[HECnet] Potentially stupid printer question...

-----Original Message----- From: owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE [mailto:owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE] On Behalf Of Mark Wickens Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 11:17 To: hecnet at Update.UU.SE Subject: [HECnet] Potentially stupid printer question... I've been offered a very nice printer for the price of shipping. It's a centronics based printer. I currently have an LA75 hooked up to a DECserver 90M. Obviously MMJ/serial connection. My question is - does OpenVMS support parallel printers? Would it be a lot of work getting it to work natively without having to include another box in the mix (ie, a linux box). My brain has been trampled on with work today, something may come to me yet... Actually having said that, I guess a Centronics/Network interface would do the trick at the very least. Regards, Mark. Mark, I would pass on that one. While VAX platforms supported parallel printers they were either DEC specific LP11-type (only BIG VAXen had these interfaces) or they used something like a DECserver-250 over LAT. Both worked well but what you have isn't that bad either and I would stick with that. I use one (1) LA75 and one (1) LA120 (DECwrite-III) via LAT and that works just fine. The LA120 is 132 columns so printouts work great. The laser printers can go over LAT if they have serial ports (one (1) actually does), but mostly they run with HP JetDirect modules either directly or via a UNIX box running CUPS. -Steve