# Bizarre printer behavior **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 12, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-printer-behavior/131908 "2002-10-12T01:53:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sassafras\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Sassafras\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassafras_Kid)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-printer-behavior/131908/1 "2002-10-12T01:53:42Z")
My father has a printer (Lexmark Z43) that will only print the first page and stops. If he goes to print, say, a 5 page report through MSword, IE or Notepad, it will fully print page one then announce “Printing Complete,” ignoring the remaining pages. He is running Win2000 w/ all updates and services packs. I have reinstalled the newest & proper W2K drivers and same problem. I have change BIOS settings for the printer port and same again. I have searched many online help sites with no luck. Any SD’ers out there ever seen or corrected this situation? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-printer-behavior/131908/2 "2002-10-12T04:06:26Z")
No good news, sorry. I have two different El Cheapo Lexmark printers, a Z11 and a Z22, and both of them are legendary in our family for the different kinds of weird sh\*t they can come up with, from one day to the next. [http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/0-2375165-418-5906534.html](http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/0-2375165-418-5906534.html) > [@](#): > > “Go for Lexmark, but not the Z43” > > I have had several computers over the last several years, with a Lexmark Printer to match. Lexmark’s in general are great. The Z43 is horrible compared to the rest. I have 2 Z23s that work with no problem. I also had two 3200s, which were great. The Z43 has a mind of its own. In order to print a page, I have to reset the printer every time. If I have several print jobs at once, it will print them all. If I wait a minute or two in between print jobs I have to restart the printer again. Stay away from the Z43. > > \< snip \> > > “I hate my printer!!” > > Maybe it’s because I’m running it on Win2K, but the box said it was compatible. I’ve never run into a printer that is so tough to install. It recently disappeared and I can’t get it back. And I’ve tried a lot. I really dislike the printers interface. It’s set up for the most basic user, and you cannot set the default settings. So every time you print you have to set it for what you want. The option for “print quality” is dumbed down like everthing else on the interface, you can’t pick your dpi, it’s just draft, good, better, best or something hamstrung like that. I’m done w/ rant, please by yourself another printer! So you’re not alone. What usually works with our gonzo Lexmarks is simply uninstalling them, and then reinstalling them. We don’t even bother fiddling around with printer drivers. Also, FWIW, I have found that usually the problem, whenever I can actually solve the current problem and figure out what the printer wants _this_ time, is that there’s a conflict between the printer’s commands and what Microsoft Works (to use an example) has as _its_ printing parameters. Faced with this seemingly insoluble conflict, the Lexmark simply throws up its hands and says, “I can’t handle this!” and leaves for the day. Sometimes I find out that Works wants to print it one way and the Lexmark wants to print it another way–conflicts between paper sizes, for example. Works thinks it has one size of paper and the Lexmark thinks it has a different size. So check all your Printer Settings and Setup menus. Remember that the word processor has these menus, too. ---
**Author:** ![flertbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e5b9ba/32.png) [@flertbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flertbert)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-printer-behavior/131908/3 "2002-10-12T04:38:22Z")
I don’t have a Lexmark printer, but I had a HP printer with a similar problem (it wouldn’t print at all even though Win2K said that the job was printing, etc.). When I tried to download the drivers for the thing HP said, “Win2K has the drivers for your printer built in, nothing for you to download here.” Okay, so why doesn’t it work? No answer, of course, so I downloaded the Win98 drivers and installed them. Worked fine. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-printer-behavior/131908/4 "2002-10-12T10:38:19Z")
Is that a serial printer? If so, check the serial port settings, and maybe IRQ’s. ---
**Author:** ![trader\_of\_shots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@trader\_of\_shots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trader_of_shots)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-printer-behavior/131908/5 "2002-10-12T12:03:06Z")
Urban Ranger - Nah IRQ’s nothing to do with this … wish it was that simple. Unfortunatly the LExmarks are … hmm … well rthey are cheap for a reason. make sure that your ink is full up. Take the paper out and restake it (it may be a feed problem) Buy a bubble jet 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sassafras\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Sassafras\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassafras_Kid)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-printer-behavior/131908/6 "2002-10-12T14:14:49Z")
I thought as much, a case of CPS (cheap printer syndrome). Thanks for the support ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-printer-behavior/131908/7 "2002-10-12T15:45:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by trader\_of\_shots \* > Urban Ranger - Nah IRQ’s nothing to do with this … wish it was that simple. I’d be a bit more hesitant to exclude any causes. ---
**Author:** ![andy\_fl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@andy\_fl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andy_fl)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-printer-behavior/131908/8 "2002-10-12T23:39:49Z")
I had the same problem once. Uninstall all windows driver, disconnect the printer from the pc, install manufacturer’s drivers connect the printer back. it worked. The key is to not let windows install its own drivers. ---
**Author:** ![Sassafras\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Sassafras\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassafras_Kid)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-printer-behavior/131908/9 "2002-10-13T23:08:17Z")
Got it working, thanks to all! andy\_fl got it right with the total disconnect. Thanks