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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Consumer Hardware & Components > Want a cheap way to network your printer?

Want a cheap way to network your printer?
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Sacramento
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Apr 22, 2002, 12:40 AM
 
If you do, check out the Hawking PN7127P 10/100 internet print server. http://shop3.outpost.com/product/3204921

On the recommendation from someone on this board I purchased it at my local Fry's Electronics for $69.99 (although you can buy it from outpost.com for $58) and I'm just tickled at how cheap and easy it was to network my previously USB/Parallel only Lexmark E312L laser printer (paid $80 for it as an open box at Best Buy).

My ATT internet connection runs through a 3Com cable modem to a Linksys 4 port router. From the router my G3 upgraded OS 9.1 PowerMac 7300 is connected via ethernet as is a 1.0 Airport Base Station feeding my Dual USB OSX.1.3 iBook . Also, I'm networking using Appletalk.

At first I tried USB printer sharing through the 7300, but couldn't get it to work. Besides, I didn't want to leave the 7300 on all the time. So I brought the Hawking printer server home, plugged it into the parallel port on my Lexmark laser printer. It is a powered unit so you have to plug in an AC power adapter into the print server. After that I plugged in an ethernet cable from the print server into an empty port on my router.

At this point I was ready to struggle with setup, but both my 7300 and iBook (wirelessly) both saw the printer immediately! On the 7300 the printer showed up in the Chooser just like a postcript printer after double clicking theLaserwriter icon. At that point just tell the chooser to do automatic setup and you're done. The setup in OSX is just as easy. You can add a printer in X through the print setup utility or by trying to print from any app. You can add the printer by editing the printer list and trying to add an Appletalk printer. Once you see printer, add it and you're done!

This print server touts Appletalk and Mac compatibilty on its box. It also claims TCP/IP, IPP (internet printing protocol which allows you to print to your printer from anywhere!), among other modes, but I didn't try to mess with any of them because I spend most of my time now walking around the house trying to think of reasons to print wirelessly. Seriously though, it also allows you to manage the printer server from a web browser. Unfortunately you have to give the server a url and the software to do that is PC only. So, I'll have to wait until I have a PC on the network (maybe I'll use my girlfriends laptop).

In any case, that's all I can think of for now, but I just wanted to pass along my experience. If anyone has any questions, you can contact me at MJRap@aol.com
     
   
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