If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Secret drivers for LaserJet 3030 and other HP LJ all-in-ones
If you have been trying to use the HP LaserJet 3030 -- or one of the other HP LJ multifunctions -- with MacOS X like I have and you haven't used it as a boat anchor yet, there are secret drivers that enable you to use all its features under recent versions of MacOS X. I reviewed the LJ3030 in another, but I assume you bought this because you wanted a printer, scanner, FAX, and copier (or at least two or three of those). I believe HP's decision to use AiO was misguided and Mac users have suffered as a result. In any case, I found a workaround to enable reliable printing with AiO and new (almost secret) drivers to enable scanning from TWAIN applications. If you are happy accessing just the printer function from MacOS X, then you are probably fine. The printer works fine as a USB-connected PostScript printer using the drivers included in the HewlettPackardPrinterDrivers.pkg included with MacOS X. It might even work fine as a generic PostScript printer even if the HewlettePackardPrinterDrivers.pkg wasn't installed (I never tested this and I don't know how much AiO support is required for just printing). Or you can install the latest HP LaserJet V.5.5.2 [print-only] drivers (which includes updated PPDs and PDEs for printer-specific features and supports both PPC and Intel). However, the scanner component is inaccessible when used this way -- an AiO driver must be installed to access the scanner (and the FAX capability). Unfortunately, I found that when HP AiO's drivers are installed, printing is unreliable. In particular, when a job is queued up while a job is printing, the queued job is dropped. For example, if you submit jobs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Job #1 will start printing, and jobs 2, 3, 4, 5 will queue up. After #1 finishes, the Mac will send over #2 except the printer will ignore it. After #2 is sent over, then #3 will start printing. #4 will be lost and then #5 will print out. Note that is only happens if the LJ3030 is connected directly to the Mac via USB. If the LJ3030 is connected to a JetDirect en3700, then the Mac prints via LPD, JetDirect/9100, or IPP and there is no problem. Also, the all-in-one software V.5.9.5 (note confusing naming and versioning -- these drivers date from 2003/2004) includes a TWAIN driver stopped working with 10.2 (it definitely doesn't work with 10.3 and 10.4). First Fix: New drivers -- While HP's drivers page for MacOS X only shows the V.5.5.2 [print-only] drivers and the all-in-one V.5.9.5 drivers, the MacOS X drivers page for the Color LaserJet 2820/2840 have the new all-in-one V.6.0 drivers. This 180MB download from Feb '05 actually includes support for dozens of HP multifunction/all-in-ones. Although the icon for the HP Director is wrong, this driver otherwise fully supports the HP LaserJet 3030 under MacOS X 10.3. In particular, it replaces the TWAIN driver with one that is compatible with 10.3+ (possible 10.2+ but I didn't test this). FAX send support also worked under 10.3 and 10.4 from "admin" (from a regular user under 10.4, PrintJobMgr crashed on attempts to FAX). Second Fix: Delay for CommApp -- Still missing: full Intel-support and reliable printing. Unfortunately, full Intel support can only come from HP, but I found a workaround for reliable printing when the HP drivers are installed and the printer is connected via USB. When the HP drivers are installed and the LJ3030 is connected via USB, all communication to the LJ3030 is done through "HP Communications.app". Printing in this situation handled by a "CommApp" backend that forwards to HP Communications. The fix is to insert a delay after "CommApp" runs so that the printer has time to recover before accepting a new job. My hack to create the delay requires creating a wrapper script for CommApp which adds a "sleep" after calling the real CommApp. As root after HP's drivers are installed: # cd /usr/libexec/cups/backend # mv CommApp CommApp.exe # cat EOF CommApp #!/bin/sh /usr/libexec/cups/backend/CommApp.exe "$@" && sleep 8 EOF # chmod 755 CommApp # exit Stilling Missing: Manual feed and Watermarks support. See next post. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|