HP OfficeJet 8000A809 duplex option resets to null after completing each print job on OSX Lion

[SarahCat]

HP driver keeps resetting duplex option as soon as the current print job is completed.

I have this problem with the HP OfficeJet 8000 A809, i.e., I can set the driver to use the autoduplex adapter but as soon as the print job completes, it resets back to not using it (the box for the two-sided option is 'unchecked'). This did not happen in Leopard, but has existed in Snow Leopard and Lion (10.7.4, currently). I'm using the printer driver v3.13 which I believe is the latest.

Ironically, the reason I bought the OJ8000 was that when Leopard was released, there was no driver support for the DJ5850, so I bought this one.

I keep buying printers and they continue to be obsoleted by Apple (or so it seems). This is not good, considering that I'm trying to follow Apple's (new) example and be 'green'. I'm going to post this to the feedback link elsewhere in this thread. At this point, I would be interested in knowing which printers, if not HP, that Apple will better support. I generally like HP printers, but I have to admit that the current situation is not acceptable and I may have to look elsewhere for future printer needs.

[PrintDoc]

When you start a print job with File > Print or Command-P, on the resuting window next to the Presets pulldown, choose "Last Used Settings", then make sure the duplex is chosen like you want.

[SarahCat]

Thanks for your suggestion, but I tried that months ago and it does not work for the duplexer. I've also tried creating a profile for two-sided printing and everything is remembered, with the exception of the auto-duplexer. I've seen this exact problem posted for over a year at the Apple support forums, with multiple models of HP printers, but the same volatility of the printer driver parameter for the duplexer.

The only fix I've seen that worked is buying a new printer, which one of the frustrated group on the forum was forced to do. I acquired this printer because no one (neither HP, nor Apple) would support the DJ5850 on Snow Leopard or Lion. It's a dirty little secret that both of these powerful companies don't seem to own up to. I've posted the same problem on the Apple OSX feedback page and I emailed a graphics products support engineer I know at the local HP office.

I had paper feed problems with this printer in the past, bad print heads before a single ink cartridge was exhausted and inconsistent printer error messages. HP replaced the print heads in warranty and the local guys lent me a tool to clean the paper feed rollers, but the driver problem is bigger than all of us, I fear. I'd buy another printer, but that seems like a never ending problem, since printer support in OSX seems capricious and I honestly don't print that much and I'm starting to think that I should give up on hard copy stuff and just stream things to my iPad or iPhone.

It's a pretty nasty situation and unless I want to start writing my own OSX print drivers, I don't see a solution. 

HP? Apple? Will one of you step up? 

[PrintDoc]

You may want to download and install this: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL907

Then, reset the printing system:

- Go to System Preferences > Print & Scan
- Right (or control) click in the rectangle listing your printers and select Reset Printing System.
WARNING - this will delete ALL of your printers!
- Select the plus sign to re-add a printer. Select the Defualt tab on the top of the window. Look for the printer, select it and wait until the "Add" button becomes available. Click it.

[SarahCat]

Thanks for your response. I've looked at the suggestion that this link refers to: Print driver v2.9, but I have been reluctant to try it since my current print driver for the OJ8000A809 is v3.1.3

Unless you are suggesting that the presumably newer (v3.1.3) driver is buggy and that v2.9 resolves the problem that its presumed successor, v3.1.3, that I know have, has caused since Snow Leopard? Alternatively, HP has begun decrementing its revision numbers so that v2.9 is somehow newer than v3.13.

Any thoughts on this?

[PrintDoc]

The two pieces of software are apples and oranges.  The one I linked to contains updated OS X built-in drivers, not HP software, per-say.  The HP software relies upon these built-in drivers to work properly, so it is worth installing them.

The software you are referring to (v3.1.3), I believe, is not meant for Lion.  Let's uninstall the software using the 'scrubber' option:

Go to Applications/Hewlett Packard/ click on HP Uninstaller
Click on Continue
Highlight your device on the left pane
Press and hold Control + Alt + Cmd keys on the keyboard simultaneously while you click on Uninstall <<<< This IS the Scrubber Option, there is no button labeled "Scrubber"
There will be a pop up that asks if you are sure you want to uninstall ALL hp software. (At this point, if you continue, any HP printers you have installed will need to be reinstalled)
Click Continue and let it finish

Restart your Mac

Download and install this: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL907

Now reset the printing system:

- Sys Prefs, Print & Fax
- Right (control) click in the rectangle listing your printers and select Reset Printing System.
WARNING - this will delete ALL of your printers!
- Select the plus sign to re-add it. Look for the printer, select it and wait until the "Add" button becomes available. Click it.