HP J413B301A1 JetDirect LocalTalk Print Server Card Hewlett-Packard EIO

HP J413B301A1 JetDirect LocalTalk Print Server Card Hewlett-Packard EIO

The HP J413B301A1 is a JetDirect LocalTalk Print Server card for HP LaserJet and compatible printers equipped with an EIO (Enhanced I/O) slot. It adds a LocalTalk port to the printer, allowing it to connect directly to an Apple LocalTalk network and be shared among Macintosh computers without a separate print server device. The card installs into any EIO-compatible HP printer bay and is identified by the Mini-DIN LocalTalk connector on the front bracket.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard (HP)
• Part Number / MPN: J413B301A1
• Product Line: HP JetDirect
• Form Factor: EIO (Enhanced I/O) plug-in card
• Network Interface: LocalTalk (AppleTalk)
• Connector: Mini-DIN (LocalTalk port) on front bracket
• Protocol: AppleTalk / LocalTalk
• Compatible with: HP LaserJet printers with an EIO expansion slot
• Card only — no cables or accessories included

Applications

HP JetDirect EIO print server cards were introduced in the early-to-mid 1990s as HP's solution for integrating LaserJet printers directly into local area networks without an external print server box. The LocalTalk variant — like this J413B301A1 — was designed specifically for Apple Macintosh environments running AppleTalk, the networking protocol Apple built into every Mac of that era. LocalTalk ran over low-cost twisted-pair cabling at 230.4 Kbps and was the dominant way small Mac workgroups shared printers through the late 1980s and into the mid-1990s, before Ethernet displaced it. A printer fitted with this card could be discovered directly by any Mac on the LocalTalk segment using the Chooser, making printer sharing seamless in an all-Apple office. Today these cards are sought by vintage Mac enthusiasts, legacy enterprise environments still running period-correct AppleTalk networks, and collectors maintaining classic HP LaserJet systems.