GDI printers should be networkable

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jorabi
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J

Jorabi

A lot of people have run into the problem of not being able
to connect a GDI, cpu-less printer directly to the network
because the processing is done by the host PC. But why
can't the printer software be installed on a Win2k or Win2k3
server and have it direct the output to an installed port
which is an external parallel or usb print server at the
printer? How would the printer know that it wasn't coming
from a true parallel port?
 
A lot of people have run into the problem of not being able
to connect a GDI, cpu-less printer directly to the network
because the processing is done by the host PC. But why
can't the printer software be installed on a Win2k or Win2k3
server and have it direct the output to an installed port
which is an external parallel or usb print server at the
printer? How would the printer know that it wasn't coming
from a true parallel port?
Click to expand...

Depends on the printer driver. Some can. Some can't. Some need some
tweaking.

Supposedly, my old HP DJ720c can't be shared over a network. Plugging it
into my FreeBSD server and using the older 10.3 drivers via a Unix LPR
virtual port so the driver thinks it's a local printer has worked very
nicely for some years now.

Dave
 
Depends on the printer driver. Some can. Some can't. Some need some
tweaking.

Supposedly, my old HP DJ720c can't be shared over a network. Plugging it
into my FreeBSD server and using the older 10.3 drivers via a Unix LPR
virtual port so the driver thinks it's a local printer has worked very
nicely for some years now.

Dave
Click to expand...

Then again, I have a netgear router with a parallel printer port for
network printing; it's a "dumb" parallel port.

The docs specifically state that it won't work with GDI printers which
means there isn't going to be any software "driver" that will make it
work as there is no driver involved.

I think GDI printers are a con job by m$ like the "win modem"; a
sucker purchase.
 
I think GDI printers are a con job by m$ like the "win modem"; a
sucker purchase.
Click to expand...

I'm not personally a big fan of WinModems, but thery're ubiquitous these
days and for the vast majority of people they get the job done while keeping
the build price of the computer down. A WinModem probably adds $5 or less
to the finished price of the PC, so it might as well be free... if it
doesn't work for you, you haven't exactly lost much.

GDI printers... well... I think the lack of networkability must have
something to do with original Windows printer driver model as I can't see
any reason at the conceptual level why they shouldn't be networkable. I
wouldn't be surprised though if there were _any_ additional work needed to
get a GDI printer driver to be networkable if a lot of marketing department
would decide they now had a trivial way to differentiate their higher margin
'networkable' printers from the cheaper, lower margin models... which still
having a quasi-technical reason as to why that should be the case.

For the record, I switched from HP to Canon for awhile since I couldn't get
HP GDI printers networked, yet with Canon no special effort was needed (on
the models I was using, not trying to say the same was true of all HP/Canon
printers).

---Joel Kolstad
 
On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 20:08:35 -0600, in comp.periphs.printers,
Then again, I have a netgear router with a parallel printer port for
network printing; it's a "dumb" parallel port.

The docs specifically state that it won't work with GDI printers which
means there isn't going to be any software "driver" that will make it
work as there is no driver involved.
Click to expand...

It depends on the printer driver. If it can be told or tricked into
thinking a "virtual" port is where the data should go then it's likely
that it will work. Eg if your router can act as a unix LPR type port then
you might be able to get the driver to print via LPR from Windows, eg
WinXP/2K has it as an option and Win98 requires you download/install
something like ACITSLPR
http://www.utexas.edu/academic/otl/software/lpr/
I think GDI printers are a con job by m$ like the "win modem"; a
sucker purchase.
Click to expand...

It's an econimics thing. You won't see a non-GDI printer sold for less
than the price of toner or ink replacements.

The "con" is that the manufacturers will generally only support Windows
and, maybe, Macs. there are a number of GDI drivers for *nix for some of
the more well known printers.

Dave
 
It depends on the printer driver. If it can be told or tricked into
thinking a "virtual" port is where the data should go then it's likely
that it will work. Eg if your router can act as a unix LPR type port then
you might be able to get the driver to print via LPR from Windows, eg
WinXP/2K has it as an option and Win98 requires you download/install
something like ACITSLPR
http://www.utexas.edu/academic/otl/software/lpr/


It's an econimics thing. You won't see a non-GDI printer sold for less
than the price of toner or ink replacements.

The "con" is that the manufacturers will generally only support Windows
and, maybe, Macs. there are a number of GDI drivers for *nix for some of
the more well known printers.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the replies. Thinking about it more, I agree that it
is a driver design decision. I am dealing with a Panasonic KX-P1700
laser. Since the driver is monolithic, the GDI looks like a port
and you configure the driver by choosing a physical port. If they
delayered the driver so the GDI can talk to any installed port (i.e.,
a print server), it could do it.

Of course, they sell a more expensive version of the printer with no
such restriction.
 
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