Appletalk, what is it and how does it work?

You don't need to create/edit zones unless the network you're on is based on AppleTalk. AppleTalk can pretty much automatically configure itself. It's only when it was part of a much bigger network that zones made it easier to deal with only Macs and devices local to you and not have to sift through every single thing on the network all over a business or school network.

What printer is this? Is the printer on a network? Does it have an Ethernet interface? An issue with older AppleTalk-compatible devices is that they only use the classic AppleTalk. Some routers will not forward AppleTalk packets. Newer Macs make use of AppleTalk over IP to run on modern networks not based on AppleTalk.

Most new printers support bonjour(formerley known as rendezvous). Bonjour is the newer favourable technology. Apple Talk is being phased out.