OS X and HP jet direct

[Anonymous]

I have an HP Design Jet 200 plotter (still works great) that has been connected to an Mac 8500 and the combination works fine for plotting.

Since I have had a G4 and a G5 (on OS 10.3 and 10.3.6) I have been plotting through the 8500 using plot files. Works fine, but is cumbersome.

I was told to buy a HP Jet Direct print server and use Gimp print (free driver download for OS X). Got everything hooked up, but I am unable to find a Printer Address for the HP 200 that I need when setting up Gimp-Print on a network.

I am a little out of my territory here. Any one got any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

Don Lee

[Mark Wallace]

Don,

Run the 'setup' printout normally used to check your printer settings. The printer's IP address should be in the listing. The address should look something like '192.0.0.192'

Add the listed address to the blank space in the 'Setup TCP/IP printer address' found in the 'Plot Setup' dialogue.

Plotmaker has a driver for the HP 200. If you're using the jetdirect box, you can plot directly from plotmaker.

I have a similar setup with a HP 455 and it works fine and plots great.

HTH

Mark

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Mark Wallace Architect
Collegeville PA

Mac G3,350MgHz,1GB Ram,OSX 10.3.6, HP455CA, ArchiCAD 7

[Anonymous]

Mark,

Thanks! Could you clarify a couple of things for me?

1) I can print directly from the G5 using AC9 and plotmaker using a paralle(or is it serial?) to USB connection. No jetdirect print server needed? And no IP address needed? This is what I have done in the past using parallel to ADB appletalk.

2) To connect to a network I need:
- Jetdirect and an IP address. Am I entering the address of the plotter or the jet direct box? When I printed the set up sheet from the menu panel on the front of the plotter (options to set language, serial interface etc) but no IP address. I am checking the HP webite with no luck so far.

3) Do you have to use gimp print if you are networking using the jetdirect box?


<<Add the listed address to the blank space in the 'Setup TCP/IP printer address' found in the 'Plot Setup' dialogue.>>
-Do you mean in Plotmaker? not in gimp print?

Unfortunately, as been noted here before the HP online support for Mac is very weak.

thanks again,


Don Lee
G$, G5 AC 9

[Mark Wallace]

Don,

Let me try to respond......

[(2) To connect to a network I need:
- Jetdirect and an IP address. Am I entering the address of the plotter or the jet direct box? When I printed the set up sheet from the menu panel on the front of the plotter (options to set language, serial interface etc) but no IP address. I am checking the HP webite with no luck so far.

You should be entering the address of the plotter. However, pressing the test button on the Jetdirect box does yield a printout with the same address as the printer. If you are getting an address from the Jetdirect like '192.0.0.192' then go ahead and try it.

[/(3) Do you have to use gimp print if you are networking using the jetdirect box?

I haven't used gimp print with the jetdirect box since the drivers provided by Graphisoft inside Plotmaker do a quick & decent job of getting me my drawings. I used gimp print once with Photoshop to print photo enlarged contact sheets and acually got better results by saving the images such that they could be organized within Plotmaker and plotted/printed.

Remember the Mac can both plot and print but with sometimes different results. The biggest factor is the resolution of your printer (dpi) and how fast the various drivers can deal with transferring your data from your Mac to your HP200 and output the info onto paper. Plotmaker thru a TCP/IP Jetdirect connection seems to be much faster than USB (or local-talk given the same size of plot file). Plotting linework is much more straight forward than printing images.

Gimp Print was an OSX work around until Graphisoft made an OSX native Plotmaker late in 2003 (I have 2.3 v2-OSX.....I'm not sure what comes with AC-9).

Also....if you are on a network or not, in the Finder, make sure the 'Location' under the Apple Menu is properly set to route your signal to your HP200. The 'location' is set up in the System Preferences under 'Network' by connecting your HP200 and then making that setting your 'preference' when using the HP200. I have a very simple ethernet-twork (modem & plotter) so if your system is more complicated, I'm afraid I won't be much help.

Don, I'm in G5/AC9 envy and hope to upgrade soon.

Good Luck & HTH.....

Mark

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Mark Wallace Architect
Collegeville PA

Mac G3,350MgHz,1GB Ram,OSX 10.3.6, HP455CA, ArchiCAD 7/Plotmaker 2.3 v3