Trying to print to LW8500 on established network

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Level 1

9 points

Trying to print to LW8500 on established network

Just bought a new Macbook Pro (OSX 10.6.5) and connected it to my already established ethernet network. I have a Laserwriter 8500 connected, up and running - I can print to it from my other computer with no problems. The ethernet connection is not a problem since I can connect computer to computer and to the internet with no problems. My question is how do I get the new Macbook to see the LW8500 printer? When I go to print my other printer (Epson) shows up in the options list. How - exactly - do I tell the Macbook where to find the LW8500? Do I need to add the IP address of the LW8500 somehow? If so - where do I get that address from and where do I need to add it to get up and running here?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.5)

Posted on Dec 17, 2010 1:05 PM

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Answer 1

Dec 17, 2010 2:34 PM in response to Indy!

I am guessing that your previous/other computer ran 10.5 or earlier. If that is the case, you were probably printing using AppleTalk-over-Ethernet. That uses the Ethernet cabling, but does not require the printer to have a valid IP Address. 10.6 dropped support for AppleTalk.

If you have a Mac that can run OS 9 or Classic, or even boot to an OS 9 CD, you can use Apple printer Utility to assign an IP Address, in the same range as the other computer, and then the 8500 will be addressable and you can print to it at that address. If you get lucky, Bonjour may even find it for you.

If you can print a test page, the IP Address will be on it, but an Address of 0.0.0.0 is not helpful.

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Answer 2

Indy! Author

Level 1

9 points

Dec 17, 2010 3:20 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

My other computer is a G4 laptop running OSX 10.3.9.

I appreciate the help, but I have to ask - is this the ONLY way to get the printer online? The reason being this new laptop came with the LW8500 PPD pre-installed - I see it in the printer resources in the system folder...

System-Library-Printers-PPDs-Contents-Resources-LaserWriter 8500 PPD v1.2.gz

Seems kind of strange that Apple would include the PPD, but expect you to have an older computer
capable of launching OS9 in order to actually get the printer online. I've done a little research and the only way I can see to print a test page (actually called a "start-up page" in the Apple manual) also requires the Apple Printer Utility. My G4 is OS9 compatible (if I remember correctly) but I've never even loaded OS9 in the 8(?) years I've owned the computer. So finding the disks would be a pretty tall order (if not impossible). Is there some kind of workaround?

More info:
I'm using the Linksys Wireless G router (upgrading to the Netgear 3700 shortly)

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Answer 3

Indy! Author

Level 1

9 points

Dec 17, 2010 3:29 PM in response to Indy!

PS: Also - what do you mean "assign an IP Address, in the same range as the other computer"?

How do I determine the "range" and create the number?

You're talking to a graphic artist - not an IT guy. 🙂

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Answer 4

Dec 17, 2010 4:49 PM in response to Indy!

is this the ONLY way to get the printer online?

One other way to print to it today, is to set it up as an AppleTalk printer "owned" by your older Mac, and Shared to the rest of your computers using IP Printing (which will come up as a choice once you have set it up as a Shared printer).
System Preferences > Sharing > Printer Sharing.
This would require the older computer to be ON to print from any computer.

Otherwise, you need to know what IP Address it is using, and if it does not have one, you need to give it one. Then you can continue to talk to it using Internet Printing, instead of the now-abandoned AppleTalk Printing. Once you have entered the IP Address in Print Setup, you will need that .ppd file to specify the printer's capabilities.

There are a number of far more obtuse ways of attempting to set the IP Address listed in the manual, starting on page 88. They include editing the /etc/hosts file, using Terminal commands arp and ping, and establishing a telnet connection to use the printer's built-in Telnet configuration utility.

These printers were offered for sale starting in 1997. They were all out of warranty by the turn of the century.

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Answer 5

Dec 17, 2010 5:07 PM in response to Indy!

Your Router will pass out IP Addresses using DHCP. It assigns Addresses that are in a certain range. If you look in:
System Preferences > Network ... you will see the IP Address assigned to your computer right now.
Chances are it is in the range 192.168.xxx.yyy, or 10.xxx.yyy.zzz.

These are "private" address ranges that are used only for local private networks. They are not Internet-accessible. To get on the Internet, your request is sent to your Router, which acts as your agent on the Internet. It hides your computer's IP Address, and uses its own Internet-visible Address to make requests, such as to send the main web page from 17.149.160.49 (the address of Apple, Inc main US Web page).

You can only talk directly to devices that are on your Subnet. What is on your subnet is determined by your Subnet Mask, very often 255.255.255.0. This subnet mask says, "as long as MY Address and the Address of the other device are the same in the first three octets, we are on the same subnet and can talk freely without involving the Router". The Router appears in your Subnet as well, usually at address xxx.yyy.zzz.1

So your printer, for all practical purposes, has to have an IP Address the same as your computer in the first three octets, and different in the last octet. It should not be the "next-in-line", to avoid having that same address assigned to a computer by mistake. And it should be less than xxx.yyy.zzz.254, since that can be used as a Broadcast Address in certain circumstances.

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