Mac OS X printing to networked NEC dot matrix printer

Helge Blischke h.blischke at acm.org
Thu Dec 9 02:56:48 PST 2010


Dirk Rösler wrote:

> Hello --
> 
> I am on Mac OS and have just purchased a NEC MultiImpact 700XX2N
> (PR-D700XX2N) dot matrix printer that is supposed to print carbon copy
> forms (switching printer not an option).
> 
> http://www.nec.co.jp/products/dot/suihei/index.html (sorry, all in
> Japanese)
> 
> It has a network interface (with an embedded print server, I believe) and
> networks fine, but there is no Mac driver or PPD. I can ping it and
> configured it on the Mac in printer control panel/CUPS web admin.
> 
> I can print to it from apps with Generic PS Printer configured, but of
> course it spits out all the postscript gibberish. I don't need any control
> over fonts etc., just plain output of ASCII characters or text data I sent
> to it, line by line and perhaps form feed. I need to set up label
> templates and start printing from my backend software (not decided).
> 
> There is Windows software provided, but I'd rather avoid setting this up
> and I have no Win machines.
> 
> I don't think the printer is a PS printer.
> 
> At some point I was able to print using the following command, but now
> that doesn't work anymore.
> 
> lpr -P NEC_MultiImpact_700XX2N -o raw file.txt
> 
> The printer uses a command set called 201PL, which seems proprietary to
> NEC and probably used in Japan only as it supports Asian Multibyte
> Printing. Solaris Japanese supports NEC PC-PR201 (based on 201PL). Solaris
> seems to incorporate a filter/function called jprconv to convert to this.
> 
> Is there a way I just can send plain characters to the printer and print
> on tractor-fed paper? Ideally I would like to print from applications, but
> if only the command line works, I'd be happy too.
> 
> Thanks for any suggestions and help.

You could try to get (somehow) the terminfo nec-pr201 file from a Solaris 
installation (not OpenSolaris, which lacks this file) and convert it into 
source format using infocomp and then analyze it and hack a filter using 
that information.

Helge





More information about the cups mailing list