Apple LaserWriter Printers: Frequently Asked Questions

Answer: QuickDraw LaserWriters cannot be directly connected to a network with LocalTalk cables. Some, however, can be shared on a network with Apple's Grayshare technology.

The following QuickDraw LaserWriters can use this technology:

LaserWriter Select 300
Personal LaserWriter 300
Personal LaserWriter LS (when using the LaserWriter 300 driver)

Note: The computer to which the printer is directly attached should have at least a 68020 processor.

Sharing a Printer

To share one the above LaserWriters with others, follow these steps:

1. In order to share a printer, you must be connected to an AppleTalk network.
• LocalTalk Connection - The LocalTalk connector goes into the printer port. The peripheral-8 cable (serial cable) connects the printer to the Macintosh. It goes into the modem port.
• Ethernet or Token Ring Connection - Since both Ethernet and Token Ring connections don't require you to use a serial port on your Macintosh, you can use either the printer or modem port to connect the printer to your Macintosh.

2. Open the Chooser and select the appropriate printer icon.

3. Click the icon of the port your printer is connected to. If you
are using the printer port to connect your Macintosh to the network, you must connect your LaserWriter to the modem port.

4. Click the Setup button to open the Sharing Setup dialog box.

5. Select the "Share this Printer" checkbox. This places an "X" in the checkbox. You have the option of naming your printer and entering a password. If you use a password for the printer, only users who know the password can use the printer from their computers.

If you want a record of what is printed on your printer, select the "Keep Log of Printer Usage" checkbox.

6. Click "OK" to close the Sharing Setup dialog box, then close the Chooser window.

Printing to a Shared Printer

To print to a shared printer, follow these steps:

1. Open the Chooser and select the appropriate printer icon. A list of available printers displays.

2. Click the name of the shared printer that you want to use. If the printer requires a password, a dialog appears, and you must enter the password.

3. Close the Chooser

Question: Some of my page size options do not show up (such as the 500-sheet tray) and/or, I get frequent PostScript errors when printing. What is causing this?

Answer: Symptoms like this can occur when you are using a PostScript printer with LaserWriter 8 Driver, and you have not setup the printer properly in the Chooser. Follow the instructions below to properly setup your printer.

1. Open the Chooser

2. Select the LaserWriter 8 icon

3. Select the name of the printer from the list that appears on the right

4. Select the Setup button

5. Select Auto Setup

6. The driver selects a PostScript Printer Description (PPD) for the printer. a message appears on the screen that reads "PostScript Printer Description File Selected:" followed by the name of your printer. If the name of your printer does not appear, use the Select PPD button to manually select the proper PPD. If the PPD is not listed, reinstall your printer software and try the process again.

7. If you have added any paper trays or RAM to the printer, you may need to configure them before they will be accessible. Select the Configure button. If this button does not appear, select the More Choices button. You will see options for the various paper trays. If you have added a particular tray, make sure to change the option near the tray's name to read "Installed". If you have added additional RAM, make sure you change the option next to the RAM button to the closest value.

8. Select OK to leave the Chooser

Question: I have a PowerBook 500 series computer and a QuickDraw LaserWriter Printer. When I try to print, I get messages telling me to check my connections. My connections appear to be OK, what is causing this?

Answer: The PowerBook 520c and 540c computers use a single serial port which is a combination Printer/Modem port. In order to use this port for serial printing, use the following information to properly configure your PowerBook 500 series computer:

1. If the Express Modem is installed:

1. Open the Express Modem control panel and select Use External Modem.

2. Open the PowerBook Setup control panel and select Normal.


2. Open the Chooser and do the following:

1. If you are using the PowerBook 200 series, turn OFF AppleTalk. If you are using the PowerBook 500 series, you do not have to disable AppleTalk. If you are using Ethernet; you MUST verify that the Network Control Panel is set for Ethernet.

2. Select the serial printer driver.

3. Select the "printer/modem" icon (or the modem icon if the printer/modem icon is not available).


3. If the Assistant Toolbox extension is enabled, disable it using the Extensions Manager control panel.

A similar situation can also occur when using other serial printers. If you see no port selection choices, make sure the PowerBook Setup control panel is set for Normal.

Question: When I try to install the software for my Personal LaserWriter 300, I get a message saying that System 7 or greater is needed, but I already have System 7 installed.

Answer: This message usually occurs when you are trying to install the printer software on a computer on which the driver is already installed.

1. Check the Chooser to verify the driver is not already there. If it is not, install the printer software.

2. Insert the printer installation disk and double-click the Installer

3. When the Welcome to the Installer screen appears, click OK

4. When the Install screen appears, select Customize or Custom Install

5. Choose the individual portions of software you want to install.

6. Click Install

• Check the cable connection. Disconnect the cables and re-connect them. Be sure you are using the correct type of cables. Many older LaserWriters use LocalTalk cables and have not been tested with serial cables. Check the printer manual to see if this is the case.
• If you are using AppleTalk, make sure the printer is connected to the printer port and not the modem port.
• Make sure AppleTalk is set to Active in the Chooser. If it is inactive, make it active and restart.
• Make sure your Network control panel is set correctly. If you are using AppleTalk, set it to "LocalTalk Built In". If you are using EtherTalk, make sure it is set to EtherTalk.
• Verify the switch setting on the printer. Most printers have some method of setting the port settings on the printer. Depending on the type of printer, it may be a SCSI-ID type switch, a set of DIP switches, or a dial. Set the switch as follows:

- For a LaserWriter IInt or IIntx set all DIP switches up
- For a LaserWriter 16/600 PS, set the switch down

The above steps will resolve most problems. If the cable is damaged the above steps will not let you see the printer, and you must replace the damaged cable.

Question: When I print from the manual feed tray with background printing on, I get a message telling me to select the PrintMonitor from the Applications Menu and then have to click OK. Is there any way to avoid these steps?

Answer: To disable the notification message, do this:

1. Open the System Folder and then open the Extensions folder

2. Double-click the PrintMonitor application

3. Select Preferences from the File menu

4. Where it says "When manual feed job starts:" select "Give no notification"