Printing
problems are sometimes the most frustrating network problems. The problems
can be caused by many different things including poorly written printer
driver software. The first thing to do when confronted with this problem
is to make sure you have the latest printer driver from the manufacturer.
It is also important that all of the computers that will be printing to
the printer have the same version of the printer driver. Also do not use
the native Windows printer driver on one computer and the manufacturer's
driver on another. Properly configuring the printer port, security settings,
and the spool settings will also greatly reduce the problems. Below are
some of the issues we have come across over the years.
Check the Security Settings
In many cases granting the group "Everyone" or, if the computer is part
of a Windows domain, the group the user belongs to such as "Domain Users"
"Manage Printers" and "Manage Documents" rights to the printer will fix
the problems. I know on managed networks this will allow anyone to change
the printer settings but the other choice is to buy a new printer with properly
written drivers.
Printer software that shows a dialog box asking you to install paper
or other diagnostic messages may fail to print if the person does not have
full rights to the printer. We came across this problem on Windows 7 the
64-bit version when we tried to install an HP P1006. When a user tried to
print an envelope from Microsoft Word it would fail because the printer
was not allowed to open a dialog box that requested the envelope to be placed
in the manual feed tray. We also found that print jobs were taking a long
time to go to the printer.
There is also a security issue where the printer will keep repeating
the print job causing multiple pages to print. Apparently the computer is
not accepting or perhaps misinterpreting the acknowledgement that the job
is finished. We have found this to be the case with Windows 7 32-bit and
HP LaserJet 1022n network printers.
Check the Spool Setting
We have found it is better to spool the entire print job before sending
it to the printer. This way if a print job is not completed due to a program
or network error, in most cases other users can still print. We have found
this to be especially true if you are printing from Internet web pages.
Check the Printer Cable
If you are using a parallel port for the printer make sure you use the
correct cable. Older dot-matrix and laser printers can use just about any
type of parallel printer cable. However, laser and inkjet printers require
parallel cables that are IEEE 1284 compliant. It is easy to tell if the
cable is IEEE 1284 compliant because it will be labeled on the connector
or the cable itself. For a full description of the IEEE 1284 specification
please visit the
IEEE Home page by clicking here.
Properly Configure the Port
Properly configuring the parallel port is another major source of problems.
Most motherboards and add-in parallel port cards will give you several options
for configuring the port. Frequently the default is not going to be what
you need. We have also found that many times it is best just to set the
port to "Compatibility Mode", although different printers do require different
settings.
- Compatibility Mode (Also known as "Centronics" or standard
mode)
- This mode transfers data in one direction only, from your PC to
the peripheral (forward direction).
- Nibble Mode
- This mode transfers data in one direction only, from the peripheral
to the PC (reverse direction).
- Byte Mode (Also known as bi-directional)
- Transfers data in both the forward and reverse direction.
- Enhanced Parallel Port Mode (EPP)
- Transfers data bi-directionally at up to 2MB/sec. Primarily CD-ROMs,
tape drives, removable drives, and other non-printer devices use this
mode.
- Enhanced Capability Port Mode (ECP)
- Bi-directional data transfer with DMA support. New generation printers
and scanners use this mode.