Printing Problems

Printing problems are sometimes the most frustrating network problems. The problems can be caused by many different things including poorly written software. The first thing to do when confronted with this problem is to make sure you have the latest printer driver from the manufacturer. It is also important that all of the computers that will be printing to the printer have the same version of the printer driver. Properly configuring the printer port and the spool settings will also greatly reduces the problems. Below are some of the issues we have come across over the years.

• One important configuration is the spool setting. We have found it is better to spool the entire print job before sending it to the printer. This way if a print job is not completed due to a program or network error in most cases other users can still print. We have found this to be especially true if you are printing through the Internet.
• Another problem we frequently encounter is the use of the wrong printer cable. Older dot-matrix and laser printers can use just about any type of parallel printer cable. However, newer laser and inkjet printers require parallel cables that are IEEE 1284 compliant. It is easy to tell if the cable is IEEE 1284 compliant because it will be labeled either on the connector or the cable itself. For a full description of the IEEE 1284 specification please visit the IEEE Home page by clicking here.
• Properly configuring the parallel port is another major source of problems. Most motherboards will give you several options for configuring the port. Frequently the default is not going to be what you need. We have also found that many times it is best just to set the port to "Compatibility Mode", although different printers do require different settings. Below is a list of the different types of parallel port settings.

  Compatibility Mode (Also known as “Centronics” or standard mode)

  This mode transfers data in one direction only, from your PC to the peripheral (forward direction).

  Nibble Mode

  This mode transfers data in one direction only, from the peripheral to the PC (reverse direction).

  Byte Mode (Also known as bi-directional)

  Transfers data in both the forward and reverse direction.

  Enhanced Parallel Port Mode (EPP)

  Transfers data bi-directionally at up to 2MB/sec. Primarily CD-ROMs, tape drives, removable drives, and other non-printer devices use this mode.

  Enhanced Capability Port Mode (ECP)

  Bi-directional data transfer with DMA support. New generation printers and scanners use this mode.