LaserWriter Plus

[Ethan Dicks]

On Apr 5, 2005 9:59 PM, liste at artware.qc.ca <liste at artware.qc.ca> wrote:
> Looking around the local salvation army, I spotted a LaserWriter plus.
> I've searched the archives and discovered it's a PostScript enabled laser
> printer with RS-442 interface.  It seems.  No disucssion of the "plus"
> specifically.

The 'plus' is a ROM upgrade from the plain-old Apple LaserWriter...
more fonts, and slightly different firmware.

>  If it helps, there was a DB-25, a DE-9 and small (4? 6?)
> dip switch on the back (that I remember, I don't remember any mini-DIN).

Nope... no mini-DIN.  The DE-9 is the AppleTalk interface (like 512K
Macs).  The DB-25 is for ordinary serial devices so that, IIRC, one
can blow ASCII at it and the LW+ intereprets it as, I think, a Diablo
daisywheel printer, courier only, etc.  I _think_ there's a way to
emit PostScript at the DB25, but it's not going to be a speedy
interface.  The printer was primarily developed for Mac use on
AppleTalk/LocalTalk

> I'd be interested in having a "real" postscript printer.  But I'd like to
> test it before buying.

One could take a Palm and a travel cable and DE9-DB252 adapter and run
a VT100 app and blow chars at the DB25 port...

> - Is there a way to print a test page w/o pluging into a computer?

Does it not print a test page at power-on?  I think what my mom used
to do at work was power hers on with the paper tray removed to _not_
get a test print (and waste the paper).
 
> - Can this be interface to a straight PC?  If the DB-25 is RS-232, I'd
> assume so.

Yes, the DB25 is RS-232, but there may be a protocol issue there (raw
ASCII vs PS).
 
> - Is toner readily available?

Can't recall what engine it uses, but it's one of the older Canon(?) ones.

-ethan