Networking a 3050?

[Networking a 3050?]

Just got this printer and want to network it between three computers. One, a PC running XP is hard wired to a Cable modem. The other two are Apples; one is a G4 laptop and the other is an iMac. Both of these are connected via wireless Linksys 2.4 GHz router.

HP tells me I need a print server HP EN 3700 that would connect to my router and that would cost me another $148.
I thought I could make a hard wire connection with a cat 5 cable, however, no port exists on the HP 3050.

What are my choices?

Thanks for reading and considering this post!

[Steven Schweda]

You might do better in a printer-related
forum than you will in the VMS forum.

For more info on what you stumbled into:

http://hp.com/go/vms

Knowing nothing, I'd say that if your printer
lacks a network port, then you probably have
the problem which a print server is intended
to solve. (Or a more capable printer.)

[Hoff]

This is the OpenVMS operating system group here at ITRC.

As for your question, you have acquired a printer without a network connection.

You appear to desire a printer with a direct network connection. In this series, this would appear to be the LaserJet 3052, LaserJet 3055, LaserJet 3390. Not the LaserJet 3050.

If you want to upgrade this particular printer, you'll need acquire the cited JetDirect, a wired or wireless print server, or equivalent. You can also choose to connect it to a host and serve it from that; you can use the system host as an expensive JetDirect. (I really dislike host-based print serving, given the complexity and problems it tends to engender.) Per HP specs, only printing is supported with this configuring with the JetDirect; this configuration does not allow scanning or other functions via the network.

Thanks for reading and considering this response, and do please consider the ITRC LaserJet area for your future print-related questions. That area is here:
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/familyhome.do?familyId=218