Re: appletalk printing w/ proterm 3.1

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

rb <rbooker@darkwing.uoregon.edu> wrote:

> On Thu, 12 Sep 1996, David Empson wrote:
> > I assume you are using CHOOSER.II or the appropriate IIgs control panel
> > to select the printer in each case?
> 
> this is a tangential problem.  often i prefer to boot directly into p8 to
> launch quickly 8 bit programs (including proterm).  Chooser II won't run
> unless slot 7 is set to appletalk, but i have a rom 3 with a ramfast in
> that slot (appletalk in slot 1).

If Chooser.II requires slot 7 to be set to AppleTalk, then it is rather
out of date.  I don't know if there is a version that is new enough to
know about the ROM 3, so it is not likely that this can be solved
easily.

The main problem is that if you are booting from ProDOS-8, you almost
certainly have no AppleTalk support available.  Under normal
circumstances, you have to boot GS/OS (with AppleTalk support installed)
to get access to any AppleTalk function (except booting over the network
from an AppleShare 2.x or 3.x file server, which is built into the ROM).

Have you tried the following:

1. Boot into GS/OS (with AppleTalk support).
2. Use the Net Printer control panel to choose the ImageWriter.
3. Launch ProTerm from your GS/OS program launcher.
4. Print something.

This should work.


To be able to access a networked printer after booting ProDOS-8
directly, you must have the right version of the ATINIT file present in
the root directory.  ATINIT serves two purposes: it contains code which
hooks ProDOS-8 into the AppleTalk firmware (and loads additional
AppleTalk protocols if necessary), and it contains your computer's
network name and chosen printer.

I know of at least three versions of ATINIT:

1. The ATINIT file in the System.Setup folder on a GS/OS disk.  This
version contains no code, only the network settings.

2. The ATINIT file provided with the Apple II Workstation Card.  This
version only works with the A2WS card, not with the IIgs firmware.

3. A version that was provided with Publish-It!, which adds printing
support on a IIgs (but not file server access).  I assume this was
supplied by Apple, but I have never seen it elsewhere.

> > [Manual feed of first sheet on ImageWriter]
> 
> this got results, but a further problem as well.  i form-fed the first
> sheet, and the imagewriter responded.  however, like the laserwriter 
> (with IWEM downloaded), it overprinted on one line. any ideas about what
> could be happenning to those line feeds on both printers? 

This could be because ProTerm is using the "Pascal" firmware entry
points, which do not add lines feeds by default, and ProTerm itself is
not generating line feeds.  (I'd be surprised if this was the case, as
it would also affect a directly connected ImageWriter II.)

Try printing from Applesoft BASIC - do a PR#1 then a CATALOG, for
example.

If that is also overprinting, and the control panel settings are
correct, then I'm stumped.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail Mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand