Here is the conundrum. To answer this you must have a working
knowledge of the following:
Windows XP Home
Mac OS 10.4
Wireless Networks
Wired network
Here is the problem. I have three computers hooked up to a network.
Two are PCs and one is a Mac. Let's call them PC1, PC2, and Mac. All
computers share DSL. The DSL modem is wired to a Wireless router.  PC1
is hard wired to the  wireless router. PC2 and Mac use wireless cards
to communicate with the router. All three computers can access the DSL
connection and work perfectly fine. Here is where it gets tricky. PC1
is hard wired to a USB printer. The printer is not "network ready", it
has no ethernet port. PC1 is able to print with no problem. PC2 is
able to print, via a setup that puts the printer on the network. So it
prints by going through PC1. The Mac is able to communicate with the
printer in a similar fashion. I am able to send a text document to the
printer, and it actually prints. However, what comes out, in no way
resembles what
went in. A one page document may come out of the printer as 10 pages
of what looks like programming mumbo jumbo. I have no idea what it is.
So the question is, can I get the Mac to print properly to the printer
with this set up? Hopefully I can tweak the settings somehow. I know
my alternatives are to get a print server, or buy a "network ready"
printer, but I would love to be able to solve this with some sharp
programming know how.
Thanks to anyone who tackles this.

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Clarification of Question by drcristellodc-ga on 02 Apr 2006 07:17 PDT

Correction, instead of a DSL modem and a wireless router, the unit is
a combination of modem and router. It is a Westell combo unit that we
got when we signed up for Verizon buisness DSL. I don't know if this
makes a difference, but everything else is correct.

It sounds as if you have a problem with the printer driver on the Mac

Have you tried hooking the printer directly to the Mac ?

One can also get some pretty smart printer switches, they are
inexpensive and remove complications - abeit you land up with more
cables.

I haven't checked the printer driver on the Mac yet, I just assumed
that since it was new and worked fine with the home hp printer (same
as office) that it would work. Also, the printer switch would not work
unless it was a wireless device in order to work on my network.In
which case I may as well look into a print server. Thanks for the
suggestions though.

Is this the best place to post this question, or should I move it to
hardware or programming?

The category in which you place a question doesn't usually matter
much. Most Google Answers Researchers choose questions from a common
queue, so your question is likely to get wide exposure regardless of
its category.

Apple uses the AppleTalk Protocol, whilst windows uses Netbios.
Meaning, whilst your data is getting there, it's not being correctly
decoded by your windows machine as it passes to the printer.

So, the best solution is to install a program on your Mac which is
specifically for printing (and thus diliberatly is sending data out
using a Netbios-esk protocol).
Also, try printing from other applications like a .pdf file and see what happens.

Basically, it's not your wireless network, it's not your Windows box
and it's not your mac which is causing problems.  It's the combination
of them.