Preventing Printer Problems

Printing problems on a network can wreak havoc. Here are a few pointers to help you head off this type of trouble. If you do experience problems, See Chapter 22 for some troubleshooting help.

• Purchase HCL-compatible devices: Only purchase network print devices listed in the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). Otherwise, you may spend hours trying to get a print device to work on the network only to find that the device is not compatible. And always remember to check Microsoft's site for the latest version of the HCL.

• Get the latest print device drivers: Make sure that you obtain the latest print device driver associated with each print device on your network. Newer drivers correct bugs found in older drivers. If you use an older driver, you sometimes end up troubleshooting a known bug that has already been corrected in the newer driver.

• Purchase a name brand: We hope that your organization can afford to purchase name-brand print devices, such as Hewlett-Packard and Epson, for your network. We find that the biggest printing problems on networks stem from cheaper models. Even if you're able to hook these cheaper print devices up, sometimes it takes so long to get all the pieces working that investing in more popular brand-name print devices would have been more cost effective.

• Purchase from one manufacturer: We like to stick with one type (brand name) of print device where possible. Notice we said brand and not model. We realize that some organizations need to print in both black and white and color . If you can purchase all your print devices from one manufacturer (for example, Hewlett-Packard), your life and your users' lives will be easier. If you have all Hewlett-Packard laser print devices on your network, don't buy another manufacturer's laser print device just because it's on sale that day at your local computer superstore. You can save time by working with one vendor and its equipment and drivers instead of having to hunt all over the Internet for various manufacturers' Web sites. Allow your users to become familiar with the one brand, and they won't have to learn how to use new equipment all the time.

• Buy enough memory: The influx in graphics software has placed a strain on memory usage in print devices to produce the desired output. Don't wait until print jobs start fouling up before adding more memory. If your budget is too low to do this up front, find a local vendor that stocks memory for your computer and keep their telephone number handy.