How it works
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QuickDraw GX Helper is a system extension that lets you disable QuickDraw GX desktop printers. It gives you the option to select what type of printing to use from the Apple menu. The setting is preserved by applications and is stored in the QuickDraw GX Helper preferences file in the Preferences folder.
When desktop printers are inactive, the Macintosh Operating System does not use the QuickDraw GX printer driver. All printing calls are routed to the non-QuickDraw GX printer driver.
Installation
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QuickDraw GX Helper is not installed as part of the Easy install option of QuickDraw GX. You must use the Custom install option and specifically choose QuickDraw GX Utilities.
QuickDraw GX Helper requires that the old print driver and the QuickDraw GX equivalent print driver both be in the Extensions folder. For example, if you are using a LaserWriter, both the drivers LaserWriter and LaserWriter GX must be in the Extensions folder.
Incompatible with Fax Modems and Non-Apple printers
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QuickDraw GX Helper only works with equivalent Apple-brand printer drivers that are in the Extensions folder. For LaserWriter GX, it uses LaserWriter driver v7.2 as this was the only version tested with GX Helper. GX Helper is not compatible with any third-party printer devices.
Postscript Fonts
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QuickDraw GX Helper enables a non-GX printer driver, so you must re-install the PostScript font files into the Fonts folder. These are listed in the Finder as PostScript Font when you view the files by kind. This is necessary because the older printer drivers have not been updated to support the QuickDraw GX font suitcase format (created by the GX installer) that places PostScript fonts in a suitcase.
Both the PostScript font file and the new GX compatible suitcases can be
present in the Fonts folder at the same time. The only performance penalty is
extra disk space being used by duplicate font data. You can find the older
PostScript font files in either the "Archived Type 1 Fonts" folder in the
System folder or on the original fonts disk. Note that the screen font does
not need to be copied back to the Fonts folder.
Using With the LaserWriter 8 driver
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You cannot use the GX helper with both the LaserWriter 8 and LaserWriter (version 7.5) printer drivers installed in the Extensions folder. This is because the QuickDraw GX helper first looks in the Extensions folder for a Chooser Extension with the type and creator of the LaserWriter 7.5 driver. If it is not found, then it looks for a Chooser Extension with the type and creator of the LaserWriter 8 driver. If it first finds the LaserWriter 7.5 driver, it does not continue to look for the LaserWriter 8 driver. The workaround is to keep only one of the LaserWriter drivers in the Extensions folder at a time. You can use the Extensions Manager in System 7.5 to disable the appropriate driver.
Using with the LaserWriter Select 310
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The QuickDraw GX Helper does not allow switching back to the LaserWriter Select 310 driver. Under QuickDraw GX, you must use the LaserWriter GX driver configured for serial output with a LaserWriter Select 310 printer. GX Helper is set up only to look for the older network LaserWriter drivers (LaserWriter 7.x or LaserWriter 8.x). It does not find the LaserWriter 310 driver. Renaming the LaserWriter 310 driver to LaserWriter does not solve the problem since QuickDraw GX Helper uses the Finder's type/creator information to locate a driver.
Article Change History:
17 Jul 1995 - Added information about screen fonts.
07 Apr 1995 - Made minor technical updates.
14 Feb 1995 - Updated keyword; reworded how helper checks type/creator.
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