Response to Last Response in "Help with HP 5650" Post

This won't seem to post as a follow up, so I'll try to resend it as a
new message:

- - - - -

I don't get it; you didn't respond to what has been my main issue all
along, the fact that the 5650, in automatic two-sided printing, takes
3 times as long, in Fast Normal at least, to print the first sides of
sheets as it does to print the second sides -- "print" referring to
only the actual time for character impression and spacing. My switch
to a USB computer connection did not change this. All my other issues
and comments have been of much lesser concern, including the ink-level
one. Do you not have any further comment on this strange phenomenon
reviewed in my post of 5 May, 6:15 pm, in its first 3 paragraphs (plus
my later expressed perplexity from your comment suggesting that this
slower first-side printing could relate to the printer's time-out to
low-power status)?

(On the lesser issues and comments, I interleave more comments below,
but the above is what I have been trying forever now to squeeze out of
HP or whomever is knowledgeable on it.)

On Fri, 7 May 2004 20:17:01 -0700, "Bob Headrick"
wrote:


"Raymond A. Chamberlin" wrote in message
.. .

As for running amok, there is a reason for this and a solution if it
ever happens again (which it should not with USB). The driver for the
scanner occasionally checks to see if the scanner lid has been raised.
If printing is occurring during this time the printer stream will be
interrupted by the scanner commands, resulting in the garble.

Are you saying that you really KNOW that this happens with the Mustek
1200 III EP? I don't see why the scanner itself couldn't just
interrupt my computer whenever its lid is raised.

What it could do and what it does may be different things. I know for a fact
this scanner shared on a parallel port has issues with a pass through pritner
unless the automatic lid-checking for the scanner is disabled. The scanner
driver polls the scanner, and when it does this it causes communication issues
if it happens while printing. You can see
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/g...cname=bpu02044
or the ending paragraph of
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/g...cname=bpy20086
for some discussion.

Since
you are now connected via USB you should not have this problem, but if
you do press the "X" (cancel) button on the printer. This will stop
printing and flush the rest of the print job.

Good. Not surprisingly in retrospect, it didn't do that with my
previous parallel lash-up.

The cancel button works independent of the connection method. Once the cancel
button is pressed the pritner will not print the rest of the print job, it will
simply send it to the "bit bucket". It may take some time to clear since the
remainder of the print job will still be sent to the printer.

As for the power switch, it is much better to leave the printer
plugged into a live outlet at all times. The printer automatically
goes into a low power mode when idle, where it only consumes a few
(2?) Watts. The printer has an internal clock that keeps track of
the time since the last print job. Depending on this time the printer
will do more or less servicing before starting the print job.

If that's really true for the 5650, that's another undivulged bit of
knowledge nowhere documented for the general public. Are you sure
that applies to the 5650?

The Deskjet 5650 manual says "Caution! Always use the Power button to turn the
printer on and off. Using a power strip, surge protector, or a wall mounted
switch to turn the print on and off may cause printer failure." Translation -
please leave the printner plugged into a live outlet.

OK, I see that that is true; I hadn't found that to date. However,
what you are now adding to this -- that the printer should not ever
even be turned off at all: where in the manual or in any other
expression by HP to the public should one find this instruction? It's
NOT in the manual. The only reference to low-power mode there is in
the description of the "auto-off" option, and nothing is said there
about keeping track of the time since the last print job or of
servicing anything before starting a new print job..


This servicing will use some ink, and more if the
printer thinks it has been a long time since the last print job. By
removing the power to the printer you force the printer into thinking
it has been the maximum time since the printer will lose track of the
time since the last job. Removing the power will result in more ink
being used in servicing the cartridge.

If that's all really applicable to this printer, I guess it's somewhat
useful, but I don't want to leave any unnecessarily electrical stuff
activated when asleep or away from my house.

Do you also unplug your television,

No, that would efeat the use of a remote in turning it on.

lamps,

Lamp switches have a good-size gap of air when open and I don't think
conductive insects can get in them very easily. (Bugs from HP
software can never get there.)

etc?

I also leave my refrigerator, electric clocks and doorbell transformer
on -- for well-considered reasons.

The printer is designed to
remain plugged into a live outlet and for best results you should follow the
manual.

I AM accepting what's in the manual. What you add, of course, isn't
unreasonable IF the 5650 really does all you say, despite HP's secrecy
about it; but considering all the questionable behavior of HP's
printers, I'm not excited about leaving one of such free, on its own
recognizance, while I'm in Timbuctu.

A couple of other lesser concerns I have a

1. Apparently, the screen flags signaling paper out, paper jam and
whatever else, which were active with my 932c printer have been
removed from the 5650 driver. I have to look at the down-arrow
indicator on the printer and check out what the problem is. No big
deal, but less convenient.

2. The 5650 uses the same dysfunctional print-status window that the
932c used. An HP tech-support person told me that window is a Windows
window and blamed its problems (current page number is usually much
greater than the total page count and there are at least two
independent sets of pause and purge settings and the cancel function
only works under some very odd set of conditions. If this software is
MS's stuff and is known, as this HP person stated, why doesn't HP opt
not to use it in their driver and opt to desing their its OWN status
window?

I can live with this nonsense. Of course, I can live with the
3-times-slower first-sheet-side Fast Normal print time also; but it
really bugs me that HP people can't give me a coherent reason for this
anomaly. They can't even seem to agree whether it's normal behavior
for a 5650 or not. If this model were marketed for commercial use,
certainly this matter would be documented in black and white somewhere
where the end user could read it and rely upon what is said there.

Ray

- Bob Headrick, not speaking for my employer HP