Important notes & tips about printer drivers
Do you ever experience printer, or printing, problems especially when printing on labels or other special media? If so, this article may shed some light on what the problem(s) may be. They may not be what you think - the toner cartridge or the printer.
This is a case study about the importance of being sure that you have the right printer and the right printer drivers in order to accomplish your printing job most efficiently and effectively. You may be surprised to learn that you don't have the correct driver or setup!
One of our clients was trying to print on labels with her HP 4050 printer. After printing, the toner was smudging off the labels. The client was adamant that the problem was either toner or printer related. She said they had printed the same labels for years and had never had this problem.
We discovered that several things. First, we found an HP 4050 driver was being used with an HP 4 driver. Also, we learned that she used to print the labels on a HP 5 laser printer. That printer is perfect for labels because of its slower speed and because of its design (a fuser comprised of a solid heating roller and pressure roller). The technology of a HP 4050 is totally different, and not as well designed to print labels as the HP 5.
Here's how we got around the problem to get the labels printing properly:
- We installed the correct printer driver.
- We changed the default settings on the printer driver to 'Card Stock.'
- We changed the default settings on the printer to Tray 1 First. Both trays would then print in Card Stock mode. (So that if there was no paper in tray 1 the printer will pull from tray 2.)
- We changed the default settings on the printer to Card Stock Fuser Temp = High.
- We showed the user how to open the back door of the printer. This allowed the paper to feed in a straight path from the front of the machine to the back without any turns. That allowed the toner to have time to cool on the paper, which lessened the chance of any issues caused by the paper curving to exit in the front.
- We lowered the density setting. This pulls less toner from the cartridge and allows the fuser to work better. The only issue with this is that the printer prints a little lighter.
Also, on a related topic of printer-driver importance, this just in: Adobe Systems has announced new print driver software that enables users of Microsoft Windows Vista to take advantage of high quality PostScript printers. With Adobe PostScript Driver for Office/Windows Vista, you will be able to use your existing PostScript printers while obtaining higher quality print output from Microsoft Office applications. The driver delivers higher quality print output for Office files with transparency and gradients than printing the same files using the standard PostScript driver bundled with Windows.
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Here's another tip: before you buy your next printer from some on-line box mover, contact the experts at Atiwa Computing. We will assess your needs and give you our best advice, all for no charge.
Then we'll offer you the best deal on either new or refurbished laser printers. And you'll get our free Special Report on The Best Ways To Maintain Your Printer Fleet to boot.
For immediate help with any of your printer, or other office-technology-support issues, there are 3 ways to reach us. Here's how:
1. Call us today at 713-467-9390, or toll free 800-428-2532.
2. Fax us at 713-467-1348. Just write your name and number and say 'Help!'
3. Email us at mailto:atiwa@atiwa.com .
Need other help or more information? We're your office-technology-management experts. Call us if you need a helpful hand.
Dedicated to helping you with your office technology,
Wayne Springer, President, and your office-technology support team at Atiwa Computing, Inc.
P.S. Partner with the computer services company who works as hard as you do!
