Connecting old Epson printer to iMac OSX

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allen-uk
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allen
Joined: 15 Nov 2006
Posts: 118
Location: london, UK
13 Feb, 2007 5:22 am Connecting old Epson printer to iMac OSX [sdp=82456]  

Hello.

Any chance of me connecting my Epson 850 to my new iMac Intel running OSX?

I've got drivers from the Epson site, no problem, for OSX, for not for OSX Intel.

Also, the only ports on the Epson are SCSI and a roundish one that takes an Appletalk type connector.

Shall I give up and buy a printer?

Allen.

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Antony
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Joined: 18 Jun 2002
Posts: 12754
Location: Sydney, Australia
13 Feb, 2007 5:47 am [sdp=82457]  

Just to make sure, is the Epson printer you have uses SCSI port? If that's the case, get a new printer.

(As suggested in another thread, unless you need top colour quality, get a cheap colour printer, and don't buy inks. I am sure there are printers which costs less than one set of ink cartridges.)

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allen-uk
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allen
Joined: 15 Nov 2006
Posts: 118
Location: london, UK
13 Feb, 2007 6:15 am [sdp=82458]  

Hello Antony.

Just asking, I think I knew the answer already.

The Epson has a SCSI port, which you can use, but my old G3 is connected via (I think it is called...) Localtalk cable - it's a bit like an old DIN plug.

But you're right, there are printers in the UK for £25-ish, which is about the price of a full set of Epson inks.

Thanks.

Allen.

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Antony
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13 Feb, 2007 9:45 pm [sdp=82497]  

Also, if you are looking for a new scanner as well, it might be a good idea to get an all-in-one, which is not that expensive nowadays.

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allen-uk
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allen
Joined: 15 Nov 2006
Posts: 118
Location: london, UK
18 Feb, 2007 9:20 am [sdp=82678]  

Hello Antony.

So, more bullets to bite. The Brother printer that you bought recently and recommended - is the fact that it's USB1.1 a problem with me and the iMac? Given my extremely modest requirements in printing and scanning, will I notice any real difference, and if so should I look for a machine that's USB2 compatible?

Thanks.

Allen.

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Antony
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Joined: 18 Jun 2002
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Location: Sydney, Australia
19 Feb, 2007 7:08 am [sdp=82729]  

allen-uk wrote:
Hello Antony.

So, more bullets to bite. The Brother printer that you bought recently and recommended - is the fact that it's USB1.1 a problem with me and the iMac?
no, your iMac has USB 2 ports, and will take USB 1.1 and USB 2 devices.

allen-uk wrote:
Given my extremely modest requirements in printing and scanning, will I notice any real difference, and if so should I look for a machine that's USB2 compatible?
To be honest, the main reason I bought that one is I wanted to a ADF (automatic document feeder). I wasn't looking for a very fast scanner or printer, since I don't print a lot. Another reason I got Brother MFC-240C is that it works directly on Mac (directly under Image Capture and other applications, unlike my previous scanner which only works under Photoshop plug-in or under VueScan.)

allen-uk wrote:
I've also been looking at a Canon MP600R. A lot more expensive, but consumer orgs. in the UK don't rate Brother's image quality very highly.
Canon and Epson are better for image qualities. Brother is not big in printing market... harder to buy inks.
I would say... get one you like, with all the requirements you need.

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Antony
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Joined: 18 Jun 2002
Posts: 12754
Location: Sydney, Australia
21 Feb, 2007 6:44 am [sdp=82803]  

Hello Allen,

I just printed the first full colour photo from the Brother MFC-240C I bought. From my observation... the colour is not very bright (compared to my previous cheap HP DeskJet 2230), but the overall feels better than that cheap HP DeskJet, which was only AU$50.

However, I mainly print black and white, and I am not expert this.

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