How do I connect to my 1320n?

[JBruyet]

Hey all,

I have a 1320n that I had connected to a computer so I could share it with others on my network. I have now connected it directly to the network, but how do I set it up as a printer? I can telnet in to the printer, I can use Internet Explorer to see the settings, but I can't figure out how to connect to it using my Win XP and Win 98 workstations. I've checked around on the HP web site but I can't find anything there that tells how to connect to it. Anybody have any ideas??? The original software has "disappeared" from my back room so that's not an option.

Thanks,

Joe Brouillette

 

[mattjurado]

Well if you know the IP, that's half the battle. What you need to do now is create the printer port on the desktops. On XP its easy. You go to add a printer, choose a local port (no need to let it auto detect for one), then specify a new port, standard tcp/ip or hp jetdirect port, either should work. Enter the IP as the name of the port, and it should auto-populate the port name right below. Click next and okay until you get to the screen where you specify the drivers. You'll want to already have this downloaded on your hard drive or network someplace, and decompressed (you can get them from

http://www.hp.com).

So, choose the have disk option, and browse to where the drivers are, and then choose your model.

For 98, you'll need to create an lpr port, and 98 doesn't have built in support. Without the cd you have one of 2 options:

1. Install the printer on your server or one of your less important desktops, as stated above (this means the OS will need to be 2000, XP, 2003), and then share the printer. Add the users/passwords from your 98 machine to that computer from which you are now sharing, and then simply add a printer, choose network printer, and browse to the share you created, on your 98 computers.

2. Download the entire software package from HP, and see if it gives you the option to specify the IP address of the network printer you want to install.

Matt J.

Please always take the time to backup any and all data before performing any actions suggested for ANY problem, regardless of how minor a change it might seem. Also test the backup to make sure it is intact.

 

[JBruyet]

Hi Matt,

Yeah, I just found a page on HP's site that says I need to install the software off of the CD. There's a 400 meg download that I think I'll download and see if that works. I may wind up having to get another CD. We'll see...

Thanks for the response,

Joe Brouillette

 

[Tightpants]

I wouldnt bother with the HP sofware. Just download the basic driver and install as a local printer on your server as mattjurado describes. Then share the printer on your server so others on the network can print to it.

If you print a config page from the printer it will tell you the IP address. I believe by default is will use a DHCP server to obtain the IP address if such a server is available. You could do a "cold reset" to change everything back to factory defaults if necessary. Once you have obtained the IP address open the embedded web server in Internet Explorer and change the IP address to a fixed one. Then you can use the fixed IP address when you create the Standard TCP/IP Port.

 

[JBruyet]

Hi Tight,

I couldn't figure out how to get a printer address without using the \\server-name\printer-name format. I downloaded the software and now it works almost perfectly. I say almost because I need to be able to "capture" the IP port due to some legacy software we're running that can only see things in DOS. I've tried capturing the port using the IP address, the actual port name from Windows, and some \\IP-address\other-names (print, printer, jetdirect, etc...

Does anyone know how to "capture" an LPT port to a network port?

Thanks,

Joe Brouillette

 

[Tightpants]

You might be able to use the command (at the command prompt):

net use lpt1 \\servername\printername

Make sure you also use the following to make the setting stick:

net use /persistent:yes

 

[JBruyet]

Tight, that's where the problem lies. There is no printername under \\servername that I can see. I've tried some "logical" choices--print, printer, jetdirect, etc... Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Joe Brouillette

 

[Tightpants]

The printer needs to be shared on the server.

It will even work on a single workstation if necessary. For example: You have an inket printer connected to your computer via a USB cable. Your computer is called "FRED" and your printer is called "PRINTER". If you share your printer as "PRINTER" you can then print to \\FRED\PRINTER, or capture lpt1 to print to \\FRED\PRINTER.

Similarly if your printer is set up on your workstation to print to a Standard TCP/IP Port (because the printer is on the network) you can still print to \\FRED\PRINTER if the printer is shared.

 

[JBruyet]

Ok Tight, let me explain this again. My printer is connected directly to the network. That is, I have a network cable plugged directly into a jack on the side of the printer. I have a Ricoh copier connected to my network in the same way, but I can use the NET VIEW command to see that there is a PRINT share. My users connect to the Ricoh copier using the \\RICOH\PRINT network path. I can't see anything like that with the printer, and that's why I'm having trouble getting people to use it. Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Joe Brouillette

 

[DansDadUK]

As tightpants states, you need to share the printer on the server.

On the server, invoke the 'Sharing ...' dialogue for the networked printer:

e.g. select the printer, 'right-click', select 'sharing...'

It is probably set to 'Not shared'; change it to 'shared' and add an appropriate share name.

 

[JBruyet]

Hmmm.... I'll try to explain this again. I can print to this printer from any Windows program. I can access this printer through Telnet and I can access it using its web interface. I know I have a working connection to this printer because I can print to it. My problem is printing to it through some legacy software (that we're planning on upgrading either the end of this year or the first of next year) that we're using. The legacy software can only print to the first three printer ports: LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3. When this printer was connected to another workstation I was able to CAPTURE the printer from the workstations that needed to print to it... Here, let me give an example. I connected the printer to workstation A, then shared the printer. I went to workstation B, added the printer as a network printer, CAPTUREd the printer to LPT1, and we could print to it from the legacy software. BUT, printing to workstation A bogged down workstation A and rendered it unusable. I then connected the printer directly to the network. There is no server, no workstation, no other attachment. Just a network cable going into the side of the printer. Like I mentioned above, I can print to it from any Windows program, but I'm unable to CAPTURE the printer because it has no share name. In order to CAPTURE a printer that's connected to another workstation you need to use the \\ServerName\ShareName syntax. Since there's no share name I don't know if this is even possible. I'm still waiting for a response back from HP's tech support too. I'll pass along what I hear back from them. And sorry for the long post. Hopefully everyone has a clearer picture of what I'm trying to do.

Thanks,

Joe Brouillette

 

[Tightpants]

So the printer is installed as a local printer on each workstation. That is fine. Please could you check what port the printer is printing to on any one of your workstations (Printer properties, Ports tab). This will tell us how the Windows print jobs get to the printer. Normally in this situation you would create a Standard TCP/IP Port and print to the IP address of the printer but maybe you are using IPX, DLC or something else.

You should still turn on sharing on each of the workstations so that you can then use NET USE to capture the LPT1 or LPT2 port, even though you are not actually going to share the printer with any other workstation. If you refer to my last post where I refer to a printer connected by a USB cable, this will still work if the printer is on the network.

I think you Ricoh is showing it's print server on the network in a different way than the 1320. I have seen this with Intel print servers.

 

[JBruyet]

Tightpants, it's not installed as a local printer but as a network printer. Here's the printer port:

hpLaserJet1320series (HP Standard TCP/IP Port)

I've tried printing directly to the IP address but that won't work--the printer won't install. I had to download and install HP's software before the printer would work. I've tried sharing the printer and then capturing it from the workstation it's shared on, but you can't capture a printer port on the same machine the printer is shared on. That's the same issue with trying to do the NET USE command--it won't work on a local computer. Do you understand that there is no server involved with this printer? It's a stand alone unit.

Thanks,

Joe Brouillette

 

[JBruyet]

One more point of clarification--I'm trying to do this from a Windows 98 machine. That was alluded to in my first post, but several posts sound like people are giving tips for a computer running XP.

Thanks,

Joe Brouillette

 

[Tightpants]

I do understand that the printer is a standalone unit. In your case the printer is a "local" printer even though it is on the network because you are printing to a port defined on the local machine.

I'm not sure about Windows 98 but for XP you don't need the HP software because you just create a new Standard TCP/IP Port and print to that. But it sounds like you have this working anyway with the HP software.

The only other thing I can think of is the share name must be less than 8 characters. Also your port name might also need to be less than 8 characters. Also don't use spaces.

Then try the net use command again. Try net use lpt2 instead of lpt1 in case it is confusing the actual lpt1 port.