Z3200 PCL driver problem

[Geraldo Garcia]

Hello,

I have a Z3200ps 44" and I usualy print from a computer running Vista 64. As soon as I learned that it could also use the PCL driver I started using it as it proven to be much faster than de PS version, dramaticaly faster on large prints. It worked perfecly for about an year and half, but recently a weird problem started to happen: Doesn´t matter the paper size i set on print preferences, when it returns to the "print" window on Photoshop the print size is allways "letter" an the image is cropped. If I go on and print the image prints cropped to the "letter" size.

I unistalled and reinstalled the driver, no change. Formatted and reinstalled everything and the problem is still there. The problem does not happen on the PS driver and HP support has no idea of what is happening and states that I should onlu use the PS driver. Curiously, on my notebook that also runs Vista the PCL driver works as it should.

Any ideas? The PS driver takes forever to process large prints... when you have to print 10 different 24"x36" images at 300ppi the difference is more than an hour.
I would also love to learn any tweeks to speed up the PS driver processing (someone told me that it is possible).

Thanks in advance.
 

[Ernst Dinkla]

The HP Z drivers have been notorious on their ability to fall back to the default settings. So it is not something new. First thing to do is make the default settings close to your most common used settings. Second: the printing shortcut settings stick better than temporary made changes so create some for the other choices you often make. Then the last if you need a special size use a name for a custom size that already exists and just change the size and save that size with the old name. The size will stick then. If you create a new size + a new name and save it you can be 99% sure the driver falls back to the default size, in your case 'letter'. Only if you go back in the driver and select that new name again it will stick. That has been my experience and not just in Vista. Use a size name like VarySizeZ3200 that does not indicate a special size and shows the temporary character otherwise you may get another issue when the application can recall printer driver data for a repeat job like Qimage can.

I use the PS driver sporadically so can not comment on the other question.

met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/

[Geraldo Garcia]

Hello Ernst,

Thanks for your answer. Unfortunately none of that worked... But I discovered something new: It happens only on Photoshop! I can print as I always did from other programs, Lightroom, Qimage and otthers.
Now I think it is more a "Photoshop/HP_Driver" problem.

If someone has a clue please share it!

Thanks again.

Geraldo Garcia.