Mac OS 8.5, 8.6: Lexmark Optra Laser Printer Desktop Printing Issue

Based on preliminary investigations, it seems that the networking code used by LaserWriter 8 version 8.6 and later and the networking protocol implementation in the Lexmark printers is not fully compatible.

When multiple jobs are queued up to be printed, a job may fail to print and become stalled in the Desktop Print queue. Neither that job nor the following jobs will print until one of these workarounds are performed:

• Stop then restart the Desktop Print queue.
  Click on the Optra DTP queue, select stop/start in the Printing menu.
• Drag the stalled job from the Optra queue to the desktop or to another queue, then drag it back into the print queue.
• Stop the Desktop Print queue and restart your computer.
  The job should print when the queue is restarted.
• Delete the job that is stalled.
  This workaround assumes you have the original file you can select to print again.
  

Lexmark also reported getting a -8993 error, which is a timeout error, that gives the options to Cancel, Hold Job, and Try Again. To work around this error message, click Cancel and print again, or click Hold Job followed by one of the procedures above. Remember to take the job off hold once you have performed one of the procedures listed above.

Since jobs may become stalled when queuing up multiple jobs to these printers, consider printing one job at a time when printing to these printers, waiting for the last job to complete before printing the next job. Or, you can print in the foreground.

Prior versions of the LaserWriter driver (version 8.5.1 for instance) will likely not exhibit this behavior with this Lexmark printer so you might consider using that print software instead. Though LaserWriter 8.5.1 was not formally tested with Mac OS versions newer than Mac OS 8.5, customers have reported success using it with Mac OS 8.6.

Installing LaserWriter 8.5.1 Software

1. Download the six LaserWriter 8.5.1 disk images from Apple's Software Updates.

2. Make all six LW_8.5.1 images available on the desktop.
- Review the Before You Install Read Me on disk 1

3. Open the Installer on disk 1.
- A splash screen is displayed.

4. Click Continue.
- The Software License Agreement is displayed

5. Click Agree if you agree with the terms of the license agreement, or Disagree if you do not agree with the terms of the license agreement.
- If you do not agree with the terms of the license agreement, the software installer will not install the software.

- The window titled Installer Script appears. It provides the option to select a destination disk to install this software.

6. Verify which disk onto which you wish to install LaserWriter 8.5.1. Make any necessary changes to the destination disk.

- In the Installer Script window are the options: Easy Install, Custom Install or Custom Remove.

7. Select Custom Install.

8. Click the "Printer Software for all Mac OS Computers" button.

- The installer compares the printing software already present on your hard drive with the version you are installing (LW 8.5.1). Several alerts that state: "The file 'XXX XXX' already on 'your HD' is newer than what you are about to install" appear.

9. Click Newer to keep the newer file, Older to replace that file, or Cancel to stop the installation.
- When the alert references the file 'LaserWriter 8': click Older.
- When the alert references the file 'PrintingLib', click Older.
- Click Newer when the alert references: Printer Selector, Desktop Printer Spooler, or Desktop PrintMonitor.

Once the Installation of LaserWriter 8.5.1 is complete you'll be asked to restart your Macintosh.

10. Restart your computer.

The LaserWriter 8 driver uses PostScript Printer Description (PPD) files to determine your PostScript printers' characteristics such as paper-handling capabilities, the number of paper trays and capacity, the paper sizes the paper trays can handle, and so on. Therefore, you may wish to copy the Optra's PPD to the Printer Description folder (located in the Extensions folder inside the System Folder), prior to choosing and setting up your printer with the Chooser.

The PPD for your Lexmark printer may likely be obtained from the software that accompanied your printer, from Lexmark directly.

Unsupported Workaround

Yet another (but unsupported) alternative is to disable the use of Open Transport when printing to Lexmark printers from LaserWriter 8, version 8.6 or later. This is done using a programming utility such as ResEdit that not all customers may feel comfortable using. It must be used with caution as it could render software and thus your Macintosh inoperable. The ResEdit utility is an unsupported application.

ResEdit is available for download from the following site:

http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English-North_American/Macintosh/Utilities/

To Disable OT PAP for LaserWriter 8, version 8.6 or later:

1. Make a backup copy of the Extension "PrintingLib" located in your Extensions folder.
- Store this backup copy of PrintingLib in a safe place.

2. Open ResEdit.

3. Open PrintingLib in ResEdit. (PrintingLib is located in the Extensions folder.)
- The PrintingLib window contains many Icons with names like BNDL, hdlg, PREC, and so on.

4. Double-click the icon named PRF2 located in the PrintingLib window.

5. Double-click the resource named -8192.

6. Scroll down the -8192 window until you see "Okay to use Open Transport PAP."

7. Click the "0" button.

8. Close the windows, saving the changes

9. Quit ResEdit.

The next time you print from LaserWriter 8, a different version of PAP (Printer Access Protocol) will be used. Disabling OT PAP should have benign consequences.

To undo disabling OT PAP, use one of these methods:

• Replace the modified PrintingLib file with the backup that was made.
• Reinstall the LaserWriter software.
• Use ResEdit following the steps above, but select 1 instead of 0.