleTalk is no longer supported in Snow, so as the other poster suggested you would have to share the printer from a system that supports AppleTalk.

Wallstreet, OS X and LaserWriter Pro 630

I've got a WallStreet G3 PowerBook running OS 10.1 and a LaserWriter Pro 630.
the laserWriter worked great with AppleTalk, LocalTalk Boxes on the Wallstreet when it was on OS 9.
It works great on with the Built in Ethernet on a G3 iBook 500 running OS 10.1 and a G4 iBook running OS 10.4
But I can't get it to run on the WallStreet with OS 10.anything.
Any help here would really be appreciated.

I don't know if this will help but I'm useing a HP 5110. Instead of hooking the printer to my network, I have it USB into the most used computer on my network. I then make sure that the folowing System Preferences are met on the Master computer.
That under Print & Fax the box next to share my printer with other computers is checked.
Under Sharing then Services that the box next to Printer Sharing is checked,
and then under Firewall the box next to Printer Sharing is checked.
If all of these are met I think it should work.
PowerMac G4 Dual Quicksiver 1.46 GHz Mac OS X (10.3.9) iMac 233 and PowerBook G3 Wallstreet

I have a HP Laserjet P1102w printer hooked up to the USB port of my Airport Extreme. I'm able to print to the printer wirelessly from my MacBook Pro. My iPad (2nd gen) can't find the printer. What do I need to do?

My iPad is on the same network as the Airport Extreme. The HP printer is on the list of Airprint printers but I'm not using it as a wireless printer, per se, as it's hooked up to the USB port on the Airport Extreme.
I installed the HP ePrint app on my iPad. Unfortunately, the app could not find the printer either.
As mentioned earlier, I'm able to print wirelessly to the HP printer via my MacBook Pro.

ApplePearApple wrote:
Since I'm able to print to the HP printer from my MacBook Pro using this configuration, shouldn't I be able to print to the printer from my iPad, especially when all of the devices are on/using the same network?
Not necessarily. AirPrint uses a protocol separate from the communication protocol used for the Extreme's USB port. The HP printer may disable AirPrint when its USB port connected to a valid device, which is my reason for recommending you use it wirelessly.
From AirPrint Basics:
AirPrint printers connected using Bluetooth or shared through a USB port of a Mac, PC, AirPort Base Station, or Time Capsule are not supported.
AirPrint printers connected by Ethernet are supported in OS X.
You may get more competent assistance from HP. See this HP support forum topic: iPhone & iPad can't Airprint to p1102w LaserJet
HP's Mac support has always been miserable though. I have been much happier since I abandoned HP and started buying Brother printers. They just work.

Power Mac G5 and a Laserwriter Pro 630 - Is it Possible?

Another question as I look to upgrade my father's computing setup.
He probably wants to keep his older LaserWriter Pro 630. I'm going to load OS X Panther and Classic 9.2.2 onto the Power Mac G5. Is it possible to get the LaserWriter to print on a straight ethernet connection? Or do I need to devise another method to make it work. Also what's the scoop on drivers, AppleTalk, etc? Thanks very much.

112491- LaserWriter Pro 630: Technical Specifications
The laserWriter Pro 630 is a Postscript level 2 printer with an Ethernet port. It does NOT support LPR/LPD, so it must be addressed using AppleTalk-over-Ethernet. No adapter is required unless you intend to use a pre-Ethernet Mac. The printer is supported with the drivers built in to Macs running 8, 9, and all versions of X using a universal LaserWriter Driver and a descriptor file for that specific printer.
On the Mac, you must turn on AppleTalk on the Ethernet interface you are using. Some third-party Wireless Base Stations refuse to pass AppleTalk packets, so if you need a new Wireless Base Station, use Apple or stick to the major brands.
Message was edited by: Grant Bennet-Alder

LaserWriter Pro 630 two solid orange lights won't turn green. Put in new toner and test page does print. Any ideas?

LaserWriter Pro 630 two solid orange lights won't turn green. Put in new toner and test page does print. Any ideas?
The warmup stage does not seem to go all the way through its normal startup noises and the printer does not get hot.
Thanks for any help.
Steve

See if this link has some useful info:
LaserWriter Pro 600/630

Change name of LaserWriter Pro 630

I've got a LaserWriter Pro 630 connected via ethernet. I can print fine from my 10.4 box, but I've got 2 issues with it:
1. The printer's name is a leftover from the previous owner. How can I change it? I know how to change the displayed printer name on my Mac, I want to change the stored name on the printer.
2. How can I get the printer to stop printing a "ready" page every time I turn it on?
No, I don't have access to Classic or any OS 9 machines.
Thanks.
-Pete

I have a DP1.8 with 10.4.6 and don't have a problem opening "Apple Printer Utility" in a window, which is what is needed to accomplish the 2 items that you mentioned. I too thought that I didn't have classic for a long time as well, or that it was unstable to use. I realize that I can't boot from classic but "Apple Printer Utility" does open in a window and I don't remember installing classic.

Setup of USB Hard Drive on Airport Extreme for Time Machine

Hi all,
I upgraded to Mountain Lion a while back and am running the latest Airport Utility. Here's the problem: I can't get Time Machine to work anymore with my USB Hard Drive attached to my Airport Extreme. Is this setup no longer possible under Mountain Lion? Do I have to buy a Time Capsule? For the last couple of years I've had two MacBooks backing up with no problem to the USB drive connected to the Airport Extreme. Any advice would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Chris

While you can do this as Kappy points out, there a few details that you might want to consider before you make the move.
1) Time Machine backups to a drive at the USB port of the AirPort Extreme are not supported by Apple. While this does seem to work for some users, others (like me) have difficulty with corruption issues. The bottom line is that this is not a reliable method to back up your important data....and, no support or help from Apple if you do have difficulties.
Reference this Apple Support Document to confirm:
"Time Machine can’t back up to an external disk connected to an AirPort Extreme......"
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/15139.html
2) If you move the iPhoto library to the hard drive attached to the AirPort Extreme....your original or master library now resides on that disk.....and you have no backup for the library.....when, not if.....the drive has a problem.
3) You might want to post in the iPhoto forum to ask if it is still an iPhoto requirement that only one user at a time can have iPhoto open with the shared library arrangement.

What's the most recent opinion about Time Machine backups to Hard Drives connected to the USB port on the Airport Extreme Base Station (5th generation)?

I have been searching the Apple communities and Internet for a final answer. I just bought an Airport Extreme Base Station (5th generation) and LaCie d2 quadra 1TB external drive as a replacement for TWO failed Time Capsules, neither of which Apple would replace due to failed power supplies. I formatted the 1TB drive using Disk Utility (Mac OS extended (journaled)) from my MacBook Pro, and then plugged into the Airport Extreme Base Station USB port. The Airport Extreme Base Station see the Hard Drive, and my MacBook Pro sees the Hard Drive in my finder under shared resources. Time Machine, however, does not see the drive. Is there a solution for this problem? If Time Machine will not work, is there another software product out there that will work, like Carbon Copy. Having to plug the backup drive into the USB port of your laptop every evening kind of defeats the purpose of having a laptop. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Keeping in mind that this is not supported by Apple, I have been successful at doing the following:
1) Format the entire drive (1 Partition) as Mac Extended (Journaled). You must click in Options and set it as a GUID Partition Table (first option)
2) Plug drive via USB to AEBS
3) Using Airport Utility, use Manual Setup, then under Disks, select the new Disk and click File Sharing, then Enable File Sharing and Secured Shared Disks (recommended, of course). Other settings are up to you.
4) IMPORTANT: you will NOT see this Disk in Time Machine until you open Finder and double-click on it. You will not need to do this again (hopefully).
5) Now it should appear in Time Machine. Remember to exclude any large files like Virtual Machines, since they will be re-backed-up (is that a word?) every time it changes in any way.
6) Remember that the first backup (over WiFi) is the longest. Leave the computer alone during this period.
Good luck, and let us all know how it went for you!

Setting up USB disks connected to Airport Extreme

I took two different USB drives, formatted one drive with two partitions of Mac OS Extended (journaled) and the other drive formatted NTFS. After attaching the drives to the AE, I established how I wanted to share the devices and set up accounts to access the devices. My intention was to use these drives to backup my devices but have since learned that Time Machine does not support this (stupid and disappointing).
When I log in from my Mac, I see the one drive with two partitions, but I also see a drive with my account name. Performing a "Get Info" on the drives now show their format as AppleShare. What feature did I invoke that automatically established a "third" drive? Where is it established on the physically formatted Mac drive? Does the format of Appleshare just indicate how the partition is accessed?
The other account, established for a Windows machine, does not see the NTFS drive, but when logging in to the AE also has a drive mapped with the name of the account. I also cannot consistently connect to this drive as the airport utility does not display the drive in the system tray. The airport utility doesn't see the AE, yet this Windows device can print just fine to the printers attached to the AE.
I'm dazed and confused. Can anyone explain what is going on? Thanks.

The USB port on the AirPort Extreme will support drive formats of Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and FAT32. NTFS is not supported, so that might explain some of your difficulties.
What feature did I invoke that automatically established a "third" drive? Where is it established on the physically formatted Mac drive? Does the format of Appleshare just indicate how the partition is accessed?
Not sure about this. When I format a drive as Mac OS or FAT 32, I see a single drive when accessed from the Finder.

Setting up USB External Drive to Airport Extreme Base Station

I've attached an External Hard Drive to my AEBS. My base computer is connected to the AEBS via Ethernet Cable and can see the external drive under Networked Drive however it shows up twice as Drive Y and Drive Z both showing the exact same capacity.
My desktop computer is running windows vista, and my laptop is also running vista. My Laptop connects to the AEBS wirelessly. The laptop does not see this External Hard Drive. How do I get my laptop to recognize this drive? Shoule my external hard drive display with two different drive letters, or should it only appear as one? I've not had much luck using this feature of the airport extreme and was the basic reason i purchased the AEBS

The USB port on the AirPort Extreme will support drive formats of Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and FAT32. NTFS is not supported, so that might explain some of your difficulties.
What feature did I invoke that automatically established a "third" drive? Where is it established on the physically formatted Mac drive? Does the format of Appleshare just indicate how the partition is accessed?
Not sure about this. When I format a drive as Mac OS or FAT 32, I see a single drive when accessed from the Finder.

Laserwriter Pro 630, USB to Parallel, Original Airport Extreme-- in 10.6.4

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for