Printing Using LPR

Macintosh

Printing Using Line Printer Remote (LPR)

Introduction

LPR Printing (Line Printer Remote technology) allows Macintosh computers to connect to printers via TCP/IP. Until recently, Macintosh computers could only print to networked printers on campus via the AppleTalk protocol, rather than the standard TCP/IP that PCs use. AppleTalk required printers to be set up on Macintosh computers through the Chooser, and that each printer had to be assigned a zone and a descriptive name in order to easily tell them apart within a particular zone. This protocol is effective, but has its limitations. Moving to LPR and printing via the more universal protocol of TCP/IP resolves many issues that occur with AppleTalk zoning.

System Requirements

LPR Printing can be set up on any Macintosh that has Desktop Printing installed or available. Desktop Printing is supported on Mac OS versions 8.1 to 9.2 EXCEPT version 8.6. Desktop printing is not compatible with OS 8.6. LaserWriter8 version 8.5.1 or higher is also required for Desktop Printing.

Setting up a Mac for LPR Printing

  1. From the Macintosh desktop go to File and select Find...

  2. The Sherlock window will open. In the highlighted box at the top, type in Desktop Printer Utility and click on the magnifying glass icon.

  3. Double-click on the Desktop Printer Utility application. A New Desktop Printer window should appear:

    New Desktop Printer

  4. Select LaserWriter 8 in the drop-down menu.

  5. Click on Printer (LPR) to highlight it and click OK. A new window titled Untitled 1 will open.

  6. In the box labeled LPR Printer Selection, click Change. A dialog box labeled Internet Printer will open. Do not close the Untitled 1 window.

  7. In the Printer Address: field, type the 6-character queue name.wellesley.edu (i.e. psci6x.wellesley.edu) of the destination printer. The queue name can sometimes be found on the printer itself.
    Note: The queue name starts with p for "printer", followed by the three-letter building abbreviation (i.e. sci), the floor number, and finally a randomly assigned and unique letter.

  8. If you cannot find the queue name, use the IP address instead. To find either the queue name or the IP Address, print a configuration page from the printer. The queue name or IP Address should be on the second page of the printout.

  9. In the Queue: field type the letters BINPS for the queue type. The letters stand for Binary PostScript, and are necessary for PostScript files from Adobe applications to print properly.

  10. After you have entered the queue name/IP Address and the queue type, click Verify to make sure your computer can see the printer. After clicking on the Verify button, you will see the IP address displayed in small print above the button. If no IP Address appears, double-check that you have correctly typed the queue name or IP Address.

    Selecting Printer

  11. Once the IP Address is verified, click OK. This brings you back to the Untitled 1 window.

  12. At the top of the Untitled 1 window in the PostScript Printer Description box, click Change.

  13. In the dialog box that appears, click once on the Printer Description (PPD) that matches the printer model. For HP 4050 and 4100 printers, use the HP 4000 Series description. Click Select to close the dialog box and return to the Untitled 1 window. If there is no printer description that closely matches the printer model, click the Generic button.
  14. At the bottom of the Untitled 1 dialog box, click Create....

  15. When prompted for a name of the printer, rename the printer using either the queue name or a descriptive name (i.e. Geology HP Laserjet 5M) and then click Save.

  16. A printer icon matching the icon in the PostScript Printer Description box should now appear on your desktop.

How to Quit

After the printer icon appears on your desktop, the Desktop Printer Utility does not automatically quit. To quit, make sure that the application is selected by checking the application menu in the upper right corner of the screen, then go to the File menu and select Quit.

You should now be able to print to the new desktop printer.

  • Han Su Kim
  • Information Services
  • Date Created: September 14, 2001
  • Last Modified: June 29, 2004
  • Page Expires: July 1, 2004