Odd printing problem on Win2k Network

We have 4 HP 4200dn printers running on a Win2k network at one of our sites. There is also 1 HP2200, 1 HP business inkjet 2380 and 1 HP 2000c.

All users are running Win2k, patched with latest security patches and using Office 2000 sp1.

When any of the users try to print any document out on the 4200's the documents have either missing text, formatting, boxes etc. If they print to the 2200, business inkjet or 2000c everything prints fine.

All office documents seem effected. For example..

A user received an email with 'blue' text in it...she printed the email out....the message was there (header, her comments) but the blue text wasn't.

Another user recieved an Excel document...printed it out....no grid line, no shading, all the text was 'overlapping' and the fonts had changed.

I have tried to find a work round and so far have come up with...

Cut and paste Excel docs into New work sheets...they print out fine.
Blue text in email....highlight text, format text, auto as its colour..it prints out fine.

However this does not solve everyones problems. They still have this 'wrong font, missing bulelt points'. General formatting issues.

I have changed the drivers to the latest from HP (PCL6 and 5e) both made no difference. Rolled them back to the original drivers that came with the printers...and seems to have made things worse.

I didn't set the printers up and didn't install the network...and no one will hold their hands up in another IT dept and admit they did anything 'remotely'.

Any clues at all please? I can't find anything on HP site or MS.

Thanks a lot

 

Sorry but HP never heard of that printer. Do you have
hp LaserJet 4200 printer
hp LaserJet 4200dtn printer
hp LaserJet 4200dtns printer
hp LaserJet 4200dtnsL printer
hp LaserJet 4200L printer
hp LaserJet 4200Ln printer
hp LaserJet 4200Lvn printer
hp LaserJet 4200n printer
hp LaserJet 4200tn printer

 

DoH!

My mistake they are tn's...oops

 

- get the latest Win2000 drivers for the 4200 from Here. I suggest the PCL 5e version.

- make a careful note of the settings for each currently installed 4200tn. Then delete all of them from the print server. Reinstall one and force it to use the new drivers. Then install the remaining ones. They should use the same drivers.

- get the users to delete any 4200tn printers they have installed now. If things are set up right, they should all have been using drivers directly from the print server rather than anything loaded locally to their PC but since you didn't do the original job, don't trust how it was done. Probably best to do the first one yourself and make notes of any possible 'gotcha' items then send detailed instructions to the other users if you found things they need to do a certain way.

- get the users to reinstall which ever of the printers they need.

Hopefully things will be working properly at this point. If not, post back and we'll at least be troubleshooting a system with known good print drivers loaded.

 

Oh the joys of working in IT!

Went to the site today with these probelm printers...unistalled 1 of them. Used the drivers you suggested (happened to be the same ones that sat on the server but used yours any way) Reinstalled the printer. Got the users to remove the printer then reinstall it.......


No difference Problem was worse infact (outlook wouldn't print dates out when printing a calendar for a users!!)

Looked at all the setting of the printer like you suggested, checked all the tabs....and "had a play"


Found out that turning off 'spooling' and selecting 'print directly to the printer' was all it was!!!!

How glad I was that is was so easy to fix Made the same change to all the printers without uninstalling them...and they are all fine

Thanks for your help.

 

Glad you found something that worked.

If the users don't do lots of printing, the 'print directly' should be fine. But spooling should work as well unless you have issues with spooler service on the print server.

Might be worth a try with HP Tech Support about the problem.

Can't play around with the problem since we have lots of printers but none of the 4200s here.

 

Well I thought it as too good to be true

Got a call today... "we can't print! "

Looked at the print queue...sure enoough lots of documents...since th eevening before all stacked up.

So Deleted them all (as I'm an admin on the server) and then started to 'tweak' the printer settings...

Advanced tab, put spooling back on....and removed the check box for "Use advance graphics settings "......Its all ok again (for the moment )

 

What specific type of port are you using to run the printers?

 

Erm? Nope lost me there

Do u mean anything to do with IP?? OR like LPT1 etc?

When I reinstalled th eone printer I used the wizard for tcp/ip and defined a new port whihc was used by the wizard.


Is that what u mean?

 

IP hopefully.

Go to one of the printers from the print server, properties, and there should be a tab labeled Port. Take a look and see exactly how the port is defined.

You should probably be using Raw for the data type. Open Help from the printers folder and do a search for Raw to get more information about the various available data types and the effect of using the various ones.

If you are, the port should display as
IP-address:RAW so
192.168.0.154:RAW for a printer on that IP port.

If you used the wizard you were probably adding a 'standard TCP/IP port' and that is not your best option here.

I have a word document giving specific instructions for adding printers to a print server at this facility and I think they'd work fine for you. Happy to email you a copy if you want. Just send an email to newt.vail@pmusa.com and I'll fire it back with a zipped copy of the word document.

 

Thank very much I'll email you from Work tomorrow

 

Good enough. I'll be on the PC from time to time tomorrow.

Glad you said something though since the doc is only at work right now but I'll send a copy to home so I'll have it for you.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here so a major holiday and Friday is included as a non-work day here so it would have been Monday before I could send it.