PrinterSwitch is a control panel that allows you to easily select among many different printers when you print documents in your applications. It eliminates the need to use the Chooser to select a printer.
PrinterSwitch complements Apple's Desktop Printers because it allows you to select different print devices even if your application won't let you drag & drop documents onto a Desktop Printer. It also works well with Apple's LaserWriter 8.4 - 8.6.5 drivers, letting you switch between different printer drivers and PPD files.
PrinterSwitch is shareware with a 14-day free trial period. Registration is quick and easy; registered customers get free technical support and free upgrades to future versions of PrinterSwitch. See the "How To Register" file for more details.
• Why is PrinterSwitch the best printer switching utility?
PrinterSwitch presents a simple user interface that is always available when you need it; no need to memorize "hot key" sequences.
Automatically switches your network connection when you switch between LocalTalk and serial printers.
PrinterSwitch understands the latest LaserWriter 7 & 8 drivers and will correctly switch between different PPD files. You always use the proper PPD file for the printer, eliminating a common source of PostScript errors.
The handy printer status display will tell you if your networked printer is busy, out of paper, etc. before you print, not afterwards!
PrinterSwitch is ideal for networked environments. It is simple to install, and network administrators can easily preconfigure a Macintosh by copying PrinterSwitch and its preference files to the new machine.
Installation
• System Requirements
Any kind of Macintosh
System 7.0 or greater
Two printing devices, or a printer and faxmodem, etc.
PrinterSwitch will not work with Quickdraw GX.
• Installation instructions
Important: Please read the License agreement included in the PrinterSwitch folder before installing. This agreement limits our liability. If you do not agree with the terms of this agreement, do not install the software.
Copy the "PrinterSwitch" control panel to your control panels folder.
If you use Apple's "Control Strip" or the shareware "Desktop Strip" extension, you will want to install the PrinterSwitch Control Strip Module. It's inside the Extras folder.
Copy the "PrinterSwitch Strip" file to your Control Strip Modules folder or Desktop Strip Modules folder. (You'll find either of these folders inside your System folder.)
If you use AppleScript, install the "Use Printer" AppleScript Scripting Extension. It is also in the Extras folder. This will let you switch between printers by a simple command. See the "Use Printer" documentation for details.
Note to upgraders:
If you have previously installed PrinterSwitch release 1.3.3 or earlier, you need to replace the control panel and control strip module, as shown above.
If you have previously installed the "Use Printer" scripting extension, you need to replace it with the new version for PrinterSwitch 1.3.4.
If you were previously using PrinterSwitch 1.1 through 1.3.3, it is strongly recommended but not required that you remove your "PrinterSwitch Printers" folder and re-learn your printers with the new version.
If you were previously using PrinterSwitch 1.0.4 or previous, it is required that you remove your PrinterSwitch Printers folder and re-learn your printers with the new version.
Once you have finished copying everything, restart your computer.
If installation was successful,
PrinterSwitch will display this icon:
If something went wrong (or you held down the Shift key,)
PrinterSwitch will display this icon:
If something went wrong, PrinterSwitch will notify you with a message after startup is complete.
How to use PrinterSwitch
PrinterSwitch is activated when a user invokes the Print dialog or Page Setup dialog. For example, choosing Print... from the File menu, or P.
As an example, open any document in SimpleText. When you choose Print... you will be presented with the PrinterSwitch dialog.
If you are using MacOS 8 or the “Appearance Manager”, PrinterSwitch adopts your desired appearance:
When you first use PrinterSwitch, there will be only one printer in the popup menu, and the menu will be disabled (greyed). This is normal; PrinterSwitch must "learn" about your printers before it can switch between them. (See below for more details.)
Each printer will also display the printer driver name, printer connection, and PPD file, if any. Networked LaserWriter-style printers will also show a printer status display. This tells you the current status of your printer; updated every 5 seconds. In the example above, the printer is "idle" and ready to print your documents.
When you choose "OK", the appropriate network connection will be set up, and you will be presented with the "Print" or "Page Setup" dialog for the printer you have chosen. When you print, your output will be sent to the chosen printer.
The connection menu allows you to select the proper network connection for your printer. PrinterSwitch will make a "best guess" to determine what kind of printer connection you have. If it guesses incorrectly, you may select one of three connection types:
AppleTalk - Printer Port
Serial - Printer Port
Does not use Printer Port
Select "Does not use Printer Port" for serial printers connected to your modem port, printers connected by Ethernet, and "printers" which do not have any connection (i.e. fax drivers, Print2Pict™, Myrmidon™)
When you choose OK, PrinterSwitch will switch to the appropriate network connection. You will have to switch the LocalTalk or serial printer cables in order to connect the right printer to your Macintosh. (we recommend using a high quality switching device, rather than connecting and disconnecting the cables by hand.)
The "Change Page Setup options before printing" checkbox allows you to select appropriate page setup values after you select a printer, and before you print. We recommend you choose this option whenever you switch between different printer drivers.
• How to teach PrinterSwitch about your printers
PrinterSwitch learns about each printer you use, one at a time. So the first time you use PrinterSwitch, it will only display one printer in its Printer menu. Try it now: in SimpleText, choose Print (P) then press OK. The Print dialog will appear. Press Cancel to exit the print dialog.
Open the Chooser and select a different printer. Then return to your application and Print (P) again. This time the PrinterSwitch menu will contain two printers. Once you've set up PrinterSwitch, you won't have to do it again. It saves your settings in a "PrinterSwitch Printers" folder inside the Preferences folder.
You may copy the PrinterSwitch Printers folder to other computers in your organization, and when you install PrinterSwitch on those computers, it will immediately know about the printers.
Tip: Each PrinterSwitch Printer file is named after the printer name (for example; "Office Printer"). You may change these names in the Finder, and the new names will appear in the PrinterSwitch menu.
• Configuring PrinterSwitch
PrinterSwitch has several options you can set via the PrinterSwitch control panel. Open the control panel and you will be presented with a number of choices:
You can configure PrinterSwitch to activate before the Print and/or Page Setup dialogs by using the checkboxes on the left.
If you select a "Hot key to activate", PrinterSwitch will not appear when you open Print or Page Setup dialogs, unless you hold down the "hot key". For example, if you set "shift" as your hot key, you should hold down the shift key while selecting Print or Page Setup from the menu.
PrinterSwitch has the ability to change Page Setup options before printing. This option is always under your control; a checkbox in the PrinterSwitch dialog allows you to enable or disable this feature. The popup menu labeled "Change Page Setup options before printing" allows you to set the default for the checkbox: At your option, it will be checked:
• Whenever you switch to a different printer driver (recommended)
• Whenever you switch to a different printer
• Always
• Never
The Register button allows you to register PrinterSwitch. Registration will allow you to use PrinterSwitch after your 14-day free trial period has ended. See the "How To Register" file for complete details.
* The PrinterSwitch Control Strip Module
Control Strip is a handy system utility, available in System 7.5.3 and later system software for all Macintoshes. For those who do not use Control Strip, the Desktop Strip utility is a good alternative.
You can find Desktop Strip at Men & Mice Software's web site:
http://www.menandmice.com/
Desktop Strip is also shareware, so if you use it you should register your copy.
"PrinterSwitch Strip" is a Control Strip Module that will work with either Control Strip or Desktop Strip. Here is a picture of a typical Control Strip with PrinterSwitch Strip installed:
The PrinterSwitch button is the rightmost button. When you press this button, the PrinterSwitch dialog will appear. This is handy for activating PrinterSwitch from the Finder, and activating PrinterSwitch from applications that do not use the standard Print and Page Setup dialogs (for example, Adobe PageMaker).
The only place the PrinterSwitch Strip will not work is from the Chooser. When the Chooser is active; the button will be disabled and will not function.
PrinterSwitch Strip requires that PrinterSwitch load at startup time. It will not install into the Control Strip unless PrinterSwitch has loaded.
• The "Use Printer" scripting extension
This scripting extension allows you to switch between printers using a simple AppleScript command. Works from within any AppleScript or Frontier Script! Full documentation is included in this package.
• Release History
5/24/99 version 1.3.4
Version 1.3.4 adds MacOS 8.6 compatibility and fixes a nasty bug that could cause system heap corruption and crashes when using ImageWriter, FaxSTF™, or Print2Pict™ printer drivers. Also adds clearer explanations for the "connection" menu.
11/8/98 version 1.3.3
Version 1.3.3 allows the PrinterSwitch Control Strip Module to operate under MacOS 8.5. All other features are unchanged and work properly under MacOS 8.5.
4/22/98 version 1.3.2
Version 1.3.2 fixes compatiblity problems with Microsoft Office 98: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Support for Microsoft Outlook has been disabled until compatibility issues can be resolved.
New icons and artwork have been added to the product.
8/27/97 version 1.3.1
Version 1.3.1 turns on Appearance Manager support for MacOS; it was inadvertently disabled in version 1.3. There are no other changes in version 1.3.1.
8/24/97 version 1.3
Version 1.3 fixes a crash bug when PrinterSwitch is used in conjunction with Adobe Acrobat.
Now supports MacOS 8 and the “Appearance Manager” new Apple Platinum appearance.
Updated to use MoreFiles 1.4.6 and CodeWarrior Pro 1.
(1996-1997 history has been removed)
• Contact Information
email: info@brooklinesw.com
postal mail: Brookline Software, 217 East 86th Street, PMB 283, New York, NY 10028.
fax or telephone: +1 (212) 987-9869. Please use email for faster response.
All trademarks used in this document are the property of their respective owners.
Software publishers are permitted to redistribute PrinterSwitch 1.3.4 on CD-ROM or diskette, provided that:
• Only unregistered copies are distributed.
• Distribution is free or at a reasonable price (i.e. cost of production + distribution + modest profit)
• One (1) reference copy of each CD-ROM or diskette title is provided to Brookline Software. Mail the software to the address shown above in "Contact Information".
• Special Thanks
To Jim Luther for the MoreFiles libraries
To Michael Gorski for the AppleTalk Access OSAX, and help with the network code
