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TICKET ARCHIVE -> HP Photosmart 8250 on network

sashtuna - Jan 2, 2007 - 1:12 am

I've got an HP Photosmart 8250 hooked up to a D-Link DP-300U print server. I can print to this device fine from a windows XP device on my network. I used to have a deskjet 840c hooked up on the USB on this same print server and had no problems. I can see the device via apple talk and as a bonjour device, but I can't print to it for the life of me. Is there some way to get a driver that will allow me to light this baby up?

gsahli - Jan 2, 2007 - 9:54 am

Unfortunately, the driver issues on OS X are complicated.

Network printing/Windows printing only works with a driver that was meant for network printing. To use the OS X built-in CUPS network choices, you need a CUPS driver. For postscript printers, this is not an issue, because postscript is the native output of OS X, and can easily be routed to the various choices in Printer Setup.
Non-postscript printers are Very Different. Except for Brother, no manufacturer has provided CUPS drivers. Instead, what you get are Carbon-type, OS9 legacy drivers, that have the comm protocol written into the driver (mostly USB). They can only print via local connection.
**An Exception - when printing via an Airport/Bonjour enabled print server (Airport Express/Extreme), where the software does a port redirection, USB output from the Mac gets routed to the USB port on Airport Express/Extreme. In other words, a USB-only driver will work for network printing through Airport Extreme/Express.

Apple included the open-source "Gimp-Print" CUPS drivers in OS X - the 840c is in that set; Photosmart 8250 isn't. You should try the generic Phtotsmart P1100 Gimp-Print driver to see if it works. Otherwise, I think your only other option is www.printfab.net.

HP knows how to make CUPS drivers. They chose not to for the 8250. I think you should complain to HP.

sashtuna - Jan 2, 2007 - 1:37 pm

Well, thanks for the response, but boy, does that suck rocks. All the reviews said very positive things about this printer. I didn't even think it in the realm of possibilities that I wouldn't be able to print to it over the network. That's freekin cheesy on the part of HP... The P1100 GimpPrint driver results in it trying to print, and then coming up with 'Network busy on 192.168.0.106 retrying in 30 seconds.'
Here's another option, but I'm not sure if I should even bother.. I've got an old iMac running 9.2 near the printer, can I hook it up there and then use the usb printer sharing from that box?

gsahli - Jan 2, 2007 - 2:52 pm

The error you're getting actually sounds like you Added the printer in Printer Setup using either LPD or IPP, but didn't enter the print server's queue name in the space provided. There are a few ways to find the Dlink's internal queue name - in the manual (in figures or in unix/linux instructions) or, on the Windows computers in the Printer Properties > ports > Configure port.

sashtuna - Jan 2, 2007 - 3:10 pm

Ahhh! Well, I did have the queue name correct, but I added it as an IPP device. I just tried it as an LPD device with the P1100 driver and YAY! it printed! Thanks!

gsahli - Jan 2, 2007 - 4:41 pm

Glad it works - just curious - how much of the printer's functionality do you get with the P1100 driver? Some of the normal options or most of them, etc?

sashtuna - Jan 3, 2007 - 12:25 am

Well, I can print to it... Can't get at the 4x6 tray and only get the very most rudimentary settings. Better than where I was before. Guess that I'll mostly print directly from the memory card and keep harassing HP for a real driver, or connect USB direct.

gsahli - Jan 3, 2007 - 9:05 am

I appreciate the info.
If you're willing to pay, www.printfab.net probably has a CUPS driver for your model. I hear it's excellent (but I also don't have that...).