What routers act as print servers?

[Muse]

I just bought and installed my first router. SOHO setting, D-Link DI-704p. I decided on it largely because it has a print server for a // port printer. To my dismay, after installing it I found that it may not work with my printer, an HP4 with postscript cartridge (which is for all intents and purposes, I believe, an HP4M). The test pages printed out fine, so although it was not on D-Link's list of supported printers, I thought I was "home free". However, I'm finding that when printing pages or PDF's with graphics, I'm getting mind numbing errors. Are there other routers that feature print serving?

My printer apparently supports using more than one connection so I may try to work around limitations by installing more than one cable and installing additional printers, but will still try to find a workaround for my conundrum.

 

[skyking]

I suggest doing some research on your printer. I have found that some models of HP printers do not work well with any printserver, including HP's.

 

[JackMDS]

Most Entry Level Routers with Printer Server do not support Bi-Directional connection with the printer.

Most Printers will continue to work well if there is no Bi-Directional Connection. Usually it means that you do not get feedback about lack of paper, and or low on ink/tonner.

However some printers will refuse to work if there is no Bi0Directonal connection. As a result it is an issue of matching Router to Printer.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: skyking
I suggest doing some research on your printer. I have found that some models of HP printers do not work well with any printserver, including HP's.

Fer Gawd's sake, the HP4M was at the time (1995 or so) probably THE most ubiquitous network printer workhorse in the small to medium business environment. Well, that's my admittedly not so well informed impression. Really, I'm pretty sure of this. It was NOT a SOHO printer, it was a network printer with a BIG duty cycle. Yeah, it preceded PNP by a bit and 6 months later I could have gotten a model that was Energy Star, but I don't print so much that it's a hassle to just turn it off. But I realize at this point that HP is probably who I have to turn to at this point for guidance.

The funny thing (one funny thing) is that while I will get an error on multi page documents with embedded graphics, evidently if I print one page at a time, I don't get errors!! Gotta ask somebody what THAT might mean.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: JackMDS
Most Entry Level Routers with Printer Server do not support Bi-Directional connection with the printer.

Most Printers will continue to work well if there is no Bi-Directional Connection. Usually it means that you do not get feedback about lack of paper, and or low on ink/tonner.

However some printers will refuse to work if there is no Bi0Directonal connection. As a result it is an issue of matching Router to Printer.

Um, correct me if I'm wrong please, but are you suggesting that I might get the best results if I find a non bidirectional (or non Centronics) // cable from the printer? Feedback about paper or toner is unimportant to me. In fact, I get that on the printer's LCD display, and I don't recall getting popups in Windows about those things.

 

[JackMDS]

Some printers need Bidirectional communication for proper printing, under such circumstances you can not use the Printer with Entry Level Printer Server at all.

In some printers can disable Bi-Directional Printing. Look at the printer properties.