Yau-Gene Chan <ygchan@itu.edu> wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> Hope this is the right place to ask questions...

Mmmm... well, not really.  A MacOS X forum would be better, but i'll try
to answer anyway. :)

> I have a Mac running OS 10.3.  I have been told this OS is built off 
> FreeBSD 4.7.  I have a Sharp (AR-M550OU) copier/printer at work, but 
> the dealer is telling me I must pay for Postscript to be put on the 
> machine in order to have my Mac run the copier/printer.

 MacOS X is somewhat derived from FreeBSD.  (Which is a sepereate project
from NetBSD.)


But there's a lot of other stuff in MacOS X, including display
Postscript.  So i do not think you need to buy Postcript for your Mac.

However, you may need a driver for your Mac to talk to that printer.

  Try here:

http://www.sharpusa.com/products/support/0,2309,,00.html

http://www.sharpusa.com/products/TypeWizard1/1,2230,18,00.html

> Is this true?  And if OS 10.3 is actually FreeBSD 4.7 anyway, is there 
> a direct way for FreeBSD to run the printer?


 If you want to get into the guts of MacOS X, i believe it also comes with
 CUPS (a printing system) and you *might* be able to get it to talk to
 that printer.

 Have you tried printing to it as just a Generic printer, by adding it to
 the list of printers that MacOS knows about with the Printer setup tool?

 -johan