Sharing a non-PostScript USB printer

[moondrop]

I’m using OS X Server 10.3.2, with the GIMP-Print drivers supplied by Apple, to print to a Canon BJC-55. Locally, it works successfully (as it does on my PowerBook). However, I’d like to share the printer from my Server machine. According to the Panther Print Service documentation, supported printers include “PostScript printers connected directly to the server using the Universal Serial Bus (USB)” and it goes on to say “A non-PostScript printer connected to the USB port of a Mac OS X client computer can be shared using the Printer Sharing option in Sharing preferences.” (page 8)
OK, so I’ve gotten my PowerBook to share to the iMac (Server) without a problem. The PowerBook runs 10.3.2 client. Unfortunately, this is the opposite of what I really want. Since the PowerBook has an AirPort Extreme card installed, I’d like to be able to hit Command-P anywhere and have the iMac take care of the rest (of course, I’ll have loaded a sheet of paper into the printer beforehand…)
I tried setting up the printer in Server Admin anyway, and it does show up when I browse via Rendezvous for LPR printers. However, nothing prints and nothing shows up in the logs or queues. Browsing through localhost:631, I saw nothing about sharing the printer over the network.
Am I out of luck, or is there something else I can try?

[Anonymous]

MacTroll: i followed your suggestions, and while the method works when clients use the “Generic Postscript Printer” setting under “Printer Model,” there are no client-side options for printing quality, color, etc,; this makes the whole thing kind of pointless.

So the question remains, does anyone know how to share an USB printer in panther sever (as jaguar server could)?

[Anonymous]

I have tried adjusting the cupsd.conf file per your directions here and have met with no luck… nothing happened. So I decided to improvise!

I basically setup printer sharing on an OS X client and copied cupsd.conf from there. Once I rebooted, printer sharing worked perfectly. I’ve attached the diff below for all to see:

Blue-and-White-G3:/etc/cups galen$ diff cupsd.conf cupsd.conf.server
2c2
< # "$Id: cupsd.conf,v 1.30.4.1 2003/11/19 21:39:48 jlovell Exp $"
—
> # “$Id: cupsd.conf,v 1.30 2003/07/23 23:14:51 jlovell Exp $”
52c52
< #ServerName hostname
—
> ServerName 127.0.0.1
419,420c419,420
< Port 631
< #Listen 127.0.0.1:631
—
> #Port 631
> Listen 127.0.0.1:631
482c482
< Browsing On
—
> #Browsing On
528c528
< BrowseAddress @LOCAL
—
> #BrowseAddress @LOCAL
582c582
< BrowseInterval 30
—
> #BrowseInterval 30
589c589
< BrowseOrder deny,allow
—
> #BrowseOrder deny,allow
764d763
< Allow From @LOCAL
842c841
< # End of "$Id: cupsd.conf,v 1.30.4.1 2003/11/19 21:39:48 jlovell Exp $".
—
> # End of “$Id: cupsd.conf,v 1.30 2003/07/23 23:14:51 jlovell Exp $”.

Via this cupsd.conf, I will be making some access control adjustments, but I’m delighted to see this working. It seems like a rather important feature – many great photo printers are not postscript – to leave out from such an expensive OS X server product. Those vendor-supplied drivers just offer some features that aren’t as easily accessed through Gimp-Print as I would like.

-Galen Zink

[Author]

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