I use FileMaker to print to Zebra serial thermal label printers (they
are awesome).

To do it, I wrote a small app in FB that does nothing but check the
clipboard for a certain string. It parses the string into the pieces of
data that it needs, then it wraps the label control codes around the
data, and sends it all down the serial port. FileMaker uses the Send
Open Apple Event script step just to bring the label application to the
front so it notices the clipboard contents. I can send you the source if
you like. It could be modified to do what you want.

I have another case where one printer is shared by 8 people. In that
case, I use an old Mac to run an application that just checks an
"incoming" network folder and sends any files it finds directly down its
serial port. This is more of a "label server" approach. You can have
that code too if you like. It may be in the FB source code place already.

You may have noticed that these aren't drivers (I don't know that down
and dirty stuff) but they have worked for years without fail.

PB

Herbie Gluender wrote:
> 
> Dear experts,
> 
> in the past years there have been discussions of how to use
> printers for which Mac drivers aren't available.
> 
> Could the involved coders please tell me/us how they managed
> to make such printers work with Mac applications.
> 
> I recently was asked how much effort it would take to make a
> special label printer work with a FileMaker application
> under MacOS 9.x.
> 
> My opinion is that writing a printer driver generally is a
> quite complicated thing.
> 
> Comments are welcome.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Herbie
> ****************************
> Munich/Bavaria
> 
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