[chaz123]

i am trying to set up our hp designjet 500ps to run more smoothly through a G3 that is currently running OS 8.6. i would like to run OS 9 if it will help improve the plotter's performance.
if anyone can help point me in the right direction, i would appreciate it.
thanks

[Iamanamma]

Upgrading your OS to 9.2 will make things go a lot easier. However, there is very little that is easy about using this particular printer from a Macintosh. Believe it or not, it runs quicker and easier through Virtual PC emulation than through the native Mac interface.
Are you trying to do USB sharing with it, or are you going to plug it directly into an ethernet hub (which requires a Jetdirect card)? OS 9 will make it much easier to use TCP/IP if you wish to network via ethernet. That's how I've got it set up.
Post some more details of what you're trying to accomplish. I promise I'll help as much as I can.

[chaz123]

Thanks for the response.

Here are some details...
The plotter is presently running from a 233 mhz 192 ram PowerMac G3 with OS 8.6 and it is currently networked. We are using Microspot Raster as the software for the plotter.
The problem is that it just does not perform very well. We cannot print color to it or very complex CAD files.
I don't know much about networking and that sort of thing, but I believe that it is all running through and ethernet connection.
I thought that part of the problem might be that the machine that is serving the plotter is running an old operating system and it cannot really handle the work.
Any help that you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[Iamanamma]

Why are you not using HP's raster software? Since you bought the 500PS, you should have gotten the software with the printer. I have no trouble printing color or CAD files, although I will admit it's easier and faster to print the CAD files. What are you using for CAD? I'm running AutoCAD 2000 LT on Virtual PC and it works well. Ripping through the spooler with the MAC OS is very very slow, and that's even using a Sawtooth G4 with a 500 mhz processor.

[chaz123]

I am not sure why we don't use HP's software. We are using Microspot Graphicpak for the raster software and Powercadd is our CAD program.

[Iamanamma]

Hmmmmm... Do you have a second Mac that you might possibly be able to install the HP software on? Just to see if there is a difference? I still stand by the recommendation to update your OS to 9.2.
I haven't tried printing to the 500ps from Jag yet. I only have one Mac running Jag, and although HP said they would not have a driver until June of this year, Jag seemed to have one built in.
I'm going to do some experimenting here to see what sort of tips I might be able to come up with for you.

[chaz123]

bunnylumpkins,
thanks for the suggestions.
i tried installing the hp software on my workstation so i could print directly to the plotter and it doesn't work. i updated the firmware on the plotter and that allows me to plot through microspot raster much better than before, but i still think it could be better. i can print color now, but it isn't a very good quality. it looks like an old comic book when it comes out. you can see all of the dots that make up the different colors rather than blending more seemlessly.
i followed the directions from the cd and found the plotter through it's ip address, but i still can't build a functioning desktop printer through chooser like i am supposed. whenever i print from applications, it doesn's send through hp's RIP software, instead it goes through laserwriter or something like that and times out. have you run into that?

[Iamanamma]

In reply to:

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i followed the directions from the cd and found the plotter through it's ip address, but i still can't build a functioning desktop printer through chooser like i am supposed. whenever i print from applications, it doesn's send through hp's RIP software, instead it goes through laserwriter or something like that and times out. have you run into that?

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This is the biggest complaint I have about this plotter. It appears that you can't build a functioning desktop printer. That's what I meant when I said AutoCAD running through emulation works better than running through the native Mac OS. You can just print directly from AutoCAD, and it does what I'm used to printers doing.
When I print from a Mac, I have to save to a "print file" (yeah, it does come up as Laserwriter something or other) and then open the print file using the HP spooler (which LOOKS like a desktop printer), which RIPs the file and finally prints it. It's extra steps and major aggravation. It is also time consuming. The only thing that saves my rear end is that this printer DOES print wonderfully from AutoCAD, even though I'm using VirtualPC. Since we bought it to primarily print AutoCAD drawings, nobody other than me is complaining.
I haven't tried sending anything to that printer through OSX yet, and I'm hoping the Mac drivers work better when I finally get around to trying it.

[charlieartist]

I occasionally use a HP DJ 500ps myself, and have been checking for updates on a repeated basis. Did HP give any reason as to why it is taking this long to get a RIP for OS X? In looking at other DJ models, they have had native OS X support for some time now...

[Iamanamma]

To be honest, I think HP is in no hurry because they know this printer is used mostly in the Windows/AutoCAD world. It has excellent Windows drivers designed specifically for AutoCAD. I wish they had made the Mac drivers as user friendly, and I do wish they'd get their collective rear in gear to get that OS X driver out. I've used a lot of HP printers over the years, and this is the first time their Mac end has been a disappointment to me. It's too bad that the only other comparable Mac compatible printer I could find was three times as expensive.

[chaz123]

i've been able to get the plotter to work reasonably well for the time being. i talked with a guy at HP and he was able to help me setup the plotter as a desktop printer through an TCP connection and that works. it doesn't print CAD very well through the desktop so i still have to go through the machine that it is being served by to get any CAD plots. but for other applications where i would use color, it's pretty good now. if you haven't already done so, i suggest updating firmware. that made huge difference in it's performance. it doesn't get hung up anymore and it seems to RIP faster.
i think that my boss is going to make the jump to OSX for the office, so we'll probably get a different machine to serve the plotter. hopefully, that won't be too much of a headache.