About LaserWriter 8 Version 8.4.3
This document contains some important information about LaserWriter 8 version 8.4.3. You may want to print this document and keep it for future reference. The topics are:
- What's New in LaserWriter 8 Version 8.4.3
- Installing LaserWriter 8 Version 8.4.3
- Using LaserWriter 8 Version 8.4.3
What's New in LaserWriter 8 Version 8.4.3
- Support for QuickDraw GX Applications
QuickDraw GX applications - LaserWriter 8 version 8.4.3 supports GX applications which have been revised to work with the Classic Print Manager. Check your application documentation to see if your application requires GX print drivers.
- About Extra Blank Pages with PageMaker
PageMaker documents have an extra blank page when printed with LaserWriter 8.4.1. LaserWriter 8 version 8.4.3 corrects this.
- About International Systems Using Right To Left Line Direction
LaserWriter 8 version 8.4.3 corrects a tabbing issue in the Chooser on these systems.
Installing LaserWriter 8 Version 8.4.3
After decompressing the LaserWriter 8 version 8.4.3 archive follow the steps below to install the files.
- Restart your system with all extensions turned off. To do this, hold down the Shift key while you restart your computer. Hold the Shift key down until you see the message "Extensions off" or until your normal desktop appears.
- Rename your existing LaserWriter 8 driver or drag it to a folder outside the System folder.
- In System Folder: Preferences delete the files LaserWriter 8 Prefs, LaserWriter 8.4 Prefs, and LaserWriter 8.0 Prefs if found.
- Drag all Desktop Printer icons to the Trash and empty the Trash. You will need to recreate your Desktop Printers. Be sure to print all current spool files before doing this step.
Next, drag the files listed below to your system. Follow these steps:
- Place LaserWriter 8 in System Folder: Extensions.
- Place PrintingLib in System Folder: Extensions.
- LaserWriter 8 version 8.4.3 requires PrintMonitor 7.1.2 or greater.
- If you are using a 68K-based Mac OS system, LaserWriter 8 requires these files in the System Folder:Extensions folder:
- CFM-68K Runtime Enabler version 4.0 or greater
- NuQuickTimeLib.slb version 2.0.1 or greater
- NuThreadsLib.slb version 2.1.1 or greater
If you are using Mac OS 7.1.1 and have a version of Chooser earlier than 7.3, place Chooser 7.3 in your System Folder:Apple Menu Items
- Reboot your system with extensions on. You should be able to setup your printer using Chooser and be able to print to it.
Using LaserWriter 8 Version 8.4.3
Using PostScript Fax
PostScript Fax is an option for the LaserWriter Select 360, the LaserWriter 16/600 PS, and the LaserWriter Pro 810. If you use a PostScript Fax option with any of these printers, you should use LaserWriter 8f version 8.2.3f. PostScript Fax is no longer supported with LaserWriter drivers 8.3 and beyond. See the section "How To Get Updated Printer Software"at the end of this Read Me for information on obtaining LaserWriter 8f version 8.2.3f if you don't already have it.
Using Color Matching
When ColorSync 2.0 or greater is installed and the ColorSync Profiles folder contains printer profile(s), there are two options in addition to color/grayscale output:
- PostScript Color Matching/Printer's Default is the preferred color-matching choice. When you are printing to a PostScript Level 2 printer, and it is efficient to let the printer do most of the work, this option is a good choice.
- ColorSync Color Matching is an alternative color-matching selection. It invokes the ColorSync system software to perform color matching for the printed document, matching your monitor and printer's profile and sending the correct color information to the printer. With ColorSync Color Matching, most of the work is done by your Macintosh.
Here are some tips on using color matching:
- Color output will vary depending on the application you are using.
- Documents that use ColorSync 1.0 embedded profiles convert to the profile set up in the ColorSync 2.0 System Profile control panel.
- When you print with PostScript Color Matching selected and ColorSync 2.0 is not installed, the driver uses the Apple 13" RGB Standard profile.
- Application programs that generate their own PostScript may have issues color matching EPS or TIFF images correctly. Converting the image to a PICT file corrects the issue.
PPD Files
The LaserWriter 8 driver uses PostScript Printer Description (PPD) files to determine the characteristics of the printers it uses. PPD files contain information about individual PostScript printers. For example, PPD files describe the paper-handling capabilities of printers: the number of paper trays, their capacity, and the paper sizes they handle.
To take full advantage of your printer's features, you need to go through a simple setup procedure. When selecting your printer for the first time, or after installing an additional option, click the Create/Setup button in the DTP Utility or in the Chooser . This procedure causes the LaserWriter driver to query the printer for its characteristics and associate a particular PPD file with the printer.
You can also change your printer's setup by highlighting your desktop printer icon and then selecting Change Setup from the Printing Menu.
If you get an error about the preferences file when you choose an option that is specific to your printer, you may have an outdated PPD file. You should contact the vendor of your printer for an update.
Using English Language Chooser 7.3 on Localized Mac OS Systems
If you use Chooser to select your printer, be sure to use Chooser 7.3 or greater because LaserWriter 8 requires Chooser 7.3 or greater. If you have a localized Mac OS system with a Chooser earlier than version 7.3 and you install an English-language version of the printer software, an English-language Chooser 7.3 may be installed. Use Chooser 7.3 or greater to select the printer to which you want to print.
Creating EPS Files
You can create an encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file in many application programs by clicking File in the Print dialog box, then clicking Save. When you create an EPS file, note the following:
- Creating EPS files with the All option selected in the Font Inclusion pop-up menu in the EPS dialog box can result in very large files. If you include all fonts in an EPS file and save the file with the Unlimited Downloadable Fonts option selected, you may create an extremely large file.
- If you create an EPS file with no fonts included and open the document, fonts in the document appear on your screen, but Courier may be substituted when you print.
- When you create EPS files with preview information included, other programs that create their own PostScript code may not display the EPS file accurately on the screen.
Using the LaserWriter 8 Driver With the Kanji System
To print Japanese characters using KanjiTalk or the Japanese Language Kit, your system must have WorldScript II version 7.5.1 or later.
Using QuickDraw GX Fonts on a non-QuickDraw GX System
If you are using the QuickDraw GX versions of the fonts Hoefler or Skia with a non-QuickDraw GX system, you may encounter line-layout issues on screen or with your print-outs. To correct this issue, remove the GX fonts from your Fonts folder.
Using the LaserWriter 8 Driver With Applications
Some programs do not yet take advantage of the new features of the LaserWriter 8 driver or have small incompatibilities that result in printing issues. If you experience issues with an application, please contact the publisher of the program. In some cases a newer version of the program may be available.
The following list describes some special cases that you should be aware of when working with some applications. There may be other issues with these, or with other programs, not mentioned in this document.
Foreground vs Background Printing: LaserWriter 8.4 and greater offer both foreground and background printing.
In foreground, the driver doesn't spool the file being printed. An application may fail when printing in the foreground if the application assumes the driver will make a spool file.
If you experience issues with foreground printing, change to background printing and try again.
- With many programs, you cannot use the Flip Horizontal, Flip Vertical, landscape page orientation, and Layout option in the Page Setup dialog box in combination.
- Some programs may print in color even when Black and White mode is selected.
- Programs that generate their own PostScript may have issues color matching EPS or TIFF images correctly. Converting the image to a PICT corrects the issue.
- Tray Selection: Applications that don't utilize LaserWriter 8's capabilities have some limitations with tray selection when printing from the Finder. To work around these issues, print from within the application and contact the vendor of this application.
************************
Adobe Acrobat 3.0
- Acrobat retains the settings used for one printout and applies these settings to subsequent print jobs, unless options are reset by the user.
- The orientation of the .PDF file may not match the setting that appear in the printer dialogs. This is expected behavior.
The .PDF file will print as it is displayed on your monitor.
Adobe Illustrator 6.0.1
- Multiple-page documents may not print correctly when you choose a page layout from the Layout pop-up menu in the Page Setup dialog box.
Adobe PageMaker 6.5
- Documents that have been set up using a page layout from the Layout pop-up menu may not print correctly with the Print-Option command. Use the Print command with PageMaker's Thumbnail option.
- When using a page layout from the Layout pop-up menu with the Print-Option command, the document will be printed in reverse order.
- Rotated graphics may not print correctly when you hold down the Option key and click Print in the Print dialog box.
- You cannot print legal-size documents from the paper cassette of the Personal LaserWriter 320; print such documents by selecting Manual Feed or by holding down the Option key and clicking Print in the Print dialog box.
- Foreground printing does not always print text in the correct size.
Adobe Persuasion 4.0- Persuasion uses its page dimensions to establish the orientation. These dimensions, however, are not picked up the driver's orientation settings.
Adobe SuperPaint 3.5
- Rotated or filled polygons print as solid gray objects.
- Gradient fills may not print when copied into other programs.
ClarisDraw 2.0- Some shapes that contain gradients may not print correctly.
- A PostScript error is sometimes generated when attempting to print in the foreground. If you see this error, print the document again in the background.
DeltaGraph Pro 4.0
- Printing with Unlimited Downloadable Fonts may cause some elements to be shifted and fonts to substitute Courier.
Informed Designer/Manager 1.4.3
- Do not print documents that contain JPEG images in Black and White mode; your system will restart.
- When you select the Unlimited Downloadable Fonts option, some graphic elements may shift or disappear when printed.
Lotus 1-2-3- Sometimes a single document prints when multiple documents are sent to printer.
Microsoft Excel 5.0
- When you first install the new printer driver, you need to use the driver's page setup dialog to set the orientation of your document. When you select Page Setup, Excel first displays its own dialog box. Click the Options button to open the Page Setup dialog box generated by the LaserWriter driver. Then click on the orientation setting you desire. Click Okay to exit the driver's dialog. Then click Okay again to exit Excel's dialog.
- Most of the settings in Excel's Page Setup will now match the corresponding options in the driver's Page Setup. However, the scaling size may be different in the two dialog boxes. The size displayed in the Excel window is the size that will be used when you print from Excel.
- Colored horizontal cell borders will often not appear in the printout. This happens with any color printing option and on most printers.
- If in print preview window, multiple copies will not be printed.
MicroSoft Word 6.0.1- Each section of a document is treated as a separate file when printed. This will not affect your output.
- Also, another section is sometimes inserted in the document when cursor is not at the top of the document.
- A blank page will be produced when incorrect page numbers are given.
Microsoft Works 4.0
- There are 24 new shapes available through the tools palette. Colored shadows for any of these shapes will appear correctly on screen. But these colored shadows will only print in gray, regardless of what the print color options might be.
- Works 4.0 color printouts may not match what appears on your screen. Experiment with the color options to determine which one generates the best printout for your needs.
Netscape 3.0.1
- Netscape may print a pale gray background to an older LaserWriter printer.
- When printing a multiple-page document, Netscape may print below the margins on the intermediate pages.
- Portions of graphics that seem to be transparent on screen will be printed on your documents.
Painter 3.0
When you print using the Invert option, images do not print inverted correctly.
- Painter adds 2 small pop-ups to the print dialog panels. They are in the lower left quadrant of the panels and can interfer with the driver's functionality.
PixelPaint Pro 3.0
- When you print using the Invert option, images do not print inverted correctly.
QuarkXPress 3.32
- Be sure to use the PPDs provided with QuarkXPress when you choose a page layout from the Layout pop-up menu in the Page Setup dialog box.
- Some imported JPEG files may not print correctly.
ReadySetGo! 6.0
- Use ReadySetGo! version 6.0 or later with the LaserWriter 8 printer driver; earlier versions will not work.
- With the Unlimited Downloadable Fonts option selected, you may not be able to print complex documents.
- Documents that use pen patterns will print patterns as solid gray.
Studio/8 & Studio/32- When creating an EPS file with these programs and the LaserWriter 8 driver, you must select the QuickDraw Printer option.
- A blank page is sometimes printed when a doc is dropped onto a DTP.
This article can help you locate the software update mentioned here:
"Where To Find Apple Software Updates" - Lists online services for free Apple software updates.
For information on the services and support offered by AppleCare see:
http://www.apple.com/support/products/overview.html