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TAC Newsletter Topics

  • Printing from a IIgs to an Apple LaserWriter
  • Using 3.5" drives on an Apple IIe, IIc, IIc+, IIgs
  • ImageWriter II Printing Problem
  • Using Classic AppleWorks on Your new iMac
  • Apple IIc Power Supply
  • Requirements for the Macintosh Apple IIe Card
  • Apple IIgs Battery Replacement
  • Diskettes With Bad Blocks
  • Connecting an Apple IIgs to a Mac
  • Image Writer II Network Printing
  • About 3.5" drives for the Apple IIc
  • What is Interleave?
  • ProDos volumes and mapping

    Printing from a IIgs to an Apple LaserWriter By Ridge Prevost, Tucson Apple Core

    For quite a while I printed from my ROM 03 IIgs to a networked Apple Personal LaserWriter NT (similar to many of the 2nd & 3rd generation Apple LaserWriters) and an HP DeskWriter (original, C, and 550c). The Pointless TrueType (TT) extension was perfect for DeskWriter printing from GSOS programs, but had no effect on LW text.

    For LW printing I used the IIgs in 16-bit (GSOS) programs. Installing the GSOS LW driver that's available as an option in the GSOS Installer program also installed an ImageWriter Emulator (IWEM) file that got downloaded to the LW when the LW was selected in the gs's Network Printer Control Panel. I also needed to know exactly which PostScript (PS) fonts were installed in the LW and had to have at least one sample of each of the one's I wished to print with in the Fonts folder. The ones I needed were Avant Garde, Bookman, Courier, Helvetica, New Century Schoolbook, Palatino, Symbol, Times, Zapf Chancery, Zapf Dingbats.

    Using the LW with AppleWorks 2.1 or 3 went something like this: Boot up in GSOS mode. Make sure AppleTalk (AT) is set to Slot 1 where the LW is connected via printer cable or AT connector kits. Reboot, if required. Select the LW in the gs's Network Printer Control Panel. Launch AWKS from the gs's desktop. Make sure you're printing to an ImageWriter in Slot 1. Print to the ImageWriter in AppleWorks. Proportional 1 and 2 produced the best results. I found, though, that it took a long time for the LW to render and print each page.

    Printing to the LW with GSOS programs was straightforward. Draw programs produced good results, PS text looked great at any size, and page layout programs did very well (GraphicWriter and AWKS GS). Printing to the DeskWriters from GSOS programs was a bit more capable, since you weren't limited to PostScript fonts, you could use any Mac TT font, and by reducing the resolution to 150 or less you could print graphics in accurate colors with acceptable text.