DOS Compatibility Card: No Print Drivers Required for DOS (4/94)


How does the DOS Compatibility Card print to a printer? Do I redirect the output to one of the Macintosh serial ports, or are there drivers included for Window and DOS applications?

The DOS Compatibility Card uses the printer selected in the Chooser. The DOS Compatibility Card software supports Epson and PostScript printer output. QuickDraw printers such as the StyleWriter or ImageWriter work only with Epson drivers (if a printer is not a PostScript Printer, it's considered a QuickDraw printer). When choosing a non-PostScript printer in DOS, you should select either an Epson LX or Epson LQ printer driver.

IMPORTANT: If you try to print a file and you're using a PostScript printer
driver for a non-PostScript printer, your file will not be
printed. Instead, the spool file will be moved to a folder
called "Spooler Rejected" in the Macintosh Environment. To
print the file, choose the proper printer driver in the DOS
environment and try again.

The DOS Compatibility card supports two serial ports, COM1 and COM2. You can map these ports, in the PC Setup control panel, to an unused Macintosh printer or modem port, a text file, or to a setting of none.

When printing to non-PostScript printers from DOS, the information goes through printer emulation and also through the Macintosh printer driver. This process makes printing multiple pages from DOS slower than printing from a Macintosh application. Because of this, whenever possible you should print from the Macintosh side of the computer.

To print a DOS document from a Macintosh application, you need to cut and paste the information. The DOS Compatibility Card comes with software that converts the DOS or Windows clipboard into information the Macintosh clipboard can use.

If a PostScript printer is attached to the Macintosh computer, then DOS and Windows doesn't have to go through the printer emulation process. This enables DOS and Window documents to print at the same speed as Macintosh documents to the same printer.

When using a PostScript printer in DOS or Windows, choose the driver that matches your printer. Some DOS applications only let you select the option of printing to a generic PostScript printer. This works fine except you will not be able to use any of the special paper tray capabilities of you printer.


Support Information Services
Published Date: Feb 19, 2012