[jnk]

I am running OS 9.1 on an 8500. Downloaded the printer drivers and control panel software from Lexmark for my printer. This software is for printing from the MAC to the Lexmark through the USB port. I have the Lexmark printer connected to an HP Jet Direct box which has an IP address. I try to create an LPR port but the desktop printer manager keeps defaulting to the Apple Laser Writer8 driver. Also can not open the Lexmark control panel as I get an error "usbmanager.lib" not found. Can I use the drivers that I downloaded from Lexmark to work with an LPR port that i create? Any help would be appreciated.

[John Strung]

No. You cannot use the Lexmark USB drivers to print using LPR. You have to use the Apple LaserWriter 8 driver. If you can find a proper Lexmark PPD file, use it in place of the generic PPD file for the AppleLaserWriter driver.

Try the Lexmark web site, or e-mail their tech support to find out if they have a PPD file, or do a Google search for "Lexmark PPD file" or "Lexmark [printername] PPD file" where [printername] is the name of your printer.

[jnk]

John, Thank you very much I will try this. This site is the best for resources!

[ghporter]

I had no idea that a LaserWriter 8 was a Lexmark product, or that there was commonality between any Apple printer software and non-Apple products. Is there a resource that shows the linkage between Apple and non-Apple printers?

[John Strung]

The LaserWriter8 driver is an Apple product, but can be used with most if not all Postscript printers and is particularly useful for printing via TCP/IP (LPR printing). I gather this is because PostScript is an Adobe standard. The Laser8 driver uses files called "PPD" files to customize its interface for particular printers, but common features can be accessed using the generic PPD files.

Both Brother and HP, for instance, provide PPD files for their postcript printers which work with the Laser8 driver.

See: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=24512

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106709

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=11295

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloa...form=Macintosh

Lexmark is actually IBM and I would suspect you could find a Lexmark PPD file by downloading the IBM PPD files available at the bottom link in this message.

[ghporter]

This is awesome! How useful! Thanks for the info!

[John Strung]

It is useful! I print to a networked Brother 1270N using the Laser8 driver!