Network printing via an Intel Netport Express print server

Question

We have a 'complicated' network at home comprising two Macs (G4 800MHZs) and 6 PCs.Printing is either wirelessly to an HP D125xi which also serves as the network scanner, and wired via the Intel Netport Express Pro 100 to an HP690c and Epson 740C. However, I cannot get the Epson or HP 690 to print via the print server. Currently the Epson is served directly via a very long tortuous USB cable, and I can't be bothered with the HP690. I know all the IP addresses of the network, including the print server, but although I can see the print server on the network, when trying to access the printer ports on it, I have nothing to latch on to. Will this combination simply not work? I can access the print servier via my browser and set it up, but I can't get Printer Set-up Utility to get through to the printers, which are on LPT1 and LPT 2. The PCs have no problems with this arrangement and can print and scan across the network easily. PS I'm a user, not a tecchie, so please, any explanations in layman's terms. Thanks.

Answer 1

Network printing/Windows printing only works with a driver that was meant for network printing. To use the OS X built-in CUPS network choices, you need a CUPS driver. For postscript printers, it's not an issue, because postscript is the native output of OS X, and can easily be routed to the various CUPS choices in Printer Setup.
Non-postscript printers are Very Different. Except for Brother, no manufacturer has provided CUPS drivers. Instead, what you get are Carbonized, OS9 legacy drivers, that have the comm protocol written into the driver (mostly USB). They can only print via local connection.
Here are the sources of CUPS drivers I know of:
http://www.linuxprinting.org/macosx/
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=1537
http://www.printfab.net
http://www.easysw.com/printpro/
Then, after you have the driver, to setup for the print server you need to carefully read the manual to decide which protocol(s) are supported and then enter the right info into Printer Setup. The IPP and LPD protocols both require a device-specific queue name (also called port name), which should be in the manual. HP Jetdirect protocol doesn't use queue name. Common queue names are L1, lp, P1 etc. (If you know for sure it's LPT1 and LPT2, that good!) If the manual is no help, you can find the info in Windows printer properties > Ports > select port > Configure port.
Good luck.