Daft question re printers

[tony draper]

Someone has given Bro a printer ,tiz a HP deskjet,installed it for him and downloaded drivers ect,buggah still don't work.
So daft question,on the back of this printer is a socket for the normal serial type cable and also a USB socket,one assumes it can use either? one assumes both don't have to be connected up?
:confused:

[Parapunter]

Should be fine on one - usb is the later standard. Is the printer installed on the computer? Assuming xp, you need to go to the control panel, select printers & other hardware & look in there to make sure it has been detected. If not, add it manually.

[tony draper]

Yer tiz installed the puter even acknowledges it has a printer and opines that it is working ok but I cannot get it to print owt,never mind one shall sort it eventually.
Thanks for the help
:ok:

[Keef]

When thou sendest a doc to print, the printer status thingy in the bottom toolbar of the pooter should report on what's happening. If it reports "all is well" then a visit to the Printer Control Panel may be in order.

Not had an HP printer in a seriously long time, so can't comment on the specifics.

[Parapunter]

I have an HP deskjet at work & I don't much likey it, but that's bye the bye. If it's a relatively recent one, then you may well need the proprietary software along with the drivers Drapes. They nearly all come with a load of old bloatware these days - tried the HP website?

[gas path]

Someone has given Bro a printer ....Probably why it was given away...It don't work:}:}:}

[Spitoon]

Does it print the Windows test page?

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Trouble with HP printers is that you have to buy them because they make the best hardware ... but their software is crap and always has been.

[Saab Dastard]

but their software is crap and always has been.

I second that - I had an absolute nightmare with the software that came with a HP SCSI CD-RW a few years ago - royally screwed up the Win2K installation I had.

SD

[Parapunter]

I use mine to print orders, invoices etc but mostly to scan proofs of delivery onto the system. The software doubles the time it takes to do one scan compared to my previous Canon number. Grrr.

[Keef]

The "support software" for an HP device a colleague of mine bought was over 100MB. The device was appallingly slow. Eventually, we found that some older graphics stuff on her PC would drive it - and was many times faster.

I now avoid HP altogether. It's a pity, because the HP scanner and printer I had 15 years ago were both excellent.

[Loose rivets]

I have an old but almost unused DJ 4 P and when I shelled out for the cartridge, I was concerned that it would be money down the drain. All set to go...and it didn't.

Although it did report a code, the mean :mad:s at a local HP place were not about to decode it for me. Anyway, I found out that it was nothing more than A4 V Letter. Set that up and it was perfect. Rolls Royce of a machine.
But get it wrong, and the darn thing just sits there with its arms folded and pouts.

[8028410q]

..a bit like my wife really!