We have a fairly old Apple LaserWrite 16/600 PS printer.  It works
fine on the Mac OS/9 system we have used for years but now want this
printer to be available to both our PowerBook OSX/10 and our Win XP
Pro computers.  It has a SCSI-to-Ethernet connection that we were
hoping to plug into our AirPort Extreme base station so we could use
the printer wirelessly from anywhere in our house.  The old Mac OS/9
desktop can use it this way - but what do we need to do to get the
other computers to be able to use it?  Apple Care support says because
the printer uses SCSI it cannot be used by OSX/10 but there are 4
different connectors on the back of the printer (2 appear to be SCSI)
and the Airport Extreme base station has both an Ethernet port and USB
port for attaching a printer to.  As for software - we do not know
what would be needed...

Hello.

I've run into similar problems myself!

The probable reason why the OS 9 computer is able to print
successfully is that it's using the AppleTalk protocol to communicate
with the printer.  You'll need to set up what's called "TCP/IP
printing" in order to accomplish your goal of being able to print from
all of your computers.  (Actually, OS X can print over AppleTalk, but
since Windows XP does not support AppleTalk without 3rd party
software, there's little point in pursuing an AppleTalk-based solution
here).

You'll need to configure everything for TCP/IP printing.  The
procedures on that vary for the three operating systems.

For the OS 9 machine, follow the directions at:
"Mac OS 8.x/9.x: TCP/IP Printing"
https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/Resources/KnowledgeBase/Docs/20020202122110


For the OS X machine, follow the directions at:
Printing: TCP/IP Printing in Mac OS X (10.2+)
https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/Resources/KnowledgeBase/Docs/20030130123122


For the Windows XP machines, follow the directions at:
"Printing to an Apple Laserwriter 16/600 using IP from a Win 2K and Win XP"
http://lyra2.concordia.ca/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-276/FYI__Printing_to_Apple_Laserwriter.html


Now, note that the instructions outlined on the sites above require
you to know the IP address of your printer.  If you don't know your
printer's IP address, you can probably figure it out when your printer
generates a test page.

"Apple Printers: In many cases, turning off the power, and turning it
back on will generate a test page. The IP address and hardware address
of the printer should be available from that page. Alternately, you
can use the Apple Printer Utility to display or change printer
settings."
http://micro.uoregon.edu/iponly/printer/

Alternately, if you run the Apple Printer Utility on your OS 9
machine, it will display the printer's IP address.  See screen shots
here:
http://technology.spps.org/docs/appleprinterutility.html

--------
search terms:
"16/600 ps" "tcp/ip printing" "windows xp" etc

I hope this helps.  Let me know if you have any questions.  Good luck!

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Request for Answer Clarification by wkenzie-ga on 29 Dec 2004 21:32 PST

Thank you.  However getting the printer IP address is still elusive. 
We downloaded the Apple Printer Utility and found the printer IP
address was 0.0.0.0 so we changed this to 192.168.155.155 then
41.12.60.155 but neither works from either the PowerBook or Win XP Pro
machines.  We are now thinking we should set the address to 10.0.1.3
since the Airport Extreme base station uses DHCP to assign addresses
and we need to set the printer to match.  Does this make sense?  This
is a private IP address, so am not sure whether that makes a
difference...

---

Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 29 Dec 2004 22:17 PST

What you're saying makes sense, but a user on another messageboard
mentions his  LaserWriter (also attached via built-in ethernet) as
having an IP that's inconsistent with the 10.0.1.x scheme.

"...My settings are as follows:
Airport: 10.0.1.1
iMac1: 10.0.1.2
plus LW attached through built-in ethernet 169.254.2.250
iMac2: 10.0.1.3 "
http://forums.macosxhints.com/archive/index.php/t-12369.html

You might try assigning that number (169.254.2.250). 

Meanwhile, I'll study this further, and see if I can come up with something else.

---

Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 30 Dec 2004 00:13 PST

Another possibility...


From the Powerbook & XP machines... enter the printer's IP as the same
IP that the base station uses (10.0.1.1 ?).

"Hint: the IP address of the printer is usually the same IP address as
the computer or device (e.g. Airport Base Station) it is attached to"
http://www.mac-connect.com/direct_printing4.php