Can I download iTunes songs from my iMac to my NON ipod sansa mp3 player?

You will have to go into iTunes-->prefrences--->advanced

under advanced you will see three buttons, choose "importing" then go to "import using"

You can choose to import as mp3, From that point, iTunes should download songs and import CDs as mp3.

Once the files are in mp3 you may be able to simply drag and drop the converted songs to your sansa players

-D

Songs from the iTunes Store cannot be downloaded as mp3. They are AAC as the note on the far bottom of the iTunes Preferences Advanced/Importing pane explains.
You cannot transfer iTunes downloads to your mp3 player because they are copy protected and the mp3 players do not have the FairPlay software Apple uses. Apple has not licensed the use of it's downloaded songs to any other player. In their current condition they are iPod only.
I'm not savy to the technical process, but you can burn the files to CD and somehow import them without the copy protection and convert them to mp3 files that you could then transfer to your mp3 player.
You might check in the iTunes or the iPod forums for more information. I have my doubts that Apple lets that type of info be posted for long in the forums. I may be wrong.

That's how I do it. I have an iRiver mp3 player. I create an audio cd of my iTunes purchased music, and import the cd back into iTunes as mp3's. Just make sure your import settings are set to use the mp3 encoder.

you can't that's the trouble with DRM. You can only listen to music bought on iTunes on the iPod and vice versa.

There are workarounds but I suggest you to go buy at emusic.com, its the only other online music store out there that plays on the iPod (in fact it's the only one that plays in any player).

But the if I understood was how you would sync your device with your mac: when you plug it in does it recognizes as a usb driver? Because if all you need is to copy the music files to a folder on it then I suggest making an automator action to sinc it with a given playlist it. If nothing happens then you are in trouble, and probably will have to trash your computer or you mp3player.

that's the real difference between macs and ordinary pcs. In a pc you have to spend an hour trying to make a new device work. In a mac it only takes 30 sec to know it will simply not work and that there's nothing you can do about it (besides buying an apple certified product for twice the price). 😉