PrintGate is a CommuniGate communication module implementing message printing. You can use PrintGate to print incoming fax messages, to print notes on your office printer over Internet or other e-mail services, etc.
The latest version of the PrintGate module can be obtained at:
http://www.stalker.com
or
ftp://ftp.stalker.com
Installation
You should have the CommuniGate Server installed before you install PagerGate. Place the PrintGate module and the Print Agent application into the Modules folder. That folder has been created inside the CommuniGate Folder in the System Folder on the computer running the CommuniGate Server. Restart the CommuniGate Server (by restarting the MacOS on that computer).
Configuration
After the PrintGate module is placed in the Modules folder on the server computer, you can configure it from any workstation that has the "can configure" privilege.
1. Choose PrintGate from the "monitor" section of the Server menu. When the PrintGate monitor window appears, choose "Service Settings…" from the PrintGate menu.
2. Click the Page Setup button. The dialog box appears and allows you to configure the selected printer driver. If you plan to use PrintGate to print incoming faxes, you may want to set 80-90% scaling, so even long fax pages will be printed on one paper page.
3. Select the font to be used for printing message headers. When printing plain text messages (like those received from Internet), PrintGate uses the default font. Select the default font you want to use.
4. If you want to use only the currently selected printer, and suspend PrintGate when some other printer is selected on the CommuniGate Server computer, select the "Use this printer only" option. Remember that you configure the PrintGate using a printer driver installed on your workstation - make sure the same printer driver is installed on the server, too.
5. When a message is routed to PrintGate, it launches the Print Agent application, and that application prints the message. In order to print, the application should be the active one (i.e. it should be brought to foreground). If you want the Print Agent to be brought to foreground automatically, select the "Bring Agent ot foreground" option. Otherwise, when there is a message to be printed, PrintAgent will wait in background and its icon will blink in the Applications menu (on the server computer).
6. After the Print Agent application is launched, it prints messages in the PrintGate queue and then waits for new messages to appear in that queue. If you want to quit the Print Agent application automatically when there is no message in the PrintGate queue, select the "Quit Agent when idle" option.
Note: if your printer supports "background printing", it is highly recomended to use that option. Otherwise, PrintAgent is running in foreground until a message is actually printed, and it can slow down the server.
Attachments
This version prints PICT and Fax file attachments. Attachments of other types are ignored.
Using PrintGate
It is unlikely that somebody on your network needs to send messages to the PrintGate, so the PrintGate icon does not appear in the "address types" menu of the AddressBook panel. Instead, you can address the PrintGate using "generic" e-mail addressing, i.e. using the e-mail address xxxxx@PrintGate, where xxxx is any string. For example, if you want to print all incoming faxes, you may enter the following string in the Cc: field of the FaxGate "Server Settings" dialog box:
xxx@PrintGate
To use your PrintGate as a print gate for e-mail, just send e-mail messages to:
xxxxx%PrintGate@your.domain.name
where xxxxx is any string, your.domain.name is the domain name you have assigned to the CommuniGate Server. Example: StyleWriter%PrintGate@stalker.com
You can also use any other type of address format, either RFC822 or uucp:
<@stalker.com:StyleWriter@PrintGate>
or
stalker.com!PrintGate!StyleWriter
History
1.2
• PICT and Fax attachements are supported
• Not only the "Page Setup…", but also the "Print" dialog box is now used for configuring the printer.
• Bug Fix: LaserWriter 8 and other print drivers stop crashing when the "Option" dialog box is displayed.
• Long documents are supported (time-out problem is fixed).
1.1
• The "Quit when Idle" option is implemented
• Bug fix: if printing is interrupted during the initial stage (while "Looking for LaserWriter", for example), Print Agent cancels printing correctly.
• Bug fix: text letters are now printed fine on LaserWriter and other printers.