Connect HP LaserJet 6mp to iMac

[MTartygirl]

I have a HP Laserjet 6 MP printer connected to my iMac with a parallel to usb cable. Can I add an ethernet adapter so I can do wireless printing through my router?
Thanks!

 

[RadDave]

I have a HP Laserjet 6 MP printer connected to my iMac with a parallel to usb cable. Can I add an ethernet adapter so I can do wireless printing through my router?

Hello and welcome to the forum! Please provide some further information: 1) Mac computer specifics (e.g. year, OS X installed); 2) Router (brand/model/age); 3) What are your wireless printer needs (e.g. from a laptop and/or iDevice, such as an iPad)?

Now I use to own that printer, I believe more than a dozen years ago - just serial & parallel ports, i.e. no USB, hence your need for an adapter. Even if you purchased another adapter w/ ethernet, whether this will work w/ such an old printer is conjecture. My suggestion is to buy a modern printer w/ network and AirPrint capabilities - at the end of last year, I replaced an old (5 years) laser printer w/ a Brother HL-L2340 - only $89 on Amazon HERE - sets up easily for 'wireless' function on my home network and AirPrints from our iPads and from my MBPro over Wi-Fi - Dave

 

[MTartygirl]

More information

Thanks for you reply, Dave!
I'm sorry for not giving more information! I have an iMac, 10.9.5, bought in 2013. The router is CenturyLink PK5001Z. I'd like to print wirelessly from an iPad and Windows laptop. The printer is connected by a parallel to usb cable and works fine. I kept this printer because it's a workhorse and keeps going after 20 years!

 

[RadDave]

Thanks for you reply, Dave!
I'm sorry for not giving more information! I have an iMac, 10.9.5, bought in 2013. The router is CenturyLink PK5001Z. I'd like to print wirelessly from an iPad and Windows laptop. The printer is connected by a parallel to usb cable and works fine. I kept this printer because it's a workhorse and keeps going after 20 years!

Yep, I know - had a series of those HP printers at home for many years - there are certainly parallel-ethernet printer adapters - look HERE - I cannot give you a recommendation having never tried such a connection - review some of the pics and go to the websites and read the comments; also, take a look on Amazon for some ideas and reviews - hopefully, one of our mods or other members will come along w/ some experience in the area to make suggestions.

Also, you'll need to go to the HP website and review your printer, look at the FAQs, and possibly interact w/ one of their people to see if such a connection is going to work; obviously, you have the right drivers for the printer to function on your iMac, but getting your iPad & Windows laptop to print wirelessly will likely be a problem - BUT, good luck and let us know what happens. Dave

 

[chscag]

An HP 6MP is indeed a work horse printer. We used them in our government office for many years. However, I don't believe there is a way to get it to print wirelessly. The handy application "Printopia" which provided wireless access to non wireless printers is not compatible with OS X Mavericks and Yosemite and can no longer be installed. The advice given by Dave is probably what you should do. I would purchase another printer with wireless or "Airprint" capability to use with your iPad, iPhone, and Windows notebook. You can still keep your 6MP for exclusive use by the iMac. And how come you haven't upgraded your iMac to Yosemite?

 

[gsahli]

You can easily share this printer "through the iMac" as print server. And ethernet/parallel print servers are available quite cheaply on eBay. I have three by HP.
Take a look:
HP JetDirect 170X External Parallel Print Server with Power Supply J4102B | eBay
or:
HP Jet Direct 170X J4102B External Print Server | eBay
(this one doesn't have power supply brick included)
(and looks like you need a parallel print cable for both the above)

 

[pm-r]

As Apple still supports that printer, you should have no problems, but it will depend on your setup:
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201465

I actually have an older HP Laserjet 4ML networked and setup that can also do wireless printing with all our Macs and iPads, and it needs AppleTalk and uses a Mac serial DIN connector. But we also use an old Mac in the background running OS X 10.5.8 as it was the last to support AppleTalk, and it's usually just sleeping.

At least you won't need to use an AsanteTalk Ethernet/AppleTalk adapter as we do, but I don't know if any networked Apple Airport base would support that printer to help with wireless printing.

 

[GraphixHack]

SUCCESSFULLY CONNECTED old HP LaserJet 6MP to my new iMac

As Apple still supports that printer, you should have no problems, but it will depend on your setup:
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201465

I actually have an older HP Laserjet 4ML networked and setup that can also do wireless printing with all our Macs and iPads, and it needs AppleTalk and uses a Mac serial DIN connector. But we also use an old Mac in the background running OS X 10.5.8 as it was the last to support AppleTalk, and it's usually just sleeping.

At least you won't need to use an AsanteTalk Ethernet/AppleTalk adapter as we do, but I don't know if any networked Apple Airport base would support that printer to help with wireless printing.

I had my perfectly healthy old workhorse of a printer - HP LaserJet 6MP (from 1997) - connected to my old iMac (2006... running Snow Leopard) via that AsantéTalk Ehternet to LocalTalk converter. (I got the printer long before the old iMac, but was very happy to find that it worked once I bought and connected the AsantéTalk gadget). Now I've just started using a new-ish iMac (late 2013 model) and all sources indicated that I would no longer be able to use my LaserJet 6MP. I tried for a few stubborn days to get it to work, simply certain that all the info I'd found from Apple, HP, and other sources including this forum were simply incorrect. Then I gave up and went to Staples and bought a brand new HP LaserJet. Got a really good Thanksgiving weekend deal, set it up and it's great. Now, I'm still transferring everything from my old iMac to my newer iMac (running Yosemite) and this morning, in my stubbornness, I decided to have one last go at connecting. And, much to my overwhelming surprise, I DID get it to work!! I may still now sell or donate that old 6MP, but it does indeed work with the new iMac! This info might relieve the anxiety I've had about this and save someone from having to put out the cost of a new printer and get rid of their 6MP.

What you need:

• First, you need to have the AsantéTalk gadget! I bought it years ago on EBay for $20. Asanté doesn't make it or sell it anymore, but I find it's on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004VUFW/?tag=macforums0e4-20
  My AsantéTalk converter has still been connected to my AT&T router (I have no memory of how I did that years ago, though I do remember it was also a series of trial and error and experimenting. I have been consulting the Asanté manual to try and solve the iMac to printer dilemma, but it doesn't help much). I made no alterations to that connection. The AsantéTalk has been allowing wireless printing from the old iMac across the room to the 6MP for 9 years, without issue.
• The HP driver - I downloaded the driver from the HP website and installed it on the new iMac. I found it via an internet search. I'd done this during one of my earlier attempts to connect. The driver is HP LaserJet 6P/6MP 19.13. (my old Mac used version 19.8)
• Ethernet cable
• Wireless-enabled router. (Mine's the one I got from AT&T, my internet provider.)
• The IP address of that internet connection. (you have to find out what that address is for your network. It's a series of numbers, separated by periods. Such as this randomly made-up IP address: 123.345.4.78)

Steps I took:

• Installed HP driver on iMac. (you might already have it.)
• Connected the iMac to the router via Ethernet cable. (This was key! And the last thing I thought of. I got to the wireless aspect after successful installation.)
• Opened iMac's System Prefs and (in the Network settings) verified that the Ethernet was connected.
• In Printers & Scanners setting, I deleted the 6MP that I'd added there earlier as a result of my unsuccessful previous attempts.
• Clicked the + sign to add a "new" printer.
• In the "Add" window, I clicked "IP" (instead of "Default").
• In the Address field, I entered the IP address of my AT&T network
• Once I did that, below the Address appeared confirmation that my IP address was valid. "Valid and complete host name or address". (I got stuck here earlier, but that was before I connected the Ethernet cable.)
• In the "Protocol" field, I left the default I had there, which was "HP Jetdirect - Socket".
• I left the "Queue" field blank
• In the "Name" field you could personalize that printer's name for identification purposes if you have more than one printer or wireless device. I put "HP LaserJet 6MP". If you give it no customized name, the IP address will be listed as the name.
• I left the "Location" field blank. (I imagine that you could put whatever you want there, such as "Joe's office" or "Front desk".)
• In the "Use" field, I chose "Other". (Autoselect did not do the trick.) A Finder window opened, and I needed to find that 6MP driver. It is not easy to locate. I found it in my Macintosh HD's Library > Printers > PPDs > Contents > Resources. (It's among the list of the zillion other HP drivers that were installed when I did that driver installation.) Chose "HP LaserJet 6MP.gz" and clicked "Open".
• Clicked "Add" and the 6MP appeared in the list of Printers in the "Printers & Scanners" window.
• Did a test print of a simple TextEdit document. It worked. Printer was connected to new iMac. Hooray!

What about the WIRELESS connection, you ask.
- I just disconnected the Ethernet cable and voila!… the printer's connection still worked.

So, yes, I can now use my old printer. Whew! Now I have two HP printers. I don't need two. I think the old one will be finding a new home, but I sure do love solving a puzzle. Good luck. I hope this helps somebody.

 

[pm-r]

Congratulations with your HP LaserJet 6MP setup and good info for others that might or could use it.

You're lucky that the HP LaserJet 6MP supported AppleTalk that needs OS X 10.5.8 or earlier for support but it also supports other protocols such as IP which my old HP LaserJet 4ML doesn't. It only supports Mac serial using AppleTalk!! No Ethernet at all.

But even when setting it up for network access, I discovered that it wouldn't work properly with its given default name until I changed it to the same name but using underscore characters so that it contained no spaces. Still working, but the HP LaserJet 4ML does need a Mac running 10.5.x or earlier with AppleTalk installed and enabled. We use such an old Mac as a print server when needed, usually for large b&w print jobs. Waaayyy cheaper than using the newer inkjet for those jobs!!!