Now that you have familiarity with some of the essential JDS desktop tools, we can begin using them. In this section, we want to set up our printer or printers. JDS supports the majority of printers available on the market, in addition to older model legacy printers. During installation, JDS will have searched your system and allowed you to set up any attached printers. However, some people wait until after installation to configure their printers or need to use printers connected to a network.
A post installation utility exists for setting up printers in the Preference menu. In Figure 3-19, you can see what happens when you select Launch → Preferences → Printers. In the screenshot, you can also see the context-sensitive help dialog that says “Manage Printers.”
When you select Printers from the Preference menu, JDS launches a console, as seen in Figure 3-20, with the location printers:///. Notice that two printers show up; JDS has scanned the network and located two shared printers. One is an Epson 777i on a Macintosh OS X system, and the other runs a shared HP-6L on a Windows 98 workstation. Note that it may take JDS some time to browse the network looking for printers, during which time a busy cursor appears.
Even though these printers show up as if you’re directly connected to them, they are on other systems. Therefore, each time you try to print something, JDS needs to create a local queue, feed the printer code to that queue, and transmit the data to the remote printer. So let’s see how to set up the local queue and establish a relationship with the remote printer.
Start by selecting New Printer. You are prompted to enter the root password. The dialog box says you are modifying a printer, but don’t be confused—this process ends in adding a new printer. Next, the New Printer assistant appears, as shown in Figure 3-21.
If you choose to set up a local printer—one directly connected to your computer—JDS scans the various ports where a printer could be installed and reports back. For example, if you connected your printer to a USB port, JDS finds the printer connected to the port and tells you that it found a USB printer. JDS then configures your printer with the appropriate driver.
If you need to use a remote printer attached to the network, that choice is available, as well. In Figure 3-21, you can see where a user selected the Remote Printer option. Pressing the Forward button leads to the dialog box in Figure 3-22.
In this box, you can see that the user selected a remote Windows printer. The remote printer could also exist on a Linux or Unix box if set up using Samba. (Samba is a set of programs that allows file and printer sharing between Windows and Linux file systems.) When setting up a remote printer, you have four choices of printer types: Unix Printer (LPD), Windows Printer (SMB), CUPS Printer (IPP), or HP JetDirect Printer. The type of printer you choose depends on the machine and how the printer is attached on the remote box.
In Figure 3-22, we connected to an Epson 777, shared through Samba. This particular computer that is sharing its color inkjet printer uses OS X Panther and exists on a Windows network.
To set JDS to use this printer, you need to know some information about the printer’s host computer. Notice that Figure 3-22 specifies the Host as an IP address, the name of the printer used by that computer, the name of the domain or workgroup that both your computer and the printer’s computer share, and a place for a user name and password. In this situation, a user account exists on the Mac OS X computer for the JDS user, so we can leave the user name and password blank.
In Figures Figure 3-23 and Figure 3-24, you can see how we configure the printer queues. Figure 3-23 shows the screen titled Step 2 of 4, where the New Printer assistant allows you to select a printer brand (Manufacturer) and below that to select a model.
In Figure 3-25, which shows the screen labeled Step 3 of 4, we named our printer display Epson, which mirrors the printer name used by the machine physically attached to the printer. Next, we used the description to indicate the model of the Epson printer.
As we complete the final step of adding the Network Printer, the assistant presents Step 4 of 4, shown in Figure 3-25. Here the new printer assistant provides the options associated with the printer, including the location, type of printer, name, and description. Notice that the description field in Figure 3-25 did not pick up the description.
You can now select the Back button to see if you successfully added the description and if not, complete Step 3. Once you select Apply in Step 4, you have completed your printer installation.