DesignJets Not Printing Landscape

[LufiRatspeed]

I've seen the same issue being asked by multiple people. People using DesignJets on the PostScript 3 driver are not able to get their software to orient the print they are making to be wider than they are taller (landscape). This is very frustrating and also very unfortunate that these people's threads have not been responded to for 1-2 years. I happen to be using a Z5200, but other designjet models are having the same problem. I tried using both Acrobat Reader and Acrobat Pro. Acrobat's built-in auto-rotate feature does nothing.

This seems to be a driver problem, not an Acrobat Problem. For one, I've noticed that the PostScript driver does not draw from Windows Print Server's "Form" list. Instead of has you make "Custom" paper sizes. This seemed like an option that would work to solve the problem, but the custom paper form will not allow you to make a paper size whose width is longer than its length. Here's what happens if you try:

A "Warning" window appears which says:

"The width of a paper size should be equal or smaller than its length. Click okay to let the driver interchange the values for you (remember to select the landscape option to get the designed orientation) or click Cancel to modify the values yourself."

It's literally telling us, "Don't make the paper wide. Make the orientation of your print as landscape."

Alright, fine, I do that. And then check out what the roll orientation preview looks like in the Properties Dialog window...

The people is still portrait, but it rotated the layout's content 90 degrees instead of rotating the entire document. This makes absolutely no sense.

Acrobat's Print Preview shows the document in the proper orientation no matter whether "Auto-Rotate and Center" is checked or not checked.

Notice the Document and Paper dimensions match. They are both 24.0 x 6.0in.

But then check out what happens when I go back to the Properties window and put it back to Portrait:

It doesn't do it right away of course. After not changing, I must click on Properties once again, then close that dialog again, and THEN it updates the preview to show it like this.

Luckily I have not been needing to waste paper or print processing time. I have HP's PS3 print preview software installed, which shows an accurate representation of how the document will print.

Then when I switch the orientation back to Landscape in Properties, here's how Acrobat's preview looks next to HP's preview:

It's exactly as how the HP DesignJet PS3 driver properties window looks. The layout is rotated lengthwise, 90 degrees from landscape, but the content is in a matching orientation. So you can see, no matter what setting is applied, the printed orientation will always insist on being portrait.

This is extremely unfortunate, and it looks like this has been a bug in the PS3 driver for several years. The only way I can get a printout made in landscape is to use the HP PCL3 driver which pays attention to Windows Print Server's "Forms" field, which I then create a paper size whose width is long and its height as short, and it prints it as described, in portrait mode. Landscape orientation is just something this printer seems to ignore entirely.

This is a printer marketed heavily as PostScript... it is extremely frustrating that its PostScript driver cannot be used. Please fix this bug.

Here are links to other posts with the same problem:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/DesignJet-Large-Format-Printers-Digital-Press/Z5200-won-t-print-in-Lan...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/DesignJet-Large-Format-Printers-Digital-Press/DesignJet-T210-will-not-...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/DesignJet-Large-Format-Printers-Digital-Press/HP-Designjet-T730-Print-...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/DesignJet-Large-Format-Printers-Digital-Press/DesignJet-HP-T830-printi...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/DesignJet-Large-Format-Printers-Digital-Press/hp-designjet-T2300/m-p/8...

And just a reminder, here's what the Print Server Properties "Forms" tab looks like. This is what is used to create new custom paper sizes:

The DesignJet PS3 driver does not read these form definitions. It apparently carries its own paper size list. The funny thing is, I also own an old HP LaserJet which uses the Universal Print Driver, and that one DOES tap into this paper (form) list. It is my default printer, so it's funny, when I switch from that one to the Z5200, that list just disappears, replaced with the other one that has my "Custom" paper size which I cannot get to be wider than longer.

Also just a quick note: I'm running Windows 7 under a Virtual Machine (because I refuse to pay a monthly subscription for Adobe software), but the others having this issue are on Windows 10, so operating system version seems to be irrelevant.

[LufiRatspeed · Accepted solution]

Edit: 24 hours later.... Well of all the blasted things....

The solution was on the bottom right: "Rotation."

Rotation establishes the paper roll's use in relation to its length. The Rotation drop-down menu's default option is "Avoid Clipping,"  but hiding underneath that is "Autorotate" (which you would imagine would be the default setting), and there's "Rotate by 90 degrees" under that. Changing this the paper roll's usage from lengthwise to widthwise will cause the bottom of your print to be at the bottom edge of the roll's short end.

Then, you set Orientation to "Landscape" to match that new rotation. It does not match the orientation to the rotation automatically for some reason.  If you keep it on "Portrait, it will stupidly keep your content oriented 90° degrees perpendicular to the paper's rotated orientation. Crazy. Not vert smart.

Do these two things and your print job will take advantage of the paper roll's full width.