[Leaplist] Hackfest Subject: Accel-A-Writer Printer

[patrick]

Bruce Metcalf wrote:
> patrick wrote:
>> Derek Konigsberg wrote:
>>>
>>>     While I haven't looked up the specs for that printer, I'd recommend
>>> finding out if it can talk PostScript.
> 
> I understand that it does speak PS 2.0, but it does so in an odd
> dialect. No clue what's odd about it.
> 
> 
>>> If it can, chances are that you'll be able to make it work. ... The
>>> actual printer driver is a "PPD" file, which is just a text
>>> description file that is totally OS-independent.
> 
> Sounds good, as the short-term plan is to migrate to Linux -- probably a
> Debian-like distro, if not Debian itself.
> 
> 
>>> (and worst case, you can pretent they are Apple LaserWriters).
> 
> I pretended real hard, but the LaserWriter driver still didn't work.
> 
> 
>>> If it can't talk PostScript, find out what it can talk.
> 
> I'll see what I can find.
> 
> 
>>>> It's a Xanté Accel-A-Writer 8100, a laser printer than can handle
>>>> 11x17" pages.
>>
>> I also have a few Mac Power PC machines, too.  Want one? With Monitor?
> 
> I think I'm in enough trouble already, but thanks for the offer. Perhaps
> you can explain to me why I'd want to steepen my learning curve.
> 
> 
>> And, making any Microsoft 'talk' to any printer, or print server,
>> seems like such a chore that it is another reason to quit having
>> anything to do with Microsoft crapware, because, after all, I am
>> doing computing for the efficiency and speed they offer, and have
>> little time for trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
> 
> Aw, come on Patrick, you're among friends. Tell us how you *really* feel
> about Windoze!
> 
> Bruce
> 
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Included in the group of BX engine printers are:
Canon BX-engine based laser printers (Go to Printer Models Table)

Select hot items to see individual data sheet and photo.

    Newgen: DesignXpress 6, 8, and 12

    The Printer Works: StepWriter-BX

    QMS: PS 860, PS 1660

    Hewlett-Packard: LaserJet 4V, LaserJet 4MV

    Xante: Accel-a-Writer 8100, Accel-a-Writer 8200

	BX printer
History and Features of the BX and BX II

EARLY ADOPTERS OF THE BX ENGINE

By October of 1992 five of Canon's OEM customers had announced products
based on the BX engine. These included Birmy Graphics, CalComp, Newgen,
QMS, and Xante. All of these companies directed their sales and
marketing efforts at the burgeoning desktop publishing market.
Strangely, and much to the disappointment of the target market, all of
these OEMs offered PostScript compatibility, but none of them offered
true Adobe PostScript at first. This was during a period when dealing
with Adobe was very difficult. Adobe charged a lot and couldn't deliver
product implementations for a long time, unless you were one of their
very largest customers. This forced the smaller OEMs to look for or
develop clones of PostScript. Users wanted true Adobe PostScript, but
they bought the clone products because the desirable features of the BX
engine outweighed the occasional inconveniences caused by differences
between true Adobe PostScript and the clones of PostScript. Eventually,
true Adobe PostScript became available on the newer BX-II models and
these machines now dominate the desktop publishing printer market.

Xante

Xante's BX offering, called the Accel-a-Writer 8100, started out with a
16 MHz AMD 2900 RISC processor and 12 MB of RAM, was upgradeable to 64MB
using standard SIMMs. Adding more memory enabled higher-resolution
printing. Xante and CalComp set the price at an aggressive (for the
time) $3,995. Xante was seen as being the price/performance leader,
because their version included more memory and higher resolution.

Like all earlier Xante Accel-a-Writers (such as the LX-based 4000, and
the SX-based 8000) the Xante Accel-a-Writer 8100 employed the Phoenix
Page PostScript emulation and the Phoenix clone of HP's PCL 5. Initially
the printer shipped with PostScript Level 1, but Xante promised a free
upgrade to PostScript Level 2 whenever it became available. After
several years of struggles with bug fixes, Phoenix more or less stopped
developing improvements to their PostScript clone, and Xante was able to
licensed true Adobe PostScript Level 2. This change made life much
easier for Xante engineers and sales people. Having true Adobe code for
both the language and the network I/O has contributed greatly to Xante's
success as a strong niche player in the laser printer business.


http://www.printerworks.com/Catalogs/BX-Catalog/BX-NewUsers.html



Do you have the maker's date on the label?