Low end HP printers & OS X 10.6
in [UK Mac]
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From: Hugh Browton on 27 Apr 2010 08:41 Dear All �� Did you know this and not tell me? Turns out HP's drivers for printers like the 1010, 1022, and the like are unusable (for some*) by OS X 10.6. Communication errors, every other page printed, extra blank pages printed, queue held and held until you switch off the printer, and then it needs to have its PPD re-loaded. * some people report no problems, but, and I'm adding myself to them find these printers to be unusable. -- regards hugh hugh at clarity point uk point co (by the sea) (using Hogwasher) "The question of whether Machines Can Think... is about as relevant as the question of whether Submarines Can Swim." Edsger Dijkstra (1930-2002)
From: Rowland McDonnell on 28 Apr 2010 15:37 Hugh Browton <useneth@**.not.uk> wrote: > Dear All ? > > Did you know this and not tell me? Turns out HP's drivers for printers like > the 1010, 1022, and the like are unusable (for some*) by OS X 10.6. > Communication errors, every other page printed, extra blank pages printed, > queue held and held until you switch off the printer, and then it needs to > have its PPD re-loaded. > > > * some people report no problems, but, and I'm adding myself to them find > these printers to be unusable. Umm. PPDs are not printer drivers. They are PostScript Printer Description files. They shouldn't be capable of breakage. If they have apparently broken, I'd be inclined to blame the MacOS X PostScript printer driver that uses the PPDs: the PS printer driver is supplied by Apple, and nothing to do with HP at all. It's PostScript, innit? btw, I've got an HP 1320n (n for Ethernet) - same era cheapo HP printer as the 1022 you mention, pretty much. And I get gremlins and problems with printers on upgrading OSes and all sorts. So far, the thing's still working perfectly well and has done (aside from an issue with an apparently totally dead Ethernet port that we eventually resolved) since we got it - all versions of MacOS X I've tried it on. So... In a case like this, I'd be inclined to `wave the dead chicken' act. Do all the maintenance jobs you can think of, most especially cache cleaning and (before doing so) uninstalling all printers and removing all printer software/added PPDs. btw, there's always the option of trying different versions of the relevant PPDs, and also stripping out all that you don't need. Rowland. (who's got a lot of very bad things to say about HP printer drivers) -- Remove the animal for email address: rowland.mcdonnell(a)dog.physics.org Sorry - the spam got to me http://www.mag-uk.org http://www.bmf.co.uk UK biker? Join MAG and the BMF and stop the Eurocrats banning biking
From: Hugh Browton on 29 Apr 2010 02:47 On Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:37:20 +0100, Rowland McDonnell wrote (in article <1jhoecz.1idmwyxqmkkjnN%real-address-in-sig(a)flur.bltigibbet.invalid>): > Hugh Browton <useneth@**.not.uk> wrote: > >> Dear All ? >> >> Did you know this and not tell me? Turns out HP's drivers for printers like >> the 1010, 1022, and the like are unusable (for some*) by OS X 10.6. >> Communication errors, every other page printed, extra blank pages printed, >> queue held and held until you switch off the printer, and then it needs to >> have its PPD re-loaded. >> >> >> * some people report no problems, but, and I'm adding myself to them find >> these printers to be unusable. > > Umm. > > PPDs are not printer drivers. > > They are PostScript Printer Description files. > Ah. OK, well something needs to be downloaded into the printers at printer switch on everytime, apparently. > > So... In a case like this, I'd be inclined to `wave the dead chicken' > act. Do all the maintenance jobs you can think of, most especially > cache cleaning and (before doing so) uninstalling all printers and > removing all printer software/added PPDs. > > btw, there's always the option of trying different versions of the > relevant PPDs, and also stripping out all that you don't need. > I *could* do all that, but life's too short, and I've too much to do that interests me more than getting "known to be difficult" printers to work! As the two printers work fine on WXP and OS X 10.5 and below, I've cut my losses and put them up for sale to non-OS X 10.6 users. I'll buy a printer from Samsung or Brother that works out of the box. Tnx. -- regards hugh hugh at clarity point uk point co (by the sea) (using Hogwasher) "The question of whether Machines Can Think... is about as relevant as the question of whether Submarines Can Swim." Edsger Dijkstra (1930-2002)
From: Rowland McDonnell on 29 Apr 2010 13:12 Hugh Browton <useneth@**.not.uk> wrote: > Rowland McDonnell wrote: > > > Hugh Browton <useneth@**.not.uk> wrote: > > > >> Dear All ? > >> > >> Did you know this and not tell me? Turns out HP's drivers for printers like > >> the 1010, 1022, and the like are unusable (for some*) by OS X 10.6. > >> Communication errors, every other page printed, extra blank pages printed, > >> queue held and held until you switch off the printer, and then it needs to > >> have its PPD re-loaded. > >> > >> > >> * some people report no problems, but, and I'm adding myself to them find > >> these printers to be unusable. > > > > Umm. > > > > PPDs are not printer drivers. > > > > They are PostScript Printer Description files. > > Ah. OK, well something needs to be downloaded into the printers at printer > switch on everytime, apparently. Not the PPD AIUI - that's used by the host computer to work out what the printer can do. Bits of the PPD get sent to the printer as part of your print job at print time - the PPD contains the header information needed to drive the printer properly. However, if you're not using an Ethernet connection to the printer, you'll be stuck with HP's USB printer driver software and that's utter shite on Macs. I have an HP printer now, and I might buy an HP printer next, but my current printer is Ethernet and PostScript so as to avoid ALL the HP software problems. I'll spare you my tales - but the only HP printer I've had that I've been completely happy with was the HP DeskWriter 520 (with LocalTalk port) which I bought for my Performa 475 running System 7.1. > > So... In a case like this, I'd be inclined to `wave the dead chicken' > > act. Do all the maintenance jobs you can think of, most especially > > cache cleaning and (before doing so) uninstalling all printers and > > removing all printer software/added PPDs. > > > > btw, there's always the option of trying different versions of the > > relevant PPDs, and also stripping out all that you don't need. > > I *could* do all that, but life's too short, and I've too much to do that > interests me more than getting "known to be difficult" printers to work! Hmm - life's too short, so you intend to do something that'll take more time and money than my proposal. How does that work? > As the two printers work fine on WXP and OS X 10.5 and below, I've cut my > losses and put them up for sale to non-OS X 10.6 users. I'll buy a printer > from Samsung or Brother that works out of the box. Fair enough. I'd rather spend half an hour or so trying to get the hardware working in such circumstances rather than go to all the time and bother and expense of buying and installing new printers, which if you ask me is sure to take a lot longer than sorting out a software hiccup /assuming/ that the hiccup's sortable. Which it might not be... Rowland. -- Remove the animal for email address: rowland.mcdonnell(a)dog.physics.org Sorry - the spam got to me http://www.mag-uk.org http://www.bmf.co.uk UK biker? Join MAG and the BMF and stop the Eurocrats banning biking
From: Hugh Browton on 30 Apr 2010 05:33
On Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:12:40 +0100, Rowland McDonnell wrote (in article <1jhq27e.j7ux3c11v1ysfN%real-address-in-sig(a)flur.bltigibbet.invalid>): > Hugh Browton <useneth@**.not.uk> wrote: > >> Rowland McDonnell wrote: >> >>> Hugh Browton <useneth@**.not.uk> wrote: >>> >>> >>> They are PostScript Printer Description files. >> >> Ah. OK, well something needs to be downloaded into the printers at printer >> switch on everytime, apparently. > > Not the PPD AIUI - that's used by the host computer to work out what the > printer can do. Bits of the PPD get sent to the printer as part of your > print job at print time - the PPD contains the header information needed > to drive the printer properly. Thanks for that - I certainly didn't know how it worked in any detail. > > However, if you're not using an Ethernet connection to the printer, > you'll be stuck with HP's USB printer driver software and that's utter > shite on Macs. > So I have found out. > I have an HP printer now, and I might buy an HP printer next, but my > current printer is Ethernet and PostScript so as to avoid ALL the HP > software problems. > > I'll spare you my tales - but the only HP printer I've had that I've > been completely happy with was the HP DeskWriter 520 (with LocalTalk > port) which I bought for my Performa 475 running System 7.1. > Mine a LaserJet 5n - wonderful until the paper feed mechanism finally gave up the ghost badly. >>> btw, there's always the option of trying different versions of the >>> relevant PPDs, and also stripping out all that you don't need. >> >> I *could* do all that, but life's too short, and I've too much to do that >> interests me more than getting "known to be difficult" printers to work! > > Hmm - life's too short, so you intend to do something that'll take more > time and money than my proposal. How does that work? > My time is paid for by my clients - I can earn more working for them than sorting out a problem on a machine that has poor software - that I'm therefore "taking against". As in a "Why should I sort out the problems on bad stuff, I'll get good stuff" sort of way. >> As the two printers work fine on WXP and OS X 10.5 and below, I've cut my >> losses and put them up for sale to non-OS X 10.6 users. I'll buy a printer >> from Samsung or Brother that works out of the box. > > Fair enough. > > I'd rather spend half an hour or so trying to get the hardware working > in such circumstances rather than go to all the time and bother and > expense of buying and installing new printers, which if you ask me is > sure to take a lot longer than sorting out a software hiccup /assuming/ > that the hiccup's sortable. Which it might not be... > Understood - v. helpful in this saga. -- regards hugh hugh at clarity point uk point co (by the sea) (using Hogwasher) "The question of whether Machines Can Think... is about as relevant as the question of whether Submarines Can Swim." Edsger Dijkstra (1930-2002) |