11-year-old Roland SP300V vs. 4-year-old Mac Pro - Tell me the answer!

[SolitaryT]

Okay everyone, so we opened a sign shop in Salida, Colorado a few weeks ago. With the opening package, we got an old Roland SP300V. I've run bigger Rolands, but this one I'm trying to run off a mac, which is new to me. Long story short, the mac doesn't have VersaWorks on it, and when I called the sales rep where the original owner bought the printer, they informed me that this printer is "too old to be supported by VersaWorks". I'm wondering if anyone else has run into this issue and, if so, how you got around it. Is it a fix that can be solved by buying (sad face) a different RIP software like Wasatch or Onyx, or can you really run it from VersaWorks by finding some back door to make it all work? I'm not above using a hack copy to make things work in the immediate future. Just curious what my options are. Over ten years in the business, and I've never run into this. Thanks in advance. Signs101 is the best tech support I've ever had!

 

[eahicks]

Hello Salida! Been through there a couple times. My folks live SE of you in Westcliffe.

 

[P Wagner]

If the printer is an SP300V (not an SP300), it is supported by Versaworks. The decal on the machine will say one or the other.

 

[Sign Works]

SP-300V runs on Versaworks, that what the V represents.

Previous model SP-300 ran on Rolands Color Choice RIP Software.
You could probably run it on another RIP program, possibly even on Flexi Pro

 

[Mainframe]

If you determine your printer is compatible with versaworks, you can buy a program called parallels, and load a copy of windows on the mac and run versaworks through windows right on your mac.

You can command tab through them like they are just another mac program. Works awesome, been doin it for 6 years now no problems at all.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

 

[SolitaryT]

Thanks for the input everyone. I fixed the Mac issue by haggling for a Windows 7 PC, and now I've run into an entirely different set of issues. Found the VersaWorks install disk, installed it on the Windows machine, hooked the printer up, open VersaWorks, and now there's an error and it won't detect the printer. Says it "Cannot find the information for the device detected. Please make sure the software supports this device." Anyone know a fix to that?

 

[player]

There is a program called Pek4 or Peck4 (or 5) that will find you printer, or at least it works for the SP540V machines.

 

[backyard_cnc]

If connecting the Roland thru USB on the PC you will first need the windows drivers from Roland which can be downloaded free from Roland support. Once you run the driver install program it will ask you which printer and then prompt you to plug it into the port. Once windows has recognized it you should be able to use it from whatever software you are using. I just went thru this getting a new to me SP300 working on my old XP PC.

Gerald