Windows network printing to HP Laserjet 4L

Question

Recently got our first mac, an iBook runing OSX 4.4 Tiger. A great part of the deal was that we could get a free printer, a Deskjet 5900 series to replace our old color printer which was not working so well. We have a home network with 2 desktops both running Windows 2000, a printer connected to each one, a linksys modem connected to cable and a linksys router connecting them all via ethernet cable, as well as wireless capacity for a couple of other notebooks (another WIndows 2000 and a powerbook).
When we bought the iBook a concern was that it would work okay with the Windows network. The internet connection and file sharing is working fine, but we still can't print.
After talking with various support people at Apple and HP, we were assured that there was no way to print through the Windows computers, and that the best option was to get either a print server, or preferably a router with a printer port. Furthermore, they said the 5900 series doesn't work through the network at all, and can only be connected directly to the mac. So our only bet was the other printer, an old reliable Laserjet 4L.
So I invested time and money in a SMC Barricade router with a parallel connection for the Laserjet 4L. (It predates USB) This is daisy-chained to the Linksys router. via a crossover patch cord going from LAN to LAN port on the 2 routers. The iBook is now connected to the new SMC router, and the 2 Windows 2000 desktops to the Linksys, and everything talks to everything else, the 2 Windows computers print fine through the router, but I still can't figure how to set up the printer on the mac. I installed Gimp-Print, which has a driver for the 4L, but can't figure out how to get to the printer. The SMC people told me to put in the IP address of the router, which worked for the Windows computers. However, when I tried typing that address on the iBook as HP IP Printing, which seems the best option, it just says Not Found.
I talked to Apple again, and this time they told me I'm up **** creek bacause it's a parallel printer and they are no longer supported. Period. But he said I could try this forum, and if anyone could help me it would be you, gentle readers.
Anyone have any suggestions at all?
iBook   Mac OS X (10.4.4)   Windows network user

Answer 1

Success! I updated the OS X from 4.4 to 4.5, but the Printer Browser window looked the same. It took a support person to tell me the obvious, that I had to press the little oval button on the top right to expand the window. I then tried installing with CUPS+Gimp-Print, and default queue, but when I tried to print, the print queue stopped itself. I deleted that, and reinstalled, using Foomatic/hpijs, and the LP queue, and that is working fine! So I don't know if the problem was the driver, or, more likely, that the default queue wasn't found.
As for the DeskJet5940, I am now using a Deskjet5850 foomatic/hpijs driver, and so far it is working too. I was able to print a web page with some graphics. I imagine the printer model is too new to have a 3rd party driver yet--maybe one will come out in a while.
But the embarassment of driver riches has given me a new, much less urgent question. I now have 3 drivers available for the LaserJet 4L, the CUPS+Gimp-Print, the vanilla Gimp-Print (both v5.0.0-beta2), and the Foomatic/hpijs. Does anyone have an opinion about which of these is more likely to work well? Does my particular setup (printer attached to parallel port of the router) make any difference?
iBook   Mac OS X (10.4.4)   Windows network user