"upgrading" an HP DesignJet 600 plotter

[P Bartoli]

I'm currently using an HP DesignJet 600 plotter on a mixed OS9/OSX Mac ethernet network. The plotter is connected to an OS9 Mac that acts as plotter server with MacPlot and a USB to parallel connection.

I was wondering if it's possible to upgrade the HP DJ600 to have a direct ethernet link with the HP Jetdirect 170x Print Server for Ethernet (J3258B).

Anyone has a setup like this?

What do I achieve with this setup? Can I connect diretly and print with TCP/IP from OSX? I think that somewhere is still missing a link, some software... can anyone help on this?

Thanks

[Drake]

I would like to know how to make one of our OSX computers act as a plot server. This might solve some of the problems we have with plotting.

[Kevin]

Don't know about the 600. I have a 455 hooked up to a Jetdirect EX Plus. Mac OS10.3.8 prints directly to it though ethernet. Any of my OSX computers can act as a plot server or I can plot directly from the computer that I am working at.

[P Bartoli]

quote:

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Originally posted by Kevin:

Don't know about the 600. I have a 455 hooked up to a Jetdirect EX Plus. Mac OS10.3.8 prints directly to it though ethernet. Any of my OSX computers can act as a plot server or I can plot directly from the computer that I am working at.

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Kevin, is the 455 equipped with built-in Postscript or does it have a PS rip software/ HP printer driver? How do you control it?

Thanks

[Kevin]

Paolo;

As I read your question I had to chuckle. I have had this plotter for seven years. Operating it under OSX is a no brain operation. I had to pause and think about your questions, as in, what is Postscript?

The 455 originally shipped with software for OS9, (and a bunch of PC stuff). The process was to use Apple Laserwriter 8 printer description to create a Postscript file. This file was then sent to the HP supplied HP RIP software. Once ripped, it was sent to the plotter.

The latest Apple System Software comes with Gimp Print. Simply add your plotter to the Printer List and you are done. Set up takes two minutes tops.

After that you simply print to that printer. You can refer to the list of supported printers: http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net/p_Supported_Printers.php3, and you will see that the 600 is supported.

HP does not support the 455 for OSX. My experience with HP software for the Mac is that it is buggy. Printing using Gimp Print has been without incident. I will say that it prints slower than using HP RIP under OS9.

I usually send the print job to another computer for processing so that my computer is not tied up with background printing and spooling.

If you do a search on the Board, you will find all the information that you need regarding your question.

[ 03-24-2005, 11:58 AM: Message edited by: Kevin ]

[islandmon]

GIMP Print nails it everytime!

[Ramon PG]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kevin:

The latest Apple System Software comes with Gimp Print. Simply add your plotter to the Printer List and you are done. Set up takes two minutes tops.

After that you simply print to that printer. You can refer to the list of supported printers:

http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net/p_Supported_Printers.php3,

and you will see that the 600 is supported.

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Could you please be more precise?

I have waited for months for Gimp to support the HP DesignJet 600 plotter and I still don't see it in the llistings.

There is a DeskJet 600, but it's not the same article...

[Kevin]

My appologies, Ramon. I mistook Deskjet for DesignJet. I suggest that you try installing it anyway with a listed model that is close to your printer and see if it will work.

Just because they say it is not supported does not mean that it will function. It just might not fully function.

[Ramon PG]

I have tried a few setups with Gimp and all have failed.

Anyone knows which Gimp HP driver is similar to that for the HP DesignJet 600 ??

[P Bartoli]

quote:

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Originally posted by Ramon P:

I have tried a few setups with Gimp and all have failed.

Anyone knows which Gimp HP driver is similar to that for the HP DesignJet 600 ??

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Ramon, out of curiosity, which is your setup with the HP600?

Which cable do you use to connect (the Mac) to the plotter?

At the moment I'm plotting from a OS9 server with MacPlot and a Belkin USB-to-serial cable. It works, but I was wondering how to upgrade the system to work under OSX...

[Ramon PG]

I used to have Microspot (I believe they changed the name) and OS 9 but after going to OS X everything went nuts. BTW the cable came with the driver.

I then moved to a friends office who uses PCs and the only way to plot is thru his PCs using Acrobat. My other CADD program PowerCADD, let's me convert all lines to black when plotting, so the Acrobat outpput was very nice since I mostly use hatches and simple fills.

BUT, I like to color objects as new, existing or demo AND now I find that VectorWorks CANNOT print a colored drawing to black and white and since I don't plot directly thru a driver that will let me do that all I get is grayscale. Grayscale is nice for presentation stuff, but not so nice for working drawings.

[Ramon PG]

Paolo,

Check out the Partners section of the VW site. I found a plotting driver vendor that will sell the needed driver.

http://www.nemetschek.net/partners/misc/xrip.html

[CEA]

Its easy to print drawings as black and white only.

Simply select "File/Preferences/Document Preferences" and check "Black and White Only."

You can also print using the "Layer Colors" option to easily control more complex scenarios with some layers appearing in black and white only and some in color.