the Fucking Printer Thread

[harvey klinger]

Okay, I've never had this happen before. I'm using a Deskjet 840 and am trying to print off some proofs for a client. I have two b+w and two duotones. Both of the b+w's will print, but the two duotones will not. When I try to print one, the "Printing Page 1" box comes up and just sits there. When I look in my Printer Utility, it doesn't even say there's anything waiting. Anybody know what's going on? I figured it might be that it was out of color ink. Even though it's never responded like this before, I went ahead and changed it, but it's still not working. Any suggestions?

[35ft6]

Since the title seems to suggest this is a general printer thread...

I need a new printer. It doesn't have to be great, but I'd like to get one that's compatible with cheaper 3rd party ink cartridges.

I might do some color photo printing, but mostly I just need it for black and white text printing. Nothing fancy.

Any recommendations?

[slackerbot]

Originally posted by harvey klinger
Okay, I've never had this happen before. I'm using a Deskjet 840 and am trying to print off some proofs for a client. I have two b+w and two duotones. Both of the b+w's will print, but the two duotones will not. When I try to print one, the "Printing Page 1" box comes up and just sits there. When I look in my Printer Utility, it doesn't even say there's anything waiting. Anybody know what's going on? I figured it might be that it was out of color ink. Even though it's never responded like this before, I went ahead and changed it, but it's still not working. Any suggestions?
try printing without the HP printer utility.

[slackerbot]

Originally posted by 35ft6
Since the title seems to suggest this is a general printer thread...

I need a new printer. It doesn't have to be great, but I'd like to get one that's compatible with cheaper 3rd party ink cartridges.

I might do some color photo printing, but mostly I just need it for black and white text printing. Nothing fancy.

Any recommendations?
get a Samsung laser printer. after rebates, it comes out to less than $50. the toners last forever, especially if you use the toner save mode.

i bought a real nice Canon inkjet printer a while back. and i RARELY use it. most of my printing is b&w.. for letters, resumes, and labels. if you need to do color printing, just ask one of your friends. i'm sure one of them as a color printer.

if you're set on getting an inkjet printer, DO NOT get an HP printer. their newer inkjet carts have a self destruct feature. meaning, they will stop working after the expiration date, even if you refill the carts.

[35ft6]

^ Samsung? Wow, that's a brand I never would have considered. I'll look into it. Thanks, S-bot!

[m1]

Originally posted by harvey klinger
Okay, I've never had this happen before. I'm using a Deskjet 840 and am trying to print off some proofs for a client. I have two b+w and two duotones. Both of the b+w's will print, but the two duotones will not. When I try to print one, the "Printing Page 1" box comes up and just sits there. When I look in my Printer Utility, it doesn't even say there's anything waiting. Anybody know what's going on? I figured it might be that it was out of color ink. Even though it's never responded like this before, I went ahead and changed it, but it's still not working. Any suggestions?

i don't believe your 'home level' printer is capable of printing duotones... i'm pretty sure that it will need to print as a cmyk. that's my best guess...

[35ft6]

Are photo printers worth it?

Is it better to just have Apple or Kodak make prints off digital files? They charge 19 cents per 4x6 print.

So what's more cost effective in the long run (with photo quality being a factor too, of course...)?

[kamenriderv3]

it depends on what you want. also depends on your satisfaction on the level of quality.

i print digital pictures on the inkjet with photo paper but i don't consider them high quality or able to last as long as photos that you develop from film. but its cheaper for me and i can do it at my convenience. the inkjet photos are pretty good for casual use.

i can experiment with multiple variations of a specific photo. the results are for my use or for anyone who doesn't mind lower quality.

if i want something lasting then i'll get it printed at the photo lab. it will cost more but i don't print that many photos there so the total costs are not that high. the photo lab is good for prints bigger than 8"x11".

[35ft6]

I just ordered this (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?ec=BC-EC5-Cat84&pos=1&whse=BC&topnav=&prodid=11033628) printer. It was rated higher than the Samsung, and the page yield was equal (Samsung is 3000 in economy mode... I believe this one is 2500 straight up) and the ink was $25 dollars cheaper.

[35ft6]

So I hooked up my new Brother printer today, and the test page that it prints out is great. Nothing wrong.

But when I print a document from my computer, it's not aligned properly. The printing "begins" about 3 inches down on the standard size sheet of paper, and about 1 -1/2 inches to the left.

So it's blank on the top and left, and the bottom cuts off.

I tried hooking up the USB directly to my computer (I was using a hub)... tried printing a text document, a Word document, and a web page, and it fucked up every time.

Like I said, the test print is fine, so I'm assuming it's not the printer.

- Maybe my uSB chord is shoddy?
- When I put it in ink save mode, is that how it saves ink, by shrinking down the image/text? When I get home I'm going to try out different settings, it was the one major thing I didn't try.

I'm going to see if there's a newer Mac driver. But other than that...

Any ideas?

[tangent23]

ink longevity is becoming a big issue, especially for archival purposes..

http://www.wilhelm-research.com/

apparently the high end epson inks are the most colour fast..

i have a canon ip5000 which is a great printer for everyday use, but canon inks are supposedly not so lasting, but that's ok for me cause it's not so important for the stuff i do at home. it has separate ink tanks [plus a larger second black tank for text only] so you only have to replace individually, unlike some other brands where you have to replace the whoile thing if one runs out..

plus, the non-US version can print directly onto special CD-rs

[golivar]

Originally posted by 35ft6
So I hooked up my new Brother printer today, and the test page that it prints out is great. Nothing wrong.

But when I print a document from my computer, it's not aligned properly. The printing "begins" about 3 inches down on the standard size sheet of paper, and about 1 -1/2 inches to the left.

So it's blank on the top and left, and the bottom cuts off.

I tried hooking up the USB directly to my computer (I was using a hub)... tried printing a text document, a Word document, and a web page, and it fucked up every time.

Like I said, the test print is fine, so I'm assuming it's not the printer.

- Maybe my uSB chord is shoddy?
- When I put it in ink save mode, is that how it saves ink, by shrinking down the image/text? When I get home I'm going to try out different settings, it was the one major thing I didn't try.

I'm going to see if there's a newer Mac driver. But other than that...

Any ideas?

what are you printing when these errors happen? a web page or a Word document or...? i think a web page's formatting can sometimes affect how it prints out on a standard 8.5x11 sheet of paper.

i just bought a new canon pixma ip1600 printer. so far it's great. only $50 and the ink cartridges, while not exactly cheap, are still almost $10 cheaper than the cartridges for my old epson printer. even though i have one of the higher end epson printers for my photo work, i don't think i'll ever buy another "everyday use" epson printer. the epson that's the equivalent to my canon is twice the price! and they kill you with the cartridge costs.

*EDIT* sorry, i just read that you're having this problem with Word docs and web pages. i don't know what could be causing that. maybe slackerbot might know.

[35ft6]

Yeah, where the hell's Slackerbot? He's probably got pantyhose covering his face.

[slackerbot]

hey, i'm busy downloading porn and MP3's.

in the meantime, read the manual and check your printer settings. also, make sure you're using the right drivers.

[kamenriderv3]

could be wrong but it sounds like a driver problem.

which brother printer is it? the costco link is gone.

[35ft6]

Hl-2040. I checked their website and the latest driver available for that model is almost a year old, so I'm thinking my CD-Rom is recent. But I'll try it anyways when I get home.

[35ft6]

Problem solved.

I downloaded an OLDER driver, installed it.

Turned off my printer and reset it by holding down the "Go" button, hitting it 8 times, etc.

Plugged the USB back into it, activated the new driver, and everything prints normally now.

I am very happy with my purchase.:)

[Dr Jesus]

My mom managed to break my Cannon I850 after i lent it to her. She somehow managed to drop a glass bead into the paper tray which quickly lodged itself in the paper feed, Lovely.

[SweetArse]

Hey graphics people, what is the best overall printer out there for:

1) digital photos
2) light graphic design duty
3) personal home office yadda yadda
4) reasonably priced

Any strong opinions about brands- HP, Canon, Epson, etc? I've been using my Epson Color Stylus 600 for, oh 8 years now and it finally died.

[slackerbot]

stay away from HP inkjets. and Dell too. and Lexmark. stick with Canon or Epson.

i dunno, finding a printer that can do all those things is kinda tricky. and possibly not cheap. are you going to be printing a lot of photos? or just once in a while? what sort of graphic design work? and how much exactly do you want spend?

[SweetArse]

Right now, I'm looking at the Epson R800 which is about $399 which sounds awfully expensive, but I hear good things about Epson, and had a good experience with my old one. May go down the ladder a bit and get a cheaper model.

Graphic design could be colorful flyers, birthday cards, down to simple printed envelopes. Nothing super fancy, but would like a machine that could perform if needed. I won't be printing that many photos, just the few good ones that I can stick in the album. Speed is not important. I'm basically just replacing my old Epson casual color printer. But I'm a stickler for details and will not tolerate strange artifacts or big dot pitch. Plus, I'm the kind of person who likes to buy the one perfect item and not worry about it for a long time.

[tangent23]

Canon inks aren't so good for archival purposes [images fade fairly easily] but for everyday office/printing they're great and easy, plus inks are generally cheaper. besides the image longevity, the prints are great. apparently the cheaper ones aren't so good though..

higher end epsons seem to be the go if image longevity is an issue.. but generally speaking, most inkjets will fade [heck photographs fade over time]

http://www.wilhelm-research.com/

[xsk8teboyx]

The Roland Hi-Fi Jet Pro II, a 12-color wide format printer that uses two full sets of CMYKOG or CYMKcm for archival but epson is fine. I have the old epson 3000...still working so far.

[SweetArse]

I went with a $99 Epson R220 impulse buy from Staples. I think it's basically the R320 guts, but without all the bells and whistles like LCD screen and direct SD reader for instant photo printing. I figure to print from my computer anyway.

As luck would have it, my Epson 800 woke back up after about 10 head cleanings. So I did a photo print comparison. On the same Epson Glossy Photo Paper, the old 800 prints with noticable dots while the R220's dots are virtually invisible to the naked eye. Even in light gray areas, you don't see the dithering. Wow, techmology.

[golivar]

if you have a qualifying epson printer and have used epson ink cartridges, you're probably eligible to receive $45 in store credit from the epson store.

epson just settled a class action suit which alleged that epson printers indicate that ink cartridges are empty prematurely.

check out http://www.epsonsettlement.com/ for more info. you have to register the printer at http://www.epsonstore.com/benefitsreg , and i believe you'll be notified in a month or two when your credit is active and can be used.