[Lvlug] Print Drivers: Windows/Linux

[Randy Kramer]

Tom Stoddard wrote:
> I've experienced some difficulties printing in Windows on different
> printers. I used to publish several large price lists using Excel. When I
> sent the list to a print shop to have it duplicated on a high speed digital
> copier, the formatting got trashed. To solve the problem, I had to install a
> print driver on my local machine that matched the printer that the print
> shop was using. Then I had to select that printer as the default printer for
> the Excel files. When you looked at the lists in print preview the
> formatting matched what would result when printed to the high speed device.
> 
> This forced me to maintain two versions of my lists. One that the print shop
> could print on their high speed equipment and one that would print correctly
> on my local printer. Perhaps this behavior explains why your one software
> vendor asked you to install a driver for a device you weren't using. From
> what I have been led to believe, this behavior has something to do with the
> fact that Windows does not support postscript natively. I believe Apple and
> Linux do. I guess it's a trade off that makes it easier for OEMs to write
> drivers for Windows. I used to sell printing paper for a living and I often
> heard my customers complain about the problems they had when their customers
> sent them files that were not in postcript formats.

I've also experienced some problems with Windows applications that had
something to do with the printer drivers.  Right now, can't recall it
very well at, not even which application (it *may* have been Excel). 
The explanation I got went along the lines that a printer driver had to
be selected even though I might not ever intend to print so that
<something> could be done (may it had to do with laying out the
"document" on the screen (I just made that part up, because it at least
seemed reasonable).  In my case, the lack of a printer driver seemed
utterly irrelevant to the problem I was having, but I got the
explanation from what should have been a reliable source -- the support
group for the particular product.

So, it appears that the printer drivers, at least in some programs, are
used for things unrelated to printing.

Randy Kramer