[Lvlug] Print Drivers: Windows/Linux

[dann]

Interesting situation:  In elementary school labs we have been having
considerable problems with two applications, mostly with printing.  You
print from the app and get either error messages or crashes.  Sometimes,
you have success.  Printing has been tried both to a novell queue and
straight ip.  Interestingly, when switching to ip we get a different
error.

On a lark, I set up another printer (HPLJ4100) on a machine, set that as
the default, and had no problems printing.  I did this for two reasons:

1)  About a year ago, we were having problems, not printer related, with a
third application.  One suggestion from tech support was to switch the
default printer to an HPLJ4.  Even though we do not have this printer,
they suggested that we do this and then have the users manually choose a
different printer when it came time to print.  Needless to say this was
not a viable option.

2)  A third lab has an HPLJ4100 in the lab and set as the default printer
and they are not experiencing the same problems.

After many permutations, this is the fix:

1)  Remove all printers
2)  Reboot
3)  Install and set the HPLJ4100 as the default printer
4)  Install the techtronics printer
5)  Start the program and print to the HPLJ4100
6)  Exit the program 
7)  Set the default printer to the techtronics
8)  Start the program and print again

This seems to work.  Just installing the HPLJ4100 as a printer will not
get rid of the problem.  Setting it as default and then going back to the
techtronics does not work, even if you reboot.  

In light of this experience, and the suggestion with the third program,
what is windows doing with printer drivers that it really interfers with
programs and layouts?  Does windows use printer drivers for more than just
printing?

So to make this linux relevant, does anyone know if whatever windows does
with printer drivers is similar to what other OS's do?  Or in linux, is
the printer drive called into play only when it comes time to print?

-- 
Daniel S. Washko
Lehigh Valley Linux Users Group
www.thelinuxlink.net/lvlinux
get slack (www.slackware.com ) and get happy