Q. Is PrinterSwitch 1.2 compatible with System 7.6? System 8?
A. Yes. PrinterSwitch 1.2 is fully compatible with System 7.6 and System 8. A future PrinterSwitch release will provide specific enhancements for System 8.
Q. How about Rhapsody (Mac's future system software)?
A. Possibly. We will make every attempt to ensure that PrinterSwitch operates within the "blue box" System 7/8 compatibility environment bundled with Rhapsody. As of this writing we do not have specific details on the Rhapsody printing architecture.
Q. Is PrinterSwitch compatible with LaserWriter 8.4?
A. Yes; PrinterSwitch works quite well with the LaserWriter 8.4 driver. You can use PrinterSwitch to switch between different printer drivers, and use LaserWriter 8.4 to switch between your LaserWriter compatible printers, if you desire.
But:
LaserWriter 8.4 adds several new features, including advanced "page setup" functions. Software that takes advantage of these new, advanced functions may have problems if you switch from the LaserWriter 8.4 driver to a different printer driver by using PrinterSwitch.
As of this writing (3/7/97) we are unaware of any software that is affected by this issue.
Q. Will you be releasing a PowerMac - native version?
A. No. PrinterSwitch works by patching the original Apple Printing Manager. For a variety of technical reasons, the Apple Print Manager is not PowerMac - native code, and never will be. Therefore it would be counterproductive to write a PowerMac - native version of PrinterSwitch.
Q. Will you make PrinterSwitch work with QuickDraw GX Printing?
A. No. QuickDraw GX Printing works by entirely different mechanisms and it would be very difficult to adapt PrinterSwitch to that architecture. Apple has de-supported QuickDraw GX Printing for future system software releases.
Tips, Problems and Solutions
When upgrading system software, it's best to throw out your PrinterSwitch Printers folder (You'll find it inside the Preferences folder). Re-learn your printers from scratch with the new system software. This will ensure that you are using the most up-to-date printer drivers and printers settings.
PrinterSwitch will not activate when the PrinterSwitch control panel is open. Close the control panel before using PrinterSwitch.
PrinterSwitch will not activate when the Chooser is open. Close the Chooser before using PrinterSwitch.
The Printer status display only works with networked LaserWriter style printers; it will not work for networked StyleWriters or ImageWriters. Also, if AppleTalk is disabled, the printer status display will not appear.
PrinterSwitch will not switch between EtherTalk and LocalTalk networks. The network switching feature is currently limited to switching between LocalTalk and serial connections on the printer port. We are investigating how best to support this feature in a future release of PrinterSwitch.
The Printer status display may not show useful information if your printers are attached to print servers or print spoolers. Some print spoolers will always display a standard status message, instead of showing the printer's actual status. No fix is possible in the near-term.
PrinterSwitch will not auto-activate from within the Finder when you use Page Setup or Print. However, PrinterSwitch may be used from the Finder via the PrinterSwitch Control Strip module. Also, Apple Desktop Printers (Included with LaserWriter 8.3.2 and LaserWriter 8.4.x) provide functionality comparable to PrinterSwitch when used in the Finder.
Microsoft Word has problems printing when switching from any printer to the Global Village GlobalFax printer driver. This problem may occur with other printer drivers as well.
Ñ Workaround: Switch to the GlobalFax printer driver by using the Chooser.
PrinterSwitch won't auto-activate from within programs that don't use standard Print or Page Setup dialogs (i.e. Adobe PageMaker.) Use the PrinterSwitch Control Strip module to activate PrinterSwitch from within these programs.
The PrinterSwitch dialog appears twice in a row if TonerTuner¬ is installed. We are working on a fix for a future release; in the meantime, the best workaround is to set up a hot key to activate PrinterSwitch.
Ñ Special Note
If you get a Macintosh printing error stating "The LaserWriter Prefs file is damaged. Please select another printer from the Chooser." This means that PrinterSwitch is confused about which LaserWriter Prefs file it ought to use. You should not encounter this message, but if you do, here's how to correct the problem:
1. Open the Preferences folder and drag the PrinterSwitch Printers folder to the trash.
2. Go to the Chooser and select a printer. This should fix the LaserWriter Prefs file problem.
3. Use PrinterSwitch as usual. Since you threw out the PrinterSwitch Printers folder, PrinterSwitch will rebuild this folder as it "relearns" your printers. You will have to teach PrinterSwitch about your printers once more (see above for details on how to do that.)
