Discussion:
printing gibberish
(too old to reply)
t***@antispam.ham
2012-01-13 02:16:07 UTC
Permalink
Any suggestions as to what might cause my Laserjet 2300 to start
printing gibberish?

If I print a test page using the front panel controls, it prints
just fine. No error messages in the display. But if I print
an envelope from DeScribe, it comes out as gibberish. Still
gibberish even after a reboot. Also tried printing a
PostScript file from the command line using the print command,
and it also comes out as gibberish. These all worked before,
so it does appear to be a problem with the printer.

Could it be that some memory has gone bad? Wouldn't that cause
the test page to also print as gibberish?

Live Chat with HP Support was useless. No answer to the
question as to whether bad memory could cause the problem,
and when I asked for the address to an authorized HP printer
repair facility, it came back as "Your Business Here" with
a 1212 Main Street address that doesn't exist in the zip code
given. Sure made it seem like I was chatting with an Eliza
script.
Marty
2012-01-13 03:51:47 UTC
Permalink
Post by t***@antispam.ham
Any suggestions as to what might cause my Laserjet 2300 to start
printing gibberish?
If I print a test page using the front panel controls, it prints
just fine. No error messages in the display. But if I print
an envelope from DeScribe, it comes out as gibberish. Still
gibberish even after a reboot. Also tried printing a
PostScript file from the command line using the print command,
and it also comes out as gibberish. These all worked before,
so it does appear to be a problem with the printer.
Could it be that some memory has gone bad? Wouldn't that cause
the test page to also print as gibberish?
Live Chat with HP Support was useless. No answer to the
question as to whether bad memory could cause the problem,
and when I asked for the address to an authorized HP printer
repair facility, it came back as "Your Business Here" with
a 1212 Main Street address that doesn't exist in the zip code
given. Sure made it seem like I was chatting with an Eliza
script.
:-)

Have you tried a simple "echo Test > prn:" or similar? Theoretically
your printing of the PS file from the command line should have covered
this case, but this is simpler still so it might reveal something.

What kind of connection do you have to the printer? Is it USB or
parallel? I'd suspect cables and drivers if the above test fails.
--
Reverse the parts of the e-mail address to reply by mail.
t***@antispam.ham
2012-01-13 14:20:50 UTC
Permalink
Post by Marty
Have you tried a simple "echo Test > prn:" or similar? Theoretically
your printing of the PS file from the command line should have covered
this case, but this is simpler still so it might reveal something.
No, but I will.
Post by Marty
What kind of connection do you have to the printer? Is it USB or
parallel? I'd suspect cables and drivers if the above test fails.
Parallel. Hadn't thought about checking the cable. It's just been
sitting there. Can't think of a reason why the cable would go bad
without some physical movement. And the drivers worked before, so
should still work now. The 2300 actually has a real OS/2 driver.
No evidence of file corruption (by comparing with backups).
Marty
2012-01-13 17:31:06 UTC
Permalink
Post by t***@antispam.ham
Have you tried a simple "echo Test> prn:" or similar? Theoretically
your printing of the PS file from the command line should have covered
this case, but this is simpler still so it might reveal something.
No, but I will.
What kind of connection do you have to the printer? Is it USB or
parallel? I'd suspect cables and drivers if the above test fails.
Parallel. Hadn't thought about checking the cable. It's just been
sitting there. Can't think of a reason why the cable would go bad
without some physical movement. And the drivers worked before, so
should still work now. The 2300 actually has a real OS/2 driver.
No evidence of file corruption (by comparing with backups).
True that a stationary cable shouldn't really cause a problem, but
hopefully it's an easy thing to verify.

Since it is parallel, you might also be having trouble with legacy IRQ
conflicts. Was there any device added or removed from the system
recently? Or are you even using the /IRQ method or the polling method
with PRINT01.SYS? Reverting back to the polling method might help if
there is a conflict.

Also, for completion's sake you might try playing with the BIOS settings
for the parallel port. Disable ECP/EPP extensions to see if it makes
any difference. Again it is unlikely that this is the cause, but
simplifying the communication process might help reveal the issue.

If the printer is old enough, it may also be capable of being connected
through a serial connection (COM1/2/3/4). If your parallel port (on the
computer or printer) went bad, this could be another way to use the
printer if you have the proper cable. You'll have to change the printer
object's properties to choose the correct port, but it should be
relatively straightforward. Any chance that there's also an Ethernet
connection for the printer?
--
Reverse the parts of the e-mail address to reply by mail.
t***@antispam.ham
2012-01-20 12:07:48 UTC
Permalink
Post by Marty
Post by t***@antispam.ham
Have you tried a simple "echo Test> prn:" or similar? Theoretically
your printing of the PS file from the command line should have covered
this case, but this is simpler still so it might reveal something.
No, but I will.
What kind of connection do you have to the printer? Is it USB or
parallel? I'd suspect cables and drivers if the above test fails.
Parallel. Hadn't thought about checking the cable. It's just been
sitting there. Can't think of a reason why the cable would go bad
without some physical movement. And the drivers worked before, so
should still work now. The 2300 actually has a real OS/2 driver.
No evidence of file corruption (by comparing with backups).
True that a stationary cable shouldn't really cause a problem, but
hopefully it's an easy thing to verify.
I finally found someone with a printer cable that I could borrow.
Swapped out my cable with the loaner, and much to my surprise, two
test prints worked just fine!
Post by Marty
Since it is parallel, you might also be having trouble with legacy IRQ
conflicts. Was there any device added or removed from the system
recently?
No. Very stable configuration.
Post by Marty
Or are you even using the /IRQ method or the polling method
with PRINT01.SYS? Reverting back to the polling method might help if
there is a conflict.
CONFIG.SYS has no options on the PRINT01.SYS statement.
Post by Marty
Also, for completion's sake you might try playing with the BIOS settings
for the parallel port. Disable ECP/EPP extensions to see if it makes
any difference. Again it is unlikely that this is the cause, but
simplifying the communication process might help reveal the issue.
BIOS settings haven't been touched in ages. Very stable configuration.
Post by Marty
If the printer is old enough, it may also be capable of being connected
through a serial connection (COM1/2/3/4). If your parallel port (on the
computer or printer) went bad, this could be another way to use the
printer if you have the proper cable. You'll have to change the printer
object's properties to choose the correct port, but it should be
relatively straightforward. Any chance that there's also an Ethernet
connection for the printer?
It's old, but young enough to have a USB connector in addition to the
parallel interface, but no serial connection (nor network connection,
though that particular model was available with a network option, as I
recall).

Many thanks for the suggestion about testing the cable.

David T. Johnson
2012-01-13 19:34:06 UTC
Permalink
My HP Laserjet will do that if I inadvertently print to it with the
wrong driver (I have 5 printers on line) through a mis-use of the
redirected output feature in OS/2. Just unplug and replug it and it
should be fine. ..as long as you're printing to it with the correct
driver.
Post by t***@antispam.ham
Any suggestions as to what might cause my Laserjet 2300 to start
printing gibberish?
If I print a test page using the front panel controls, it prints
just fine. No error messages in the display. But if I print
an envelope from DeScribe, it comes out as gibberish. Still
gibberish even after a reboot. Also tried printing a
PostScript file from the command line using the print command,
and it also comes out as gibberish. These all worked before,
so it does appear to be a problem with the printer.
Could it be that some memory has gone bad? Wouldn't that cause
the test page to also print as gibberish?
Live Chat with HP Support was useless. No answer to the
question as to whether bad memory could cause the problem,
and when I asked for the address to an authorized HP printer
repair facility, it came back as "Your Business Here" with
a 1212 Main Street address that doesn't exist in the zip code
given. Sure made it seem like I was chatting with an Eliza
script.
--
Posted with OS/2 Warp 4.52
and Sea Monkey 1.5a
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