The saga continues
Jul. 28th, 2005 08:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ksmithI am still trying to get my old HP 1100 LaserJet to work with my iMac.
I love this HP 1100. I used it to print multiple drafts and four finished manuscripts. I'm on my third HP All-In-One, and in between the blow up of All-In-One #2 and the installation of All-In-One #3, I set up the HP 1100. It hadn't printed a damned thing on it in a year, and as soon as I hit Print, it fired up and kicked out pages. No smears, hitches, skips, or misfeeds. About the only thing that had me rethinking my decision to go to a Mac was the fact that I would lose the use of this printer. I really, really like it.
Unfortunately, it's a pre-USB model, and because of this, HP never bothered to create Mac drivers for it. However, when one of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
karentraviss' friends informed me that others had picked up the baton and done so, and that parallel-USB adapters actually existed when folks on some of the Mac lists said they didn't, I was overjoyed to say the least. I went to the site I was directed to (http://www.electrictao.net/mac.shtml), followed the bouncing links, downloaded espgs and the hpijs foomatic (now that's a Doug Adams term if I ever saw one) drivers. Bought a parallel-USB adapter. Waited for said adapter to arrive.
The first speedbump on the road to printerness came when the adapter arrived and I saw that it didn't fit. It was made for a standard-sized Centronics port, and the HP 1100 has a mini-Centronics port. I don't recall now whether I tracked down the fact that standard-mini Centronics adapters existed, or whether someone informed me of the fact, but whatever the case, I found, I ordered, I waited again.
And the adapter arrived. Hooked that adapter to the parallel-USB adapter. Installed the files mentioned above. Tried to install the printer, but when I reached the point where I highlighted the driver in Print Utility and clicked Add, I got an error message. Error: -50. Over and over again.
So, I went back to the site where I got the link to espgs and hpijs, and emailed the guy who owned it, Peter Wang. He was really happy to hear that folks were actually using his site, and offered some comments as to things I might try. Some of them were MacGeek things, and I am about as far from a MacGeek as you can get without a prescription. But one thing we discussed was the fact that the parallel-USB adapter stated that it was PC compatible, but didn't mention anything about Macs. I wondered if the adapter was the problem--Peter thought it possible. After that, I let things languish for a couple of months because I actually have things to do other than dinking with obsolete printers. But over the last few days, I felt the bug bite again, and started digging around. Found that Peter had updated his site to discuss some solutions to the mini-standard Centronics issue. Followed his links. One led to a USB-parallel adapter that the vendor expressly states is Mac-compatible. Ordered it. Followed the link to the different mini-standard adapter, and order that too. They haven't arrived yet.
In the meantime, I found this site called MacOSX.com, which offers free tech advice. What the hell, I thought, and emailed about good ol' Error: -50 as well as the other printer stuff. Got an answer. Error:-50 is a vague description that doesn't tell you much, but the tech guy gave me a link to a USB driver that will work with Macs. Downloaded it. Installed it. Tried to install the printer. No go. The next thing Greg the Techie suggested was to try the Reset Printing Option, restart, and try adding the 1100. Did that. The good news there is that we've apparently eliminated Error:-50. The bad news is that any print job I attempt stops. The printer isn't receiving the job from the iMac, and I get the bright red exclamation point. I still think it's the adapter.
So, the upshot is, I still can't print with the 1100. I'll see what happens with the new adapters arrive. I may try the other solutions Peter Wang mentions on his page. If I figure the cost of my time per hour that I'm spending on this, I could probably justify a new LaserJet, but it's become a matter of personal pride/stubborness/sheer bloodymindedness at this point.
I love this HP 1100. I used it to print multiple drafts and four finished manuscripts. I'm on my third HP All-In-One, and in between the blow up of All-In-One #2 and the installation of All-In-One #3, I set up the HP 1100. It hadn't printed a damned thing on it in a year, and as soon as I hit Print, it fired up and kicked out pages. No smears, hitches, skips, or misfeeds. About the only thing that had me rethinking my decision to go to a Mac was the fact that I would lose the use of this printer. I really, really like it.
Unfortunately, it's a pre-USB model, and because of this, HP never bothered to create Mac drivers for it. However, when one of
karentraviss' friends informed me that others had picked up the baton and done so, and that parallel-USB adapters actually existed when folks on some of the Mac lists said they didn't, I was overjoyed to say the least. I went to the site I was directed to (http://www.electrictao.net/mac.shtml), followed the bouncing links, downloaded espgs and the hpijs foomatic (now that's a Doug Adams term if I ever saw one) drivers. Bought a parallel-USB adapter. Waited for said adapter to arrive.The first speedbump on the road to printerness came when the adapter arrived and I saw that it didn't fit. It was made for a standard-sized Centronics port, and the HP 1100 has a mini-Centronics port. I don't recall now whether I tracked down the fact that standard-mini Centronics adapters existed, or whether someone informed me of the fact, but whatever the case, I found, I ordered, I waited again.
And the adapter arrived. Hooked that adapter to the parallel-USB adapter. Installed the files mentioned above. Tried to install the printer, but when I reached the point where I highlighted the driver in Print Utility and clicked Add, I got an error message. Error: -50. Over and over again.
So, I went back to the site where I got the link to espgs and hpijs, and emailed the guy who owned it, Peter Wang. He was really happy to hear that folks were actually using his site, and offered some comments as to things I might try. Some of them were MacGeek things, and I am about as far from a MacGeek as you can get without a prescription. But one thing we discussed was the fact that the parallel-USB adapter stated that it was PC compatible, but didn't mention anything about Macs. I wondered if the adapter was the problem--Peter thought it possible. After that, I let things languish for a couple of months because I actually have things to do other than dinking with obsolete printers. But over the last few days, I felt the bug bite again, and started digging around. Found that Peter had updated his site to discuss some solutions to the mini-standard Centronics issue. Followed his links. One led to a USB-parallel adapter that the vendor expressly states is Mac-compatible. Ordered it. Followed the link to the different mini-standard adapter, and order that too. They haven't arrived yet.
In the meantime, I found this site called MacOSX.com, which offers free tech advice. What the hell, I thought, and emailed about good ol' Error: -50 as well as the other printer stuff. Got an answer. Error:-50 is a vague description that doesn't tell you much, but the tech guy gave me a link to a USB driver that will work with Macs. Downloaded it. Installed it. Tried to install the printer. No go. The next thing Greg the Techie suggested was to try the Reset Printing Option, restart, and try adding the 1100. Did that. The good news there is that we've apparently eliminated Error:-50. The bad news is that any print job I attempt stops. The printer isn't receiving the job from the iMac, and I get the bright red exclamation point. I still think it's the adapter.
So, the upshot is, I still can't print with the 1100. I'll see what happens with the new adapters arrive. I may try the other solutions Peter Wang mentions on his page. If I figure the cost of my time per hour that I'm spending on this, I could probably justify a new LaserJet, but it's become a matter of personal pride/stubborness/sheer bloodymindedness at this point.
