HP940c Printer Quality

imac davidimac david
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
Hi,



I'm a newcomer to the Mac world, so maybe my problem isn't a problem it's just how things are done here.



Anyway, when I bought the iMac I bought a HP940c printer. The printer box says "up to 2880dpi on photoquality paper".



So I was expecting something vaguley similar to the PC world where in Print Setup I can choose the quality of printing dependent on circumstance - draft, normal, high(photo).



Well, I can't see anywhere to make these changes, so I wonder if it always prints at 2880dpi, or whether I'm missing something. I often print out pictures, so high quality matters to me (I am happy with the output, but if it can be better then I'd like that!).



I downloaded the full driver from HP, but that didn't seem to help. The manual that came with it makes no mention, and help in Appleworks or Finder didn't help me.



So, can someone tell me if it is normal not to be able to change, or whether I am in fact missing something and I can play with the print quality settings somewhere.



Cheers!



David

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    scadboyscadboy Posts: 189member
    A little more information would definitely be helpful in solving your query. For starters, Are you using Mac OS X or Mac OS 9, the easiest way to figure this out is to go to the Apple Menu. If it's rainbow colored, then you're in 9, if it's solid blue or grey, then you're in X.



    If you're in X, then I'd say it's completely possible that the drivers aren't fully functional at this point. If you're in 9, I came across an article on HP's support site that states that the printer's ink pens must be aligned before printing at 2400+ dpi.



    <a href="http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/cposupport/get_doc.pl?SNI=hpdeskjet934009&LC=printers&Tfile=b pm06506" target="_blank">click</a>



    The alignment can be achieved by using the printer's HP DeskJet utility application. If you can't find the application, try either searching for it through Sherlock, or look for some sort of maintenance option under the Page Setup dialogue under the file menu.



    I hope this helps. If you're happy with the print quality, then, honestly, I wouldn't sweat it if you can't get it working.
  • Reply 2 of 6
    jregojrego Posts: 56member
    I believe the setting you are looking for is in the "Print" dialog, not the "Page Setup". There should be a "Paper Type/Quality" panel under the settings popup menu. Once you get there, things should start looking familiar.
  • Reply 3 of 6
    mac's girlmac's girl Posts: 556member
    i agree, the settings have to be changed in the menus you get after you hit print. i got the hp960 recently, which i use in os x, and i doubt it's a driver problem. however, i must warn you, it is very annoying because the settings get erased and must be re-entered every time. once you find a setting you use often, just save it as a custom setting so you dont have to waste time customizing it again.



    good luck.
  • Reply 4 of 6
    imac davidimac david Posts: 286member
    Hi,



    thanks for the comments, but still no joy.



    under the Print menu the only thing that could refer to quality is a pull down menu item called Presets, but the only item on the pulldown menu is Standard.



    There is no deskjet utility on the Mac, nor on the disk that came with the printer.



    I am using OSX - my next task will be to run the Mac under 9 and see any differences.



    Thanks,



    David
  • Reply 5 of 6
    mac's girlmac's girl Posts: 556member
    yes, it's true, there is no mention of selecting printer output by dpi in the print menu. i think HP has probably tried very hard to simplify printing, and maybe oversimplified it.



    what i usually do is select "paper type/quality" from the print menu and reduce the ink settings and quality settings. i find that i get great looking text using draft and keeping the ink on the first segment marker. (the default settings were spitting out too much ink and oversaturating my plain paper.)



    also, the printer is supposed to be fully automatic, and it senses the type of paper you are using and adjusts the dpi accordingly. you can always force the computer to use a specific setting by selecting a fixed paper type and not leaving it up to the auto sensor. try selecting plain paper, even if you are using something better.



    i'm not sure how much different your print menu options are than mine, being that the 960 and 940 are not that different. if all else fails, try asking steve 666. i understand he works for HP. good luck.
  • Reply 6 of 6
    jregojrego Posts: 56member
    David, it sounds like you either have older drivers or an incomplete install. I would recommend downloading the latest drivers and tools from the HP web site (http://www.hp.com). You should have a popup menu below "Presets" that initially says "Copies & Pages". On my computer, the Paper Type/Quality has quality and ink setting listed, but not as dpi. In your printer's manual there may be some documentation as to what special HP word corresponds with what DPI.



    I did notice that on my mom's iMac with a 990cse (my printer's an 812c), I could get that panel, but no quality and ink settings. It seemed to want to figure everything out automatically. This may also be a case of an old driver, though. It looks like some other features are missing as well, and probably simply needs an update.
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