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viveredesign
viveredesign
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Now cannot print to old printer with Acrobat X Pro (10.1.3)

Jul 4, 2012 11:42 AM

Categories: Windows Tags: #memory #printing #print #acrobat_x_pro #acrobat_pro_x #acrobat_10_pro #acrobat_pdf_printing #printing_pdf #post_script

Hello,

 

Upon upgrading to CS6, we now cannot print most PDF files to our aging (but trusty and inexpensive) HP LaserJet 5MP PostScript Printer. The page declares a message about there not being enough printer memory to print the document (but they printed fine in Acrobat 9).

 

Also, if I load the same document in FoxIt Reader, the documents print fine. I've played around with some of the Acrobat X Pro settings, but am still unable to print.

 

Has anyone any success in getting Acrobat X Pro to print to older (low-memory) printers?

964 Views   5 Replies   Latest reply: Dov Isaacs, Jul 5, 2012 6:23 PM
 
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  • Dov Isaacs
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    1. Dov Isaacs,
    Jul 4, 2012 12:15 PM   in reply to viveredesign
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    I've had no problem printing to my fleet of two Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 5M printers of the same period.

     

    If I recall correctly, the out of box configuration of that printer was really memory-challenged. Dealers of that era specifically wanted the printers to be sold with insufficient memory such that they could make large margins with sales of add-on memory. To truly be able to print graphically-rich content without errors or even quality degradation at 600dpi, the native resolution of the LaserJet 5MP, you really needed 6MB of memory; the printer shipped with somewhere between 2MB and 4MB.

     

    Two solutions:

     

    (1)     Splurge and buy some memory.  My own quick web search found 8MB memory upgrades for the LaserJet 5P (same printer as 5MP) for about $17 including shipping in the US.

     

    (2)     You may wish to modify the settings in Acrobat X's  Advanced / PostScript settings for Font and Resource Policy from Send by Range (the default) to Send for Each Page. This may reclaim just enough memory to allow your content to be printed.

     

              - Dov

     
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  • viveredesign
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    2. viveredesign,
    Jul 4, 2012 12:22 PM   in reply to Dov Isaacs
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    Thanks for the reply. We've already started the process of maximizing the printer's memory (it's cheap these days!), but the memory supplier has been sending some incompatible sticks, so we've been going back and forth.

     

    I was confused because (a) Acrobat 9 prints the same documents just fine, and (b) FoxIt Reader prints just fine. I'll wait for the memory to arrive, and if that still doesn't work, I'll work on those settings you mentioned.

     

    Thanks!

     
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  • Dov Isaacs
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    3. Dov Isaacs,
    Jul 4, 2012 2:42 PM   in reply to viveredesign
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    Each version of Adobe software has various updates and fixes to the print code and in the case of PostScript printers, in the PostScript generation. Possibly one of the updates or fixes was enough to push the memory profile above what your printers could handle.

     

    Since the setting I suggested in my previous response takes about 10 seconds to make, I would strongly suggest you try it out and see if that immediately resolves the problem for you.

     

              - Dov

     
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  • viveredesign
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    4. viveredesign,
    Jul 5, 2012 6:16 PM   in reply to Dov Isaacs
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    Hi Dov,

     

    I just revisited this issue when our latest memory stick arrived. I added the memory which gives the printer 32MB. However, the problem persisted. I then tried your solution #2 and everything now works fine. It's a little confusing that "send by page" works, but "send by range" does not since the document is only one page (so they should be the same). Oh well. On to other issues!

     

    Thanks!

     
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  • Dov Isaacs
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    5. Dov Isaacs,
    Jul 5, 2012 6:23 PM   in reply to viveredesign
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    Now I remember what was going on.

     

    Adobe applications try to interrogate the printer via PostScript (PostScript is actually a programming language with graphics operators) for available memory when trying to print with the "send by range" option. Because of the kludginess of the particular LaserJet's implementation in terms of how memory is handled, the response in terms of available memory is wrong from the printer. As such, the test often fails regardless of how much memory is in that particular printer. Oh, well. Amazing what you remember from over 15 years ago (I was Director of QA for the print group at the time and this memory thing was one of few quirks of an otherwise highly reliable printer!).

     

              - Dov

     
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