Some people have had problems printing from WordPerfect 5.0 to a
LaserWriter Plus. The software is running on a DOS computer with a
LocalTalk PC Card installed. The LaserWriter Plus is also on the network.
AppleShare PC or Trading Post from LaserTools is required to print to a
LaserWriter directly from a PC application, like WordPerfect 5.0. The
application must have its own drivers for either PostScript or Epson
printers. If an Epson driver is not available, a text printer driver will
work.
The software that comes with the LocalTalk PC Card is a set of tools and
utilities. These are not meant to provide the print services, like
printing from an application, provided in AppleShare PC.
The configuration steps for printing with these products are
well-documented in their respective manuals and should present no problems.
The actual printing is up to the word processor. The steps necessary to
print, once the LocalTalk software is installed, are based solely on the
application that created the document. If there are problems after the
LaserWriter has been correctly connected from the AppleShare PC DA, and the
application has been set to use its PostScript driver, usually the problem
is due to the implementation of the particular driver belonging to the
application.
Consider the following example. If AppleShare PC has been configured to
use the LPT1 port and is set for PostScript, the application only needs to
be configured to use its PostScript driver and to print to the LPT1 port.
All printing commands, options, and steps are the application's at that
point. In fact, the LocalTalk PC Card and AppleShare PC are only passing
along the information to the LaserWriter. They are not interfering with
the print commands at all.
If AppleShare PC has been configured to use the LPT1 port and is set for
Epson emulation, the application only needs to be configured to use its
Epson driver and, once again, to print to the LPT1 port. In this case, the
PC will probably print slowly, because AppleShare PC is intercepting the
Epson printer commands generated by the application's Epson driver and
converting them to PostScript before passing it to the LaserWriter.
Make sure you know how to connect the LaserWriter to an LPT printer port
with AppleShare PC and how to select the appropriate PostScript driver for
a LaserWriter and an LPT port. The process is the same from the
application side whether directly connected or not. The only difference is
that the usual DOS configuration of a PC communications port is replaced
with the AppleShare PC configuration. The AppleShare PC only needs to be
configured once, because AppleShare PC can be set to connect to the printer
on each startup.
WordPerfect 5.0 has been successfully tested with an IBM PC and AppleShare
PC. The only exception is with pre-REV 47 LaserWriter boards. This is
because the WordPerfect PostScript driver takes advantage of some optimized
PostScript routines found in the LaserWriter Plus and later PostScript
LaserWriters (REV 47 ROMs) and is not compatible with the earlier ROMs.
The steps for printing from WordPerfect 5.0 are as follows:
1) Install the LocalTalk PC Card and connect to the desired LaserWriter.
2) Install AppleShare PC.
3) Execute the DA application or use the hot key.
4) Connect the LaserWriter.
5) Choose PostScript for the printing mode.
6) Exit from the DA.
This is where the WordPerfect application takes over:
1) Execute WordPerfect.
2) When ready to print, press Shift F7.
3) Select S for select printer.
4) Type 3 for Edit printer connection.
5) Type 2 for Additional Printers.
6) Move the highlighted cursor to the Apple LaserWriter Plus driver.
7) Press Return.
The Fonts should be loaded into the driver.
8) Press Return after selecting the Font options when they appear.
9) Press Return again after selecting the printer name and PORT
connection.
10) Press Return after selecting the name of the printer connection from
above.
11) Type 1 for full document print.
There are several intermediary steps depending on what options are chosen,
but these are the basics. The WordPerfect setup has nothing to do with the
connection, except choosing THEIR LaserWriter Plus Driver and selecting the
same port as configured in the AppleShare PC DA. The same steps are true
when selecting another type of printer driver.
The default port for WordPerfect is LPT1. The default Port in AppleShare PC
is LPT3. It does not matter which one is changed as long as both are the
same.