HP 309a - XP - Slow print dialog + Print profiles + 3 other bugs/woes - Photosmart Premium AIO

[ChrisATX]

1) Whenever I want to print a page (let's say in Word or Openoffice Writer) and click print.. it takes 5 to 10 seconds to open up the HP printer properties dialog box! Mind you, I run a Core2Duo system with 4GB ram, fully optimized and Adobe Photoshop with all fonts loads in less than 3 seconds so something is obviously wrong with the HP driver.

2) Furthermore, that dialog box does not do any good because you once again need to click on options to be able to select a printer profile which ads another 10 seconds!.

In short... It takes me about a minute to go through the slow loading drivers and redundant option dialog boxes on the driver before I get my first page out.

Not that bright for a 'Photosmart Premium' AIO.

How can this be resolved?

3) Also, whenever I click on another printer profile in the options, the paper format of the 'default profile' switches to letter, or legal, or whatever I clicked on last. This is ridiculous. I did not press an apply or update button and there is not even letter paper loaded in the tray.

4) Also, can somebody explain to me how I can set up printers with the right 'printing preferences' and 'correct profiles' so I can just select a printer, hit 'print' and it comes out in the correct size, color, orientation and duplex without going through the menus that don't stick?

I already added a few new printers with the same network ports but the 'printing preferences' don't seem to stick and the 'default profile' cannot be edited either.

I was able to do this on my Brother with such ease so I hope that 3 years later at least HP can do the same.

5) BTW, as the printer supports legal paper size, it might be good to at least may the latch that clips out to hold the printed documents long enough! Each time I print a Legal sized document it sends it flying through my office and onto the floor. Not really professional at all!

Setup : HP 309a Photosmart 309a on wired network, firewalls open on all ports HP needs, 100Mbit full duplex connection in printer selected on a 1Gbps network with no load, only 2 PCs connected, Core2duo System with 4GB ram, 2TB storage, fully optimized, running XP Pro SP3 with daily patches.

Full loading time of Adobe Photoshop CS4: 3 seconds
Full loading time of HP printer driver: +/- 15 seconds!

[ChrisATX]

Support please? I'd hate to return it to the shop and buy another brand.

[ChrisATX]

Any help please HP???

[Bob_Headrick]

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ChrisATX wrote:
Any help please HP???

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Please be aware that this is a user to user support forum, it is not a direct link to HP support.  If you have questions for HP support you should contact HP.

[ChrisATX]

Thank you for clarifying that.

I was not aware that HP was not monitoring client reactions and support questions on their own website.

If anyone else has solutions to the these issues, please post them here though.

Thank,
Chris

[camega]

I have the exact "slow" problem described in the original posting, items 1) and 2).  I have a new officejet 6500, running Win XP Pro.

Once the print dialog box "works", I can print just fine.  But it literally takes 4 minutes or more to print a page.  Every time I get near the dialog box, there is no respnose.  I wait and wait just to increment the page count.  Then I wait again to click OK.  And this is after waiting merely to select the 6500 from my dropdown list of printers.  I have the latest drivers according to the HP site.  I have tried wireless and wired network connectivity.  I have not tried USB connection.

HELP -- this is extremely frustrating.  Echoing the comments all over the web - HP printers are usually pretty good, but the software is another matter.

[jrsyangl]

I have similar slow printing problems with my c309a. It is is especially bad with pdf files printing duplex. I have a Canon printer with the same USB connection which prints 3 to 4 times faster: about 20 s  compared to 1:20 for the same file. Just spent over 3 hours on the phone with HP support, a nice lady with heavy accented English from the Philippines. Uninstalled, reinstalled the driver, etc ,etc all to no avail. She thought there would be no updates for the XP driver. I think we are stuck. She also said it was a rare problem. If you have the time and patience, gave them a call at 800-334-5144 and convince them otherwise.

Lou