Network Print Server in Mixed Environement

Network Print Server in Mixed Environment

I have an old PC running under Win98 as a print server on my home network. It's been giving me a lot of problems lately and would rather recycle the old boy. Network print servers like an HP jetdirect are not too expensive on eBay but they are older models (like the Jetdirect EX Plus) and I don't know if the Powerbook I'm getting would recognise the printer, an HP 2100 Laserjet with parallel interface. I don't need wireless as there's a network cable handy.

Any other products out there I should consider? I'll be sharing this printer with 3 other XP machines.

Thanks for your help!

Scott

Looks like I've found my own answer here:

I have an Okidata OL810e PCL5e PostScript-compatible parallel-port printer (which came with HP LaserJet 4 emulation built-in) attached to an HP JetDirectEX Print Server. These are the steps that I followed to set this printer up under Jaguar, Mac OS 10.2. I hope this saves other people a lot of grief.

1. Open Print Center.

2. Hold down the alt/option key and click the "Add" button.

3. Choose "Advanced" in the topmost list box.

4. In the "Device" list box, select "AppSocket/HP Jet Direct", without the quotes.

5. In the Device Name box, enter a meaningful name. I typed "JETDIRECTEX".

6. In the "Device URI:" box, it should be prefilled with the words "socket://". Here is where you type the IP address of your JetDirect Print Server. When I completed the box it read (without the quotes, of course) "socket://192.168.0.50"

7. Printer Model List Box: Here you may have to experiment. My Okidata printer worked only with the "ESP" drivers, name of "HP LaserJet Series".

The Printer Model is the critical part. If you don't select the most correct driver, you'll experience what I did: page after page of PCL code printing instead of that term paper!

Here's the link: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20020913051518131

Is it the same under Tiger (OS X 10.4)?