AppleShare PC and LaserWriter Drivers



I installed AppleShare PC 2.01 on a PC on a mixed LocalTalk network. The
Macintoshes in the workgroup use LaserWriter drivers version 6.0.1. It seems
that AppleShare PC is not compatible with these drivers, and we get LaserWriter
wars. Is there a fix or workaround?

While the Macintosh LaserWriter drivers require a PostScript dictionary to be
present in the LaserWriter, AppleShare PC does not. Printing from AppleShare
PC to a LaserWriter connected as a PostScript device doesn't download anything
other than the file being printed.

It does download an Epson emulation dictionary for each Epson job, but this
persists only for the length of that job. It does not require or replace md
(The Macintosh Laser Prep dictionary), and, therefore, won't cause any
LaserWriter wars.

Theoretically, PC application that prints PostScript can wipe out md, or
download its own dictionary that conflicts with 6.0.1. This is entirely
dependent on the applications being used and could be tested by printing from
each in turn until a conflict occurs.

We would first confirm that all of the Macintosh computers have LaserWriter and
Laser Prep 6.0.1 installed. If so, check to see if one of the PC applications
is causing the problem.


Published Date: Feb 18, 2012