Document 43

Adobe PostScript drivers

Version: 2.5 - Scientific WorkPlace & Scientific Word

Q. When I printed my SW 2.5 document on an HP LaserJet 5MP printer in PostScript mode, the PCX graphics were completely garbled: they were cut into horizontal strips and printed in reverse order! How can I fix this?

A. Other users have reported this kind of problem when trying to print PCX graphics on an HP LaserJet 5 series printer. We suspect that your printer was shipped with the Adobe PostScript driver version 2.1.2, which for some unknown reason causes problems with PCX graphics in SW 2.5 documents.

To work around the problem, you can download the version 3.0.1 driver from our FTP site. Your PCX graphics will print correctly, but you won't be able to set the printer defaults directly from the PostScript driver, as you would with the Printer Control Language (PCL) driver.

Here's some background information: PCX graphics contained in an SW 2.01 document print without a problem on an HP LaserJet Jet 4JM printer and on HP LaserJet 5MP printer in PostScript mode. The same graphics contained in an SW 2.5 document print beautifully on an HP LaserJet 4ML printer but are impossibly garbled when printed on an HP LaserJet 5MP printer. Thus, there appears to be a conflict between SW 2.5 and the print driver specific to the HP LaserJet 5MP, which is the Adobe PostScript driver version 2.1.2. (The version 2.1.1. driver shipped with the 4ML printers.) We're still looking for the source of the conflict.

Our FTP site has a file called mp211en.exe, which contains updated HP LaserJet print drivers, including the Adobe PostScript driver version 3.0.1. The README file notes that the newer Adobe driver has more functionality that version 2.1.2, but doesn't allow the remote software setting of default printing parameters for HP LaserJet 5M/MP printers. If that capability isn't important to you, you can install the 3.0.1 driver and print PCX graphics from SW 2.5 without a problem.

Added 07/17/96

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