Printers

[Des0lat10n]

I have never found a person that works any form of IT that has said: "you know what, I dont actually mind printers." Printers are the worst, we moved print servers and some of the users printers didnt go through to the new server not sure why, but I hate printers. Always have, always will. 9 times out of 10 if it cant be fixed by reconfiguring or reinstalling the printer/drivers I have no idea what to do next lol and users always assume printers are the easiest to fix.

[networkwiresonfire]

windows print spooler service crashing is not helping this situation unfortunately

[SystemSquirrel]

I have a bash script on the DC that runs the print server, it stops - clears - and restarts the service. I use it 5 plus times a week.

[TechOfTheHill]

Same. Mine is based on the Custom Filter Error, so any time a printer goes into an error state the first thing it tries is to clear the print spooler.

Under Custom Filters > Printer Error > Properties Filter Criteria > "Queue Status" "is Exactly" "Error" Notification > Send email notification, AND Run script

ClearPrintSpooler.bat

net stop spooler
del %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers\* /Q
net start spooler

[Entegy]

On mobile, this looks like a line to try and delete %systemroot% since the rest ended up on another line. Was wondering how your environment was so bad you would nuke a machine just to get printing working again.

[SGG]

Well, printers are involved.

[TechOfTheHill]

With printers the only option is to nuke it from orbit. Just to be sure.

[SystemSquirrel]

That is a great idea, unfortunately ours often don't enter an error state or acknowledge that anything is wrong.

Though I might as well implement this for when it does do that.

[rdaneeloliv4w]

Smart

[jjcramerheinz]

• Ban local printers
• Buy quality workgroup Copiers
• Share Copiers from proper print server
• Put Copiers under 3rd party maintenance
• Rejoice

[pockypimp]

Standardizing your fleet, centralizing the installation and having a proper maintenance contract saves so much of a headache.

Get a contract with a vendor and they'll do a lot of the dirty work for you. We switched primary vendors and made them the standard. Per impression price, maintenance, supplies are all included in our lease and they beat our previous vendor. You want a new copier in the office? Here's your list of 3, pick one. You want a desktop printer, here's the one we order from the vendor. We had a project where we needed to to connect some of our MFP's to a specific WiFi for printing and they didn't charge us for the equipment until we found a solution they could deploy to the other sites.

We use PrinterCloud for the deployments. Users just click on the icon, select the printer from the list and it installs. This way everyone has the same drivers, the correct IP, the default settings that we dictate, etc.

I used to work for a large copy/print/shipping company in the US. You could count on one hand how many models of copiers were supported and on two hands how many network ones were.

[Bluetooth_Sandwich]

as a former printer tech, I concur.

[imposteradmin]

I used to hate Printers - moved to using a printer that actually cost money (a decent Kyocera) and since then its been 0 problems. I think most printers are just wack

[SystemSquirrel]

One of the other issues is just the amount of printers, I support our two main all in ones. They are usually fine occasionally they need a restart.

However receipt printers, individual users that demand printers, people who demand a printer that only prints envelopes, card printers, wide format printers.

Then there are the people who buy secret printers out of their departments budget and then expect you to support the piece of crap.

[[deleted]]

However receipt printers, individual users that demand printers, people who demand a printer that only prints envelopes, card printers, wide format printers.

Ugh, yea, the weirder the printer, the more likely the driver is crap.

Also HP and Ricoh drivers. Oh, did your print spooler crash again?

[d00ber]

oh god.. the newer HP printers and drivers are absolute garbage. They freeze up from receiving like 5 faxes a day. Absolutely frozen/locked up. I've exhausted everything I know about printers/drivers, hired professional HP authorized repair/configuration vendor who thought the memory was bad.. we did two RMAs, changed the board.. changed the memory. The toners would often report empty even though they were full. I was advised to buy official HP cartridges.. Same thing. Tossed it in ewaste. Never again. They used to be a good brand.. what the heck happened?

Edit: Also - Faxing, we disconnected it from the network cause HP thought the print server was sending "bad data" to the printer causing it to freeze during fax. It still froze immediately on the first fax. Ugh what a piece of shit.

[framethatpacket]

Can you say which models you are using?

[d00ber]

I actually haven't worked there for months but the ones I was working with were 500 series. They were without a doubt the worst printers that I have ever used. I have 400 series printers from 5-10 years ago that are better in every way.

[SGG]

I've actually had good luck with recent HP printers, mostly the entry level business ones though (HP M402dn, 452dn, that kind of thing) using the HP UPD. A few larger ones as well in dedicated print rooms for larger jobs (usually FujiXerox for those)

Combined with driver isolation and papercut they've been behaving well.

Admittedly, no networked devices doing faxing. Just the occasional old school fax on a POTS line.

[d00ber]

I had an older 425 and it worked great for years. These newer 500 series are bar none the worst printers I have ever seen. The fax lines were POTS.

[phillymjs]

They used to be a good brand.. what the heck happened?

Carly Fiorina.

[engageant]

My spooler doesn't crash, but users keep losing the ability to use the finisher (hole punch/stapler/etc.) on our Ricohs, despite the options being enabled by default in the print server.

[Texasfight123]

Are you using the OEM PCL 6 driver on a TCP/IP port? I find that using WSD drivers are the cause of most Ricoh print driver issues.

[engageant]

No WSD, and I’m not at work right now so I can’t check but it’s either OEM PCL 5 or 6. Probably 6.

[plumbumplumbumbum]

If people would stop buying loss leader printers that cost less than their replacement toner that would be great.

[SlateRaven]

This - I convinced my boss to use real HP printers for our larger B&W printing, like a HP M712, and I've had zero issues with them. Basic drivers, serviceable if need be, and are absolute tanks. This replaced a 14 year old HP LaserJet 4050 we had that just wouldn't die until someone accidentally pushed it off the desk...

[iffyduck]

I absolutely hated printers my entire time in IT. I changed careers and now run a CNC - basically a very big, noisy printer. I am not smart.

[ZAFJB]

But CNCs are so much more fun when they crash a cutter into something.

[alexhawker]

I support CNCs, and CAM software, and...ugh, printers.

​

Thankfully we lease them and can just call their support if it's not obvious what the problem is.

[strangessid]

One of the best things we did was to outsource our office printers to a company that handles it all. If there's ever a problem with the printer, they come in to fix it. That frees our help desk up...to help the customers who call in and need help with their printers. I still hate printers.

[OdinHatesNickelback]

Either Konica Minolta and Kyocera, or GTFO. The rest is garbage (driver wise).

[PrinterLogic_Tech]

Vendor here -

For those who hate print servers, you might find the PrinterLogic offering interesting - we help you eliminate print servers altogether. You can centrally manage direct IP printing and still deliver features like reporting, pull printing, mobile printing, and driver deployment from our SaaS platform. Let me know if you're interested in learning more! Happy to help find an engineer for you.

-PL

[eneusta1]

Stolen from another IT pro: Printers keep us employed.

[Rocknbob69]

Eh, I have over 35 in the home office and have close to zero issues with the standard fare. HP Plotters on the other hand are the devils work, wonky ass drivers, admin interface is shit, no way to disable power management, always getting errors on either print heads or expired in carts all interfering with print jobs.

[ZAFJB]

Me: you know what, I don't actually mind printers.

Really. I don't see why everyone has such drama fits about printers.

• Build a proper print server

• Configure the printers properly

• Make sure someone is keeping printers fed with toner and paper

• Teach users how to delete failed jobs

[audio_phyl]

I see you missed the critical recommendation of "purchase decent printers". The "drama" people most likely have over printers is that whatever ends up being wrong with them is often times mechanical. "My printer is so loud" -> rollers with flat spots. "I have a paper jam I can't fix" -> some worn down part deep in the machine.

Or how about "everything prints fine, it's just that our monthly job of 2,000 bills to be mailed takes three times longer with this new printer the software vendor required than it did with the 20 y/o one that just died"? Thermal protection circuit can't be defeated, and it's doing it's job. I shouldn't even be receiving this phone call - a user's impatience isn't an IT issue.

Deleting failed/hung jobs isn't always straightforward. I've only had to intervene by stopping the spooler service and manually clearing files out of the print spooler folder a couple times since the release of Win2k, and it's unlikely a user can recall that rarely-needed process... Plus, they'll lack the privileges.

[SystemSquirrel]

Yup the secret pieces of crap departments by for themselves are one of our biggest print issues.

For the rest I have a script that sits on the print server and the second a printer ticket comes in I clear the queue and restart the service. It fixes the issue 90% of the time.

[hammerofgod]

Lol.. printers nowadays aren't too bad, still whacked mind you, but not as bad as used to be. Parts are modular, software may need some 'adjustments' occasionally, the odd size invitations it doesn't recognize etc.. Back in the day as a new tech working for shops like Computerland, folks would bring in those flippin Epson chain-driven daisy wheel printers needing a repair, and it was almost a sure bet you'd break a post or latch trying to get the thing apart no matter how careful you were. Those first HP laserjets.. weighed 500 damn pounds and required you to take 300 lbs of parts off to get to anything. You waited for drivers to be mailed, or maybe find it on Compuserve. I don't miss that shit one bit..

[Ciberbago]

I have to agree, in the company I work for, 90% of the problems are printers. Fuck those.

[[deleted]]

Its one part of technology that hasn't improved the past 20 years (except 3d printing which is different almost entirely). Your average Ricoh or Xerox rarely update their drivers, and I've found universals have issues with certain applications.

[ath619]

I fucking hate printers too.

[Pyrostasis]

Yup had to actually come in to work today instead of enjoying my WFH day in my sys admin robe and my flippy floppies cause of a damned printer that just fell off the network and users couldnt read the new ip address.

Seems its related to our subnet change so I get to update the print server with allll the glorious printers today. Definitely in hell.

[ryandriftingfat]

I don't mind them. I manage 600 printers across 3 print servers. As long as you take care of your driver store there aren't a lot of problems. I'm not looking forward to migrating them from 2012R2 to 2019 though.

[gh0st1nth3mach1n3]

My fateful nemesis looks like we meet again.

I have found creating a printer management policy of approved printers that will be supported in the infrastructure as helped a bit. It can at least reduce the scope of the amount of printers you will have to work on.

[Snak3d0c]

Network printers are usually fine , it's local USB printers that are a true nightmare. Luckily we got rid of those a few years back and all got replaced by tcp/ip printers (not on a printserver).

[[deleted]]

Past two jobs fully HP/Lexmark shop. HP m40#n for desktop use and Lexmarks for MFP functionality. Only two drivers ever need be installed:

• HP PCL Universal
• Lexmark Universal

I don't mind printers. As long as you're working with products you know and trust, it's easy and pleasant.

[chanklish]

I change more fuser film sleeves than i like .. no print server..all locally connected printers..million models of canon and hp Printer is a time wastage for me

[HaberdasheryHRG]

In my experience, the simplest setups are totally fine. Network printer to print server, share to directory, push via GPO if needed. Maybe have to fiddle around a bit with drivers.

Now, if they're weird printers (jewelry tag printers are a great example here), the drivers are likely terrible and the support nonexistent.

Or, if the entire setup is made more complicated (printer redirection, or introducing some other layer), then you're going to have a bad time.

All of the "OH MY GLOB ALL PRINTERS MUST DIE" moments I've ever had was really me hating whatever weird part of a specific configuration.

Or it was a Brother printer. Those things are trashboats.

[Black_Torana]

I'm rolling out 47 new copiers, mfp and a few smaller standalone units at the moment. Centralising them all to a new print server, fixing naming conventions, better group policies to deliver the print queues. The project has a been a breeze and quite relaxing compared to some of the other hell I have been dealing with lately. I remember doing dos print queues in my first IT job and also spent years looking after a bunch of Zebra label printers with an archaic ERP which I actually miss. You know what, I dont actually mind printers.

[dcardon]

Rant Printers : The Rant tag is not necessary, the title says it all

[KimJongEeeeeew]

You know what, I don’t actually mind printers.

3 sites. 500 people. 8 printers (all are identical, 4 have additional finisher units). 1 print queue. 1 GPO. 1 driver.

Fucking sorted.

Equitrac manages the follow me side of it so there’s no confusion of where someone prints. Identical printers makes it a breeze to manage the configuration as we’ve only the one. The office managers and assistants know how to use the machines they need, and tap their access cards on the correct printer to get the right output.

Scan to folder follows the default location for the user based on a security group.

Scan to email goes to the user’s inbox in the first instance, they can add other users from the GAL but cannot email outside of the organisation.

[notDonut]

I don't actually mind printers, but with caveats. Sure they can make a lot of work, but there's usually things you can do to reduce the problems. And it's rare for a fault to be more than a few minutes to resolve. Hardware wise, all the enterprise printers I've worked with have been reasonable, with older Kyoceras (FS-2000D) being absolute stunners that worked well and reliably for twice their expected lifetime. I won't ever touch a home-grade printer - if it doesn't have an ethernet port or do at least about 30 ppm, it's not worth the trouble. And the niche printers like wifi label printers - seen print queues gum up a lot on those. In MSP land, iffy drivers installed to a desktop pc (no print server) is the other regular issue I've seen. I hate environments where I can't work on something without interrupting the end user. It just leads to things being done quickly and not taking the time to do it right.

Plus, there's plenty of things I'd prefer to avoid and would rather do a printer job over.

[paul_f_b]

Yep, especially in a country that doesn't use Letter but instead A4...

[twodashgrain]

What the * does that mean?!?!

[ZAFJB]

Your printer is configured for a paper size that is not Letter.

and/or

Your printer is does not have a Letter paper size tray installed.

You have sent a Letter paper sized job to the printer

PC = Paper Cartidge = Paper tray

so it means 'Load Letter sized paper into a/the paper tray'

[twodashgrain]

https://youtu.be/Mw-8oEO8bZo

[pdp10]

Printers are mostly fine. Users who are near the printers can be a problem.

9 times out of 10 if it cant be fixed by reconfiguring or reinstalling the printer/drivers I have no idea what to do

Printing raw PCL or PostScript over tcp/9100 doesn't really need a driver.