appletalk or IP printing?

B

bluecool

Registered
Should we still be using Appletalk in the 10.4.5 environment?
The issue is a printer that 'comes and goes' on Local Zone in "default browser" and I need to fix the intermittency.

Setup: We have a small office network with everyone on 10.4.5, 2 D-Link GigaBit 10/1000 switches, a G5 Server, DSL modem with static IP, and the D-Link Gaming router. Staff connect to the network via ethernet and WiFi.

Everyone uses the (old) HP LaserJet 4000 for printing via Appletalk.
But the ptiner comes and goes from the network, especially for those staff members who come and go from the network with laptops (their old link to the printer doesn't work).

It feels OLD to have to turn on and off Appletalk to print. Is IP printing more stable? I don't think I fully understand how the "default browser" works in printer setup utility either...

Reactions?

Tips on good printers for our network?

Thanks
Jake
 
There are theological arguments on this issue, but it is very simple to me. You should use what is most convenient. For most Mac users, AppleTalk "just works." If your printer is Bonjour-compatible, then IP-printing will also "just work" for you. Otherwise, it depends on how your printer gets its IP address. With a fixed IP address, your printer will communicate just fine with your computer. If your printer gets its IP address via DHCP, then you may find that its IP address has changed and you are no longer able to communicate with it until you rerun Printer Setup Utility. I have this issue with my Windows XP computers at work. When a printer's IP address changes and jobs no longer print, my users don't even think to seek help. In the meantime my Macs, which communicate with the same printers via AppleTalk, never miss a beat.
 
I think that is exactly what is happening and the printer does get it's IP from DHCP (I think) because when I printed out a Configuration Page, under protocol it says ...

TCI/IP Status - 5, Boot/DHCO in progress
Config by: DHCP

and there are no subnets or gateways defined.

I don't know how to designate a fixed IP to the printer because I don't know how to get into the printer's guts.

I also no nothing about Bonjour (one of those cool new OS things I just didn't learn about - can you give me a quick and dirty on it?)

Thanks
 
If you need to use DHCP, you can always reserve the IP for that printer on the DHCP server or you can just exclude an IP address from the DHCP scope and manually configure the IP address on the printer. Besides, if the printer is on the network directly you don't want the IP to constantly change (however I've seen some people do that to which I would desire to slap them with a blowfish :p).
 
I don't want to get slapped by the blowfish, so either I:

-figure out how to configure this old laserjet with fixed IP info
-buy a newer, faster, more MAC compatible office laserjet that has an easy interface...

I still don't understand how "default browser" works and what it is on the printer set up utility. Does it just look at the local network and anything avail in the matrix?
 
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