Printing with a mac with no postscript option installed

[SPANIARD]

[KenB]

Re: Printing with a mac with no postscript option installed

You can tell your customer that while these drivers may exist, there is no way that you can support it.

You would be shooting yourself in the proverbial foot by helping him find them. After all, if you recommend something, you end up supporting it, regardless of what type of agreements are made beforehand.

Ricoh is quite emphatic about PostScript being REQUIRED for Mac printing.

[rthonpm]

Re: Printing with a mac with no postscript option installed

The printing system used by Macs, CUPS, is based off the concept of PostScript printing. Ricoh, like most major copier manufacturers, use true PostScript technology licensed from Adobe as opposed to some sort of emulated PostScript that's found in most low priced equipment. While there may be drivers available that will work without the need for PostScript, like Ken said: you're running down an unsupported path and any issues arising from it are out of your hands.

In my experience most Mac users don't blink when they're being overcharged for their computers, why should they balk at paying a little more a functionality that their OS requires?

[SPANIARD]

Re: Printing with a mac with no postscript option installed

Hi all,

I agree with you, the point is that the customers read somewhere that it could be done and then...

I made clear that it would be unsupported but he insisted.

Anyway, we have been making some tries and we are able to print in black and white mode, still unable to print with full color.

On the other hand the solution could be interesting for old users who cannot get a postscript card right now.

For us this is like a challenge as long as we deal with normal stuff everyday, if somebody tried something that works in color... I would appreciate the comments.

Regards.

PS.- at last I can of course sell him the postscript card...

[iMind]

Re: Printing with a mac with no postscript option installed

Mac OS leopard 10.5; snow leopard 10.6; lion 10.7 have build in CUPS "Common Unix Printing System"

[bazookaman]

Re: Printing with a mac with no postscript option installed

This is what I use...

Download the following in this order and install from here:

macosx/pxlmono | The Linux Foundation

Ghostscript for Mac OS X 10.3.x (Panther) - Mac OS X 10.7.x (Lion)
Foomatic-RIP for Mac OS X 10.3.x (Panther) - Mac OS X 10.7.x (Lion)
pxlmono 1.9 for Mac OS X 10.3.x (Panther) - Mac OS X 10.7.x (Lion)

Once installed add your printer and use the following driver Ricoh Aficio MX C2500 PXL.

[KenB]

Re: Printing with a mac with no postscript option installed

Again, if the customer insists that he can print from his Macs without PostScript, let him knock himself out.

If he insists that it's your responsibility to save him a few bucks, you probably don't want a cheapskate like that as a customer, anyway.

I had a Ricoh MPC2550 customer like that a few years ago. He had one Mac that needed to print, so he didn't see the value in buying the option. After he "read on the Internet" that it could be done, he called me "incompetent" for refusing to give in. At that point, I politely told him to "have a nce day", and told him he was on his own. I never did hear back about him, and he didn't attempt to return his machine, either.

I'm a Linux kinda guy, but I've heard too many horror stories where non-PostScript drivers work for some but not for others, have lousy color, are extremely sloooooow, work for a while then quit, yadda yadda.

No thanks...it's just not worth it.


*End of rant*

[rthonpm]

Re: Printing with a mac with no postscript option installed

Again, if the customer insists that he can print from his Macs without PostScript, let him knock himself out.

If he insists that it's your responsibility to save him a few bucks, you probably don't want a cheapskate like that as a customer, anyway.

I had a Ricoh MPC2550 customer like that a few years ago. He had one Mac that needed to print, so he didn't see the value in buying the option. After he "read on the Internet" that it could be done, he called me "incompetent" for refusing to give in. At that point, I politely told him to "have a nce day", and told him he was on his own. I never did hear back about him, and he didn't attempt to return his machine, either.

I'm a Linux kinda guy, but I've heard too many horror stories where non-PostScript drivers work for some but not for others, have lousy color, are extremely sloooooow, work for a while then quit, yadda yadda.

No thanks...it's just not worth it.


*End of rant*

I have to agree: you can find someone on the internet who will say that you can do just about anything. Ask your customer who he's going to believe: some guy on the internet talking out his a** or the guy who's actually been trained by Ricoh and has full supporting documentation for his product? Tell the customer to have fun and when he finds this magical set up charge him for every second when it goes belly up!

[copiman]

Re: Printing with a mac with no postscript option installed

I have to agree: you can find someone on the internet who will say that you can do just about anything. Ask your customer who he's going to believe: some guy on the internet talking out his a** or the guy who's actually been trained by Ricoh and has full supporting documentation for his product? Tell the customer to have fun and when he finds this magical set up charge him for every second when it goes belly up!

I used to work on Ricoh's for about 29 years. Actually worked for Ricoh and Ikon. If it were me, I would tell the customer that I cannot support or install anything that the manufature does not support. If the customer wants to install it or have someone else install it, let them have at it. I may go as far as send them or have them sign something indicating that any service calls for print issues may not be covered under the existing agreement. Maybe do an ammedment to the existing agreement if needed. I say this because they will probably be calls for print issues that are not related to the machine. I would also have a laptop on these calls and link directly to the machine to prove to the customer that it is not the machine, therfor not covered. Then i would have them sign my billable ticket. Just a thought. Good luck.

[Ollie1981]

Re: Printing with a mac with no postscript option installed

"I read on the internet somewhere......"

"I was talking to my mate down the pub and he reckons......"

These phrases always ring immediate alarm bells whenever they come out of a customer's mouth.

As for the Non-Postscript Mac printing, if one of my customers had found something on the Internet that would apparently allow them to print from a Mac without a PS option I'd tell them to go right ahead and try it, after all it won't damage the machine. But I would immediately absolve both myself and employer of any responsibility for the quality of the results. If we didn't supply it, or endorse it's usage then we aren't spending time or money supporting it.... Your bright idea, you run with it buddy!

In a similar vein I remember I had a really weird issue about 2 years ago when a customer was printing from Openoffice Calc, it wouldn't render certain vector graphics properly. The machine's f/w was up to date and I couldn't replicate the problem in MS Office (on my work laptop) even when importing and printing the customer's files with the troublesome vector graphics. The resolution was to install the latest version of Openoffice, I remember the guy was absolutely turning the air blue abusing the "morons" who had programmed Calc, then all of a sudden during this I remembered... Openoffice is open source and free to download, this assclown was not only insulting the guys/girls who'd programmed Calc as a hobby, but was also using open source software released under GNU General Public License for his own commercial purposes ... i.e because he was too cheap to fork out for MS Office but needed something that was compatible with MS file formats.

Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth.

[rchdesk]

Re: Printing with a mac with no postscript option installed

I have to agree: you can find someone on the internet who will say that you can do just about anything. Ask your customer who he's going to believe: some guy on the internet talking out his a** or the guy who's actually been trained by Ricoh and has full supporting documentation for his product? Tell the customer to have fun and when he finds this magical set up charge him for every second when it goes belly up!

This is a good one!.
For those who are not familiar with Mac printing. Snow Leopard and Leopard, you'll find ricoh gutenprint drivers, a kind of generic printer drivers, and your customer might be right, if he is using those drivers, he is able to print without PS options. Try it yourself.
Careful. Lion is not supported yet. You wont find those gutenprint drivers. Do not recommend your custmers to upgrade....
Happy New Year!...