HP 4050 and ethernet

Anthony JACOB <anthony.jacob.TakeThisOut@strath.ac.uk> wrote:
> I use a MacBook and an HP 4050, I would print in using the network
> port (RJ45) of the printer WITHOUT a routeur. I tried to find it
> wiht AppleTalk but it didn't work. Does anyone know how I can do
> that ?

First the obligatory disclaimer - I'm a networking guy, not a printing
guy :) Now that's out of the way...

Depending on the type of NICs, you may need a cross-over cable to
connect the two devices without a "router." The cable(s) you use with
a _switch_ (home routers have small switches in them) would _not_
work.

This is true for 100BT unless one side or the other supports AutoMDIX,
and I'm not sure I've seen any end-systems (a printer counts as an
end-system) with that functionality, just switches.

Now, if both devices are 1G capable (I've no idea for either) then it
should not be necessary to have a cross-over cable as the spec for
Gigabit Ethernet includes AutoMDIX in everything. I'm not sure if one
side is GbE and the other 100BT if the AutoMDIX in the GbE side would
be "enough." I suspect the folks in comp.dcom.lans.ethernet could say
for certain.

I think someone suggested printing a test/status page on the printer.
Hopefully that will include some indication of link status to say
whether or not the link is up. Ostensibly there should be some way to
do the same on the MacBook. Assuming of course that neither have nice
little LED's that light-up when they have link.

rick jones
--
The glass is neither half-empty nor half-full. The glass has a leak.
The real question is "Can it be patched?"
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway... :)
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...
 >> Stay informed about: HP 4050 and ethernet 

Fred McKenzie wrote:
> Anthony JACOB <anthony.jacob RemoveThis @strath.ac.uk> wrote:
>> I use a MacBook and an HP 4050, I would print in using the network port
>> (RJ45) of the printer WITHOUT a routeur. I tried to find it wiht
>> AppleTalk but it didn't work. Does anyone know how I can do that ?
>
> Other HP printers I've used could print out a configuration page that
> showed its network information. Check that to be sure AppleTalk is
> turned on. It may be possible to turn it on from the control panel.

First, thank you for your reply.
Then, you have right, AppleTalk (ETALK) wasn't turned on. Now, it works
BUT it wasn't so easy, I had to see the IP and mask adresses of the
printer, then configure manually my network (ethernet build) to put the
same sub-mask address and put an IP address. After, I was able to find
te printer by AppleTalk, but I wasn't able to add it just in puting its
IP address ... (I didn't tried a lot also).

> It needs PostScript to be enabled as well. "Automatic" is a good choice
> if others print to it using HP's PCL.

Yes, I use LaTeX, but I just build PDF files so I think that PostScript
is not neccessary for me if I just print PDF no ?
What is PCL ?

> Do you know the printer's IP address? I don't know that model, but some
> others can be accessed via a web browser to change configurations.

I got the IP address in printing the configuration paper.

> If all else fails, you might try resetting the printer to factory
> defaults. Some of the HPs are reset by holding down the On Line/Off
> Line (Pause/Resume) button while turning on the power. I would expect
> the default to be with AppleTalk turned ON and Ethernet set to obtain
> its IP via DHCP, but as I mentioned, I've never worked with a 4050!

Will it work if I set printer to obtain is IP via DHCP ? Can my MacBook
run a DHCP server ? How can I do it that ?

In fact, my last and worst problem is that I'm not able to print on the
twoside ! I looked for "DUPLEX" in the print menu but I didn't find it.
Normaly, this printer is able to print on the both sides, but it doesn't
seem to work now. Does anyone have an idea to print on the both side. On
my Mac, I set "two-sided" for "layout" in the printing preferences.

Again thanks for your help :)

Anthony
 >> Stay informed about: HP 4050 and ethernet 

Rick Jones wrote:
> Anthony JACOB <anthony.jacob.DeleteThis@strath.ac.uk> wrote:
>> I use a MacBook and an HP 4050, I would print in using the network
>> port (RJ45) of the printer WITHOUT a routeur. I tried to find it
>> wiht AppleTalk but it didn't work. Does anyone know how I can do
>> that ?
>
> First the obligatory disclaimer - I'm a networking guy, not a printing
> guy :) Now that's out of the way...

I'm neither a networking guy, nor a printing guy :)

> Depending on the type of NICs, you may need a cross-over cable to
> connect the two devices without a "router." The cable(s) you use with
> a _switch_ (home routers have small switches in them) would _not_
> work.

No matter for the cable, I guessed that I had to use a cross-over cable.

> This is true for 100BT unless one side or the other supports AutoMDIX,
> and I'm not sure I've seen any end-systems (a printer counts as an
> end-system) with that functionality, just switches.
>
> Now, if both devices are 1G capable (I've no idea for either) then it
> should not be necessary to have a cross-over cable as the spec for
> Gigabit Ethernet includes AutoMDIX in everything. I'm not sure if one
> side is GbE and the other 100BT if the AutoMDIX in the GbE side would
> be "enough." I suspect the folks in comp.dcom.lans.ethernet could say
> for certain.

I never know in which case I need to use a cross-over cable to connect
two devices (computers or else) and when I don't. I guess that all
recent ethernet card are able to connect directly to an other with a
"normal" cable (without a cross-over cable) no ?
AutoMDIX is a feature which permits to connect to device without a
cross-over cable, that's ?

> I think someone suggested printing a test/status page on the printer.
> Hopefully that will include some indication of link status to say
> whether or not the link is up. Ostensibly there should be some way to
> do the same on the MacBook. Assuming of course that neither have nice
> little LED's that light-up when they have link.

Yes, effectivly, that's what I had to do, printing the status page on
the printer (=> gives the IP address), but I had also to check the
subnet mask address in the print menu.

Thank for your help of course,

Anthony
 >> Stay informed about: HP 4050 and ethernet 

In article <ek0chg$q7u$1@dennis.cc.strath.ac.uk>,
Anthony JACOB <anthony.jacob.TakeThisOut@strath.ac.uk> wrote:

> same sub-mask address and put an IP address. After, I was able to find
> te printer by AppleTalk, but I wasn't able to add it just in puting its
> IP address ... (I didn't tried a lot also).

Anthony-

AppleTalk does not use IP addresses. With the direct connection, it
should work. Use of the IP address requires using TCP/IP printing
instead of AppleTalk.

> > It needs PostScript to be enabled as well. "Automatic" is a good choice
> > if others print to it using HP's PCL.
>
> Yes, I use LaTeX, but I just build PDF files so I think that PostScript
> is not neccessary for me if I just print PDF no ?
> What is PCL ?

PostScript and PCL are languages the printer understands. Your printer
driver converts print jobs to one of these, regardless of what the
file's original format is.

PCL is HP's proprietary Printer Control Language. I do not know if
there are any Macintosh drivers that can produce PCL. You definitely
need the printer set for PostScript or Automatic. (HP provided Windows
drivers for both PostScript and PCL, but some people have found PCL to
work better with Windows.)

> Will it work if I set printer to obtain is IP via DHCP ? Can my MacBook
> run a DHCP server ? How can I do it that ?

If you can make your MacBook serve DHCP, then it would work using TCP/IP
printing instead of AppleTalk. Instead, you might set your MacBook's IP
address to be the same as the printer's except for the last digit.

If you do that, try using your browser to connect the printer using its
IP address as a URL, such as http://128.132.0.5. (I made-up this
number!) If successful, you may be able to easily change the printer's
setup. (I don't know if the 4050 has this capability.)

I haven't configured a Mac to serve DHCP, but understand you can do it
using the Sharing System Preference.

> In fact, my last and worst problem is that I'm not able to print on the
> twoside ! I looked for "DUPLEX" in the print menu but I didn't find it.
> Normaly, this printer is able to print on the both sides, but it doesn't
> seem to work now. Does anyone have an idea to print on the both side. On
> my Mac, I set "two-sided" for "layout" in the printing preferences.

As with AppleTalk, there may be a printer option to turn the Duplex
feature on or off. Check the printer's configuration page to see if
Duplex is mentioned. It must also be turned on in the Macintosh printer
setup. The fact that you can set it to two-sided in the printing
preferences suggests that the Mac is already configured correctly.

Fred
 >> Stay informed about: HP 4050 and ethernet