XP Pro and HP Deskjet printers. Odd stuff going on!

[davework]

I just installed XP pro on the last workstation. Everything seems fine except for how our business software (Business Works V.12) prints sales orders and reports to the HP deskjets. Both were correctly identified by the install and seem to work fine with every other program (notepad, Lotus Works, etc).

It prints the sales orders but the formatting is not correct. Strange stuff.

My first thought is that its something in the business software and has nothing to do with XP but, why did it not do it under win 98???

Could it be a selection made in the Bios for the motherboard?(we might have all the parallel ports set to "standard" instead of "superfancy")

 

[BlueWeasel]

I doubt it is related to a BIOS setting regarding the LPT ports (if that's what you use).

While XP does have support for most of the older Deskjet printers, I suspect its a problem with the particular driver that XP is using. IMHO, I would try getting a updated (or older if necessary) driver and see if that fixes the formatting problem.

 

[ojai00]

It could also be the fonts that are being used. For instance, if your software is using a font that Windows XP doesn't have, it will default to another font. Sometimes the font size is bigger than normal and it throws the formatting off. Hope this helps.

 

[Adrian Tung]

How did you install your HP printer drivers?

I remember when I installed my Deskjet 930C on XP, according to instructions on HP's driver download page back then, I needed to install XP's default HP printer drivers first, then install the downloaded ones (i.e. both XP's native drivers and HP's drivers need to be installed in order for the printer to work properly).


Hope that helps,
atwl

 

[Zim Hosein]

Does this help: D/L & Drivers for HP 930c ?

 

[davework]

Thanks! I think I might see light at the end of the tunnel. I wonder why I didnt set that HP link when I was on my original search and destroy mission for drivers. hmmm..


In the instructions for the 930C they make a couple of statements that lead me to believe that this might be a resolvable issue.

Our business software does have its "own" forms generating code so its still possible that we wont be able to fix it without changing the "forms" by hand.

Thanks for all the help. Ill let you know if the driver install HP style works.