I would toss this printer out the window...

[ejb190]

but alas the windows don't open.

Sorry for the long post, but I could really use some help here.

I have dealt with three different support IT support places on trying to solve a printer problem and have managed to get clues, but no solid explinations as to what is happening.

We have a Minolta Magicolor 2300 color laser printer hooked into a Windows XP Pro network. It is one of three printers on the network (and the only one we have problems with). Some print jobs work fine (text with a small color logo, digital photos from Windows Photo Printing Wizard [20-40 5X7's at a time], ) but when I go to print things like color flyers, Publisher docuemts, and larger pdf files I will often get just the background or a blank sheet followed by an error message.

I have tried changing the error handling settings, switching the cables, rebooting the printer (more times then I can count), using Minolta's online Answer Base, and tearing my hair out. Nothing seems to work. Now the one interesting clue I have is when one of the network guys pinged the printer, the 1500 packet came back with 1464. Curious and not being much of a network person, I asked what that ment. He didn't have a clue.

Now I would have called a service rep to come take a look at it, but I discovered that the service contract for that particular printer was not renewed due to budget cuts two years ago!!! I really have better things to do with my time at work then take care of computer problems... It's not my job, but I am getting the feeling it is not anyone else's either...

[Lyle]

Not that this is going to be of much help to you (especially without an active service contract), but it sounds as though the printer's running out of memory for the larger print jobs that you're describing. I know that sometimes I'm unable to print some larger documents to my HP LaserJet 5XL unless I first "shift down" from its default resolution of 600 dpi to 300 dpi.

What happens if you take one of the documents that doesn't print properly (say, one of the large PDFs) and try to print it out a few pages at a time? Or, if it's an option, print the document at a lower resolution?

[MongoTheGeek]

Originally Posted by Lyle

Not that this is going to be of much help to you (especially without an active service contract), but it sounds as though the printer's running out of memory for the larger print jobs that you're describing. I know that sometimes I'm unable to print some larger documents to my HP LaserJet 5XL unless I first "shift down" from its default resolution of 600 dpi to 300 dpi.

What happens if you take one of the documents that doesn't print properly (say, one of the large PDFs) and try to print it out a few pages at a time? Or, if it's an option, print the document at a lower resolution?

I agree. Simplify the image before printing. Lower the DPI, remove fonts. Another trick is to make it a PDF before printing. Perhaps making a tiff.

[ejb190]

Originally Posted by MongoTheGeek

I agree. Simplify the image before printing. Lower the DPI, remove fonts. Another trick is to make it a PDF before printing. Perhaps making a tiff.

The PDF trick works...sometimes. I'll have to work on the file sizes. The problem is teaching everyone in the office how to get things to work.

I was just looking to see if I could find how much memory that printer has, when I noticed it is a 2200, not a 2300. Sorry 'bout that. It has 128 MB.

[Roger1]

I don't know anything about Minolta printers, but I know that HP printers can have 2 kinds of drivers- PCL (printer control language) adn PS (post script). Generally, I have found that if I am printing anything fancy, or with pictures using the PS driver works much better than a PCL driver. I suggest switching drivers, if you can.