Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 8550 Series Printer Printing System Release Notes The Late-Breaking Readme file contains information that may impact the installation and use of your HP LaserJet 8550 printer. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Readme File Contents: I. Introduction II. Defects Fix List for: -Driver versions: PCL5c PostScript -Windows 95/98/Millennium 4.22.8550.440 4.27.8550.440 -Windows NT 4.0 4.22.8550.440 4.27.8550.440 -Windows XP/2000 4.22.8550.440 4.27.8550.440 III. Enhancements for: -Driver versions: PCL5c PostScript -Windows 95/98/Millennium 4.22.8550.440 4.27.8550.440 -Windows NT 4.0 4.22.8550.440 4.27.8550.440 -Windows XP/2000 4.22.8550.440 4.27.8550.440 IV. Technical Assistance V. Legal Statements --Trademark notices --Software license and copyright ************************ I. INTRODUCTION ************************ This Readme file provides specific information you should know before you install and use the Printing System. Information and Known issues are provided for the following operating systems: -Windows XP -Windows 2000 -Windows NT 4.0 -Windows 95/98/ME -Windows 3.1x This file provides specific compatibility, and troubleshooting information. For additional information on the printer features and driver features, refer to the online help included with each software component and the printer use guide. *********************************** II. DEFECTS FIX LIST *********************************** --Various memory leaks --Duplexing in PageMaker 6.5 & 7.0: 9x,ME,NT4 // PCL5 Not able to duplex in Adobe PageMaker 6.5 & 7.0 --Unable to print through Oracle": 9x,ME,NT4 // Application may crash. --Booklet PostScript Driver: 2K,XP // PostScript PostScript application may rotate or paginate incorrectly. PostScript Passthrough Enhancement fix. --Job Retention Settings: NT4.0 // PCL5 (user name, job name) are not retained in the user profile in WTS, but rather "centrally" on the print server. --Windows Terminal Server Blue Screens: PCL5e, PCL5c // Windows NT4.0 Terminal Server clients may experience hangs and Blue Screens when trying to print. Blue screen refers to hpblgf2.dll. --Mouse cursor issue: PCL5e, PCL5c // The mouse cursor will sometimes disappear when using applications developed with Sybase PowerBuilder. --Kidnap font issue: PCL5e, PCL5c // When printing using the Kidnap font, the fonts print a row of squares instead of the jagged edged boxes with a letter in them. --Font Courier New randomly prints light: PCL5e, PCL5c // Sometimes when printing documents containing the font Courier New, some lines print looking bold others print lighter. --Microsoft XP Office issues: PCL5e, PCL5c // 1. Changing orientation from Portrait to Landscape may cause an error "Margins are outside of the printable area. Fix/Ignore..." 2. Printing Multipage documents, pages about halfway through shifts image down and to the right. Text goes off the page. 3. Changing page orientation portrait to landscape, pages following the landscape page are moved down and to the left. Print preview looks correct. --Pantone 1205cv yellow prints as black: PCL5e, PCL5c // Some files print black instead of yellow when specifying Pantone 1205cv. --Local Quick Sets & Watermarks over Point and Print: Previously not able to configure Quick Sets and Watermarks on a local users driver when driver was installed via Pont and Print. --Print drivers do not correctly delete PCM font files: PCL5e, PCL5c, // Print drivers do not correctly delete PCM font files in the Font DIMMs section of the driver. This behavior exists for the Windows NT, 2000, and XP operating systems. Not seen in drivers for Windows 9x. --Bitmap printing performance issue: Printing documents containing bitmap images print slower than expected. *********************************** III. ENHANCEMENTS *********************************** * Job Storage on separate tab Job Storage options on separate tab: Win2k,WinXP,9x,ME,NT4 The Traditional drivers will have the Job Storage Feature on it own Tab within the driver providing better ease of use. * Paper types as sources Include paper types within applications: 9x,ME,NT4 Applications that allow you to select paper trays from within there Page Setup option will now have the option to select paper "Type" as well as "Size". * Local Quicksets, Local Watermarks The new features known as Local Quicksets and Local Watermarks are targeted towards customers that install printer drivers using the technique known as Point and Print. These new features were implemented based on fact that for clients that install their printer drivers using Point and Print techniques, and do not have administrative rights on the server, most, if not all, controls in the driver UI (right-click on printer icon and then select Printer Preferences) are grayed out and thus unavailable to the user. Quicksets, which are found on all of the tabs, are selectable, but not creatable. Whatever is provided by the Server Administrator in the way of Quicksets is thus available to the remote clients. However, the remote client is currently unable to create his or her own quicksets with settings specific to his or her own needs. The same is true for watermarks. Watermarks are selectable from the list provided by the Server Administrator, but it is not currently possible to create one’s own watermarks. Local Quicksets and Local Watermarks were added to the feature set of these new enhanced drivers. Local Quicksets feature: (Assuming User rights on server only) When the new driver with this feature is installed, the Quickset controls are no longer grayed out. Both the combo box and the button are active. A remote client is able to view all server-based quicksets. However, he/she is now able to create his/her own quicksets. After changing the settings that define a new quickset, the combo box displays the Untitled string in the edit field of the combo box. Clicking in the edit field, the string is highlighted and the user may type in a new name, one that will identify the new settings. Upon typing in the new name, the button changes to "Save". Clicking the Save button, the new quickset is added to the combo box and to the available list of quicksets. Additional quicksets may be added at this point by changing the settings, typing in a new name and pressing the Save button. Pressing the OK button at the bottom of the tab will cause the new quicksets to be saved. When the user opens the driver UI once again, the new quicksets will already be available in the Quickset combo box. They will be intermixed with the server-based quicksets. Thus, all available quicksets will be available to the user in the usual and familiar way. Deletion of quicksets is done in the usual manner. By selecting a quickset, the button changes to a "Delete" button. If the client does not have User Rights on the server only, it is not possible for him/her to delete server-based quicksets. Thus, though the button will change to a "Delete" button, the button is grayed out if the selected quickset is a server-based quickset. All Local quicksets can be deleted by this user and so the "Delete" button is active for Local quicksets. In the event of a duplicate quickset, i.e. a quickset on the server, which has the same name as a Local quickset, the server-based quickset will be suppressed from the combo box and only the Local quickset will be displayed. If the user deletes the Local duplicate name, the server-based quickset then becomes available to the remote client. Local Watermarks: The Local Watermarks feature is very similar to the Local Quicksets feature. After installing a driver with the new feature, the Watermarks Edit button becomes available in the "Effects" tab. When clicking the "Edit" button, all of the server-based watermarks are available. The New button is no longer grayed out, allowing the user to create a new watermark. When clicking on the "New" button, an Untitled watermark appears in the list. The "Delete" button becomes active (for that new Untitled watermark only). Settings are changeable and the user may type the name of a new watermark that will be associated with those settings. Pressing the "OK" button will save the name and the associated settings. Upon bringing up the UI and the watermarks Edit again, the new watermark is now available in the list box. Selection of all Local Watermarks brings up the newly associated settings. The "Delete" button is also still active. Selecting a server-based watermark will gray out the Delete button, disallowing the deletion of server-based watermarks. Upon creation of a server-based watermark that is a duplicate of a Local watermark, the server-based name will be suppressed in the local list. Deletion of the Local watermark duplicate will make the server-based watermark name and settings available to this remote user. All Local Quicksets and Local Watermarks are stored in the registry of the local machine. The registry setting is specific to the printer installed and to the user that installed it. Therefore, multiple users may install multiple printers and all of the Local Quicksets and Watermarks will be separate from each other. * The Job Retention User Interface has undergone several enhancements to improve the usability of this functionality. First, "Job Retention" has been renamed "Job Storage". Next, the "Option" button found below the Destination features drop-down has been renamed to "Settings". This is seen on the Destination Tab, Destination features drop-down, and on the Job Storage Settings dialog accessed by clicking "Settings" button on the Destination tab from within the enhanced driver. Another enhancement that has been added is found in the "Job Storage Options" dialog box. It is an enhanced UI for controlling the "User Name" and "Job Name" values sent to the printer. The "User Name" controls now allow the user to choose to use their Windows Logon Name (default), or enter a custom string. "Job Name" controls also provide and Automatic and Custom option. The Automatic option will try to determine a unique job name based on the following algorithm: - If available, the file name of the printed document will be used, truncated to 16 characters. - If file name is not available, the application name will be used, truncated to 16 characters. - If the driver cannot determine the application name, a timestamp will be used. - If a timestamp cannot be used, a localized UNTITLED will be used. - If a localized UNTITLED cannot be used, English UNTITLED will be used. The "User Name" and "Job Name" fields will be combined on the printer to form a filename that can be accessed on the control panel to retrieve the stored job. Another new feature is the ability to view the "User Name" and "Job Name" sent when the document is printed. This feature is controlled by the "Display Job ID when printing" checkbox. When enabled, a pop-up dialog will be displayed when the job is printed. The printer, port, location of the printer (if available), as well as the User Name and Job Name sent will be displayed to the user. This feature can be disabled from the pop-up by checking the "In the future do not show this information" checkbox, or un-checking the 'Display Job ID when printing' control from the Job Storage Settings dialog. * DMC (Driver Management and Configuration) This is made up of two parts: Driver Updates: DMC is designed to ease the transition from older hp drivers to our newer UNIDRV drivers. DMC ensures that settings present for an installed printer are retained and transferred to the newer driver. Currently, driver configuration files for older drivers are incompatible with the newer UNIDRV drivers. When an older driver is upgraded, all previous printer settings (duplex, collation, color settings, etc.) are replaced with the default settings of the new driver. DMC provides a mechanism for older drivers to export their current settings to a DMC format file and then use that file to pass the configuration on to the new drivers. Driver Configuration Utility: DMC also has a utility, which will be available winter of 2002-2003, to create printer configuration files. The utility will be used to pre-configure printer drivers to corporate standards and deploy those drives to server and/or client computers through a company. This feature gives administrators a tool to pre-configure and deploy printer drivers easily and efficiently across an entire company. ************************************ IV. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ************************************ Some of the services below are provided for the United States only. Similar services to those listed below are available in other countries. See your printer's user guide or call your local authorized HP dealer. CUSTOMER SUPPORT See your printer's use guide or call your local authorized HP dealer. INTERNET Anonymous FTP library service is available worldwide for around-the-clock-access to drivers and technical support information for HP peripheral and computer products. Please note that paths may change without notice. Access the Internet or FTP address and use the menus to locate the software or support of your choice. -URL for HP LaserJet 8550 Series Support: http://www.hp.com/support/clj8550 -URL for Software and Support: http://www.hp.com/go/support -URL for Access HP: http://www.hp.com -FTP address: ftp.hp.com Login: anonymous Password: your Internet email address HP SOFTWARE AND SUPPORT SERVICES - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Refer to your printer use guide for additional methods of obtaining software and support information, such as printer driver distribution centers, other online services, fax services, and other online support. ********************************* V. LEGAL STATEMENTS ********************************* TRADEMARK NOTICES -MS-DOS, Windows, PScript and Internet Explorer are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corp. -OS/2 is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation. -Macintosh and Mac OS are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. -PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Incorporated. SOFTWARE LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT Information provided in this document and software for the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 8550 Series printer is provided "as is." No implied warranties of merchantability and or fitness for a particular purpose are given. The HP LaserJet 8550 Series printing system may be copied and distributed only to users of an HP LaserJet 8550 Series printer. All files on the CD must be copied without modification. All components of the HP LaserJet 8550 Series printing system must be distributed together. The HP LaserJet 8550 Series printing system may not be distributed for profit. 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