It can help to understand the printing process, if you know
something about print jobs and printers. A print job contains more information
than the document information that is displayed on the screen; a print job
contains source code in the form of embedded commands that only the printer can
interpret.
Printers are electronic computing devices that produce
printed output by interpreting the source code in the print job. Printers use
their own input and output channels (parallel or serial, network adapters,
output to paper, film, or fabric, and so on). A printer has a processor that
may be a proprietary microchip or a general-purpose chip (like the Motorola
680x0-series chips in Apple LaserWriter devices).
Printers store
incoming data in their own random access memory (RAM), and they have a
programming language interpreter (for example, a PostScript, PCL, or HP-GL/2
interpreter). The program you use on the computer combines data objects such as
text, fonts, and graphics, and then uses a printer driver to create a printer
program that is interpreted by the printer. The result is the printed output
you receive from the printer.
Selecting a Compatible Driver as a Troubleshooting Step
All printers use a language to print a file: for example,
Postscript, PCL, or Qume Sprint 11. To identify a compatible printer driver to
use, first determine which language your printer recognizes. When you select a
compatible printer driver, use the guidelines in the following sections.
NOTE: Printing with a compatible printer driver should be used only as
a troubleshooting step or as temporary workaround. For additional help with
drivers that are not distributed by Microsoft, please contact the printer
manufacturer.
Ink-Jet Guidelines
There are four types of ink-jet printers. These are listed as
follows:
- Epson-compatible
- Hewlett-Packard (HP)
DeskJet-compatible
- PostScript
- Windows Printing System
If the ink-jet printer has a maximum resolution of 360 or 720
dots per inch (dpi), the printer is likely to be an Epson-compatible printer.
If the maximum resolution is 300 or 600 dpi, the printer may be an HP DeskJet-
compatible (PCL), PostScript, or Windows Printing System printer.
Selecting a Compatible Driver: To help you select a compatible inkjet printer driver,
use the following table.
Ink-Jet printer Best emulation Other emulation
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Canon Bubble Jet, IBM Proprinter 24 Epson LQ
black/white
Canon BJ Color Epson LQ-860; usually Epson LQ-2550
a dip switch setting
must be changed
Canon BJ 610 Windows Printing System None
Citizen ProJet HP DeskJet 500 HP DeskJet 500+
Epson Stylus Epson LQ; use the 24-pin None
Epson grid that follows
to pick an appropriate
driver
HP DeskJet Can be used only with None
DeskJet drivers; try
installing the monochrome
DeskJet 500 driver
for later models
IBM/Lexmark PostScript printer; try QMS Colorscript
Color 4079 the Apple LaserWriter II*
IBM/Lexmark HP DeskJet 550 None
ExecJet II 4076
IBM/Lexmark Windows Printing System None
WinWriter
Star Micronics Epson LQ None
Tektronix PostScript printer; try a None
Phaser 140 low-level Apple LaserWriter*
like the Apple LaserWriter II
DECwriter 100i Olivetti JP350 for HP DeskJet 500
Microsoft Windows 95
only
DECwriter 110i, Olivetti JP360 for HP DeskJet 500
and 120i Microsoft Windows 95
only
DECwriter 500i, Olivetti JP450 for HP DeskJet 500
520ic and 550ic Microsoft Windows 95
only
* When you print bitmap graphics by using the Apple
LaserWriter driver, the graphic is printed in grayscale.
NOTE: You probably will not receive the best results (resolution or
features) when you use a compatible driver, instead of the original driver.
Dot-Matrix Guidelines
Almost all dot-matrix printers emulate an Epson or an
International Business Machines (IBM) printer. Exceptions to this rule include
Toshiba, Texas Instruments, some Okidata and C.Itoh printers. All Panasonic,
Star Micronics, and Citizen dot-matrix printers default to an Epson emulation
mode but can also emulate an IBM printer if you change the printer settings. In
general, try an Epson printer driver first, and then try an IBM driver if
necessary.
Determine if the printer is a 9-pin or a 24-pin printer.
If a driver is installed, you can determine this by viewing the available
graphics resolutions. A 9-pin printer uses resolution settings that are
increments of 120 x 72. A 24-pin printer uses resolution settings that are
increments of 120 x 180 or 180 x 180. Then, determine if the printer is capable
of printing in color and if the printer uses a wide carriage (can take paper
that is up to 14 7/8 inches wide). Use the following table to determine which
driver to use.
#Pins Carriage Color Suggested Epson Suggested IBM
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9 Narrow No FX-80, FX-850, Generic IBM Graphics,
Epson-compatible IBM Proprinter
9-pin
9 Wide No FX-100, FX-1050 Generic IBM Graphics
Wide, IBM Proprinter XL
9 Narrow Yes JX-80 N/A
9 Wide Yes N/A use JX-80 N/A
24 Narrow No LQ-800, LQ-850, IBM Proprinter 24,
Epson-compatible IBM Proprinter 24E
24-pin
24 Wide No LQ-2500, LQ-1050, IBM Proprinter 24 XL
Epson Compatible
24-pin
24 Narrow Yes LQ-860 N/A
24 Wide Yes LQ-2550, LQ-1060 N/A
Laser Printers Guidelines
Most laser printers that are available are PCL or
PostScript-based printers, and many are both. Some are Windows Printing System
printers. If a driver for the printer is installed, view
the About box to determine whether it is a
PostScript printer
or a Windows Printing System printer. If
the printer is a PostScript printer, try using the Apple LaserWriter driver. If
the printer is a Windows Printing System printer, you may not be able to use
another driver. If the printer is neither type, the most compatible driver to
use is the LaserJet II (or LaserJet III if you are certain that the printer was
recently manufactured.) The following printers are not PCL compatible. You
cannot use these printers with another driver if no PostScript option is
available:
- Canon LBP-8 (all models except those with an "x" at the end
of the name)
- Canon LBP-4 (all models except those with an "x" at the end
of the name)
- IBM 4019/4029 (not PCL by default but you may be able to
change the settings on the front panel)
For color PostScript printers, try the QMS Colorscript driver
as a test. Make sure that Postscrp.drv is the Microsoft version by checking the
About information for the file. Windows Printing System printers typically use
only the driver that is created specifically for them.
Other Guidelines
Other printers, especially high-end color printers, are usually
PostScript-compatible or Windows Printing System-compatible printers. Again,
check the About box of an installed driver to determine if it is a PostScript
or Windows Printing System printer.