Strange printer problem

[Codasmd]

Someone just gave me a printer that was donated to some organization. It's a HP Inkjet 880c.

Hooked it up and it will print test pages, alignment pages, and test color pages no problem.

Plenty of ink in both cartriges.

However, it will not print anything from MS Word, Wordpad, or Notepad.

Just trying to print a school paper.

Thanks for any info.

 

[JJB6486]

Are you sure its selected as the default printer? Pressing the print button on the toolbar prints only to the windows default, which could be some old printer driver still installed or another printer attached to the computer. Open Printers and Faxes, right click the Deskjet, and select "Set As Default Printer"

JJB

 

[Codasmd]

Yeah, I tried that.

Initially, when I tried print via the print button on MS Word it would come up as a "Fax". So I did set it to default.

I'm at the library now. (had to get this printed) But I'll try it again and play a bit more with it.

 

[damnyank]

A shot in the dark - make sure your print spooler service is enabled!

 

[Codasmd]

Hmm...never heard of spooler.

Here is a print screen of the default. Havent changed anything yet.

Lemme know if something looks wrong.

Thx

 

[damnyank]

Print spooler is a service - let me see if I remember:

Start, control panel, Admin Tools, Services, Set print Spooler to auto!

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Do you get any error messages?

 

[Codasmd]

Nope. No error mess.

The paper runs it's course and it sounds like it's getting printed, but the paper comes out blank.

I've taken out the cartriges and reseated them but to no avial. And I can shake them and hear ink inside.
It will print ntfs web pages and gets the black text throughout it.

 

[Hipster Doofus]

See if anything at Microsoft will help.

 

[ming]

Hey, is it hooked up through USB?
How many other USB devices do you have connected at the same time? It might be because your other devices have eaten up all the bandwidth of the USB and left very little for your printer to print your documents.
This happened to my USB modem a while ago when I had two other devices hooked up through USB.

 

[Codasmd]

No, not USB either.

Looked around the MS page but no help either.

I know it can print text because I printed this forum page a day or so ago and it got most of it. Got the black text atleast.

Other ideas?

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Is it just web pages you are having trouble with? If so it is probably a setting in your browser.

 

[Codasmd]

No. Web pages print fine. And all the test pages work fine. Even printed from command prompt to check connection.

It's the Word, Wordpad, and Notepad that wont print.

 

[Codasmd]

Shameless bump.

(I've tried everything that I know)

 

[damnyank]

Codasmd - this may sound crazy - but is there anyway you could have set the color of the font to print in white for word, wordpad and Notepad?

I thought you said it runs it's course - but no print on the paper- perhaps put in a colored sheet of paper and see what you get.

 

[Admiral Michael]

Originally posted by damnyank
Codasmd - this may sound crazy - but is there anyway you could have set the color of the font to print in white for word, wordpad and Notepad?

I thought you said it runs it's course - but no print on the paper- perhaps put in a colored sheet of paper and see what you get.

Printers dont print white. There is no white ink in the cartridge.To print white it just leaves that spot blank on the paper.

 

[damnyank]

Originally posted by Codasmd

The paper runs it's course and it sounds like it's getting printed, but the paper comes out blank.

Err - Admiral Michael - what does that sound like to you???

Maybe it was a dumb idea about the colored paper though???

 

[Codasmd]

Actually...it got me thinking.

I looked around and they were all set to black font. Prolly default.

This is a pretty strange problem though. I've never even heard of anything like it.

 

[Admiral Michael]

How can u get white ink from the colors in a typical printer, the black cartridge only has black, the color cartrideg has cyan, magenta and yellow. You cannot make white from ANY color combination.

You should know this!