PCL XL Error

[AAANC188]

Getting this error when printing from a desktop application, but not all the time. Not a web based application.

PCL XL Error

                Subsystem:        GSMGR

                Error:                     MaxGSLevelsExceeded

                Operator:            PushGS

                Position:              107714

Tried to update the drivers. Any idea on how to fix it?

[dansdaduk]

Error MaxGSLevelsExceeded: "The maximum number of graphics state save levels has been exceeded (max = 19)".

It possibly implies that your source document contains a nunber of layers, or sets of objects, each of which requires a different 'colour space', and the driver is handling this by creating numerous embedded graphics states.  

Not that knowing that helps much!

... and why it should do this, I can't tell you, sorry.

is it a particulary complex document?

Does this "desktop application" use the standard Windows printer driver, or is it generating the print job directly (via its own internal driver)?

[AAANC188]

Thank you for your reply, the application is using the Windows Print driver. You can do a print preview, as well as just print, the result is the same error.

The application brings back a list of items after doing a search. The item details on just one record is what will not print. If a different record is selected it prints okay. If we ask another person to print the record that will not on their computer they can print the record just fine. 

We've tried changing the various printer settings, print directly to printer, print in greyscale, and more, but nothing seems to work.

[davidzuts · Accepted solution]

Lets make this real simple. PCLXL errors only occur when using the pcl6 driver. Since you are using windows 7 you can change the driver to pcl5 or even postscript and you will not get the error. People always want to over analyze an issue when there is a simple solution. You want to print a document and changing the driver will allow you to do so.

[dansdaduk]

David is quite correct in suggesting that you try the PCL5 or PostScript drivers, instead of the PCL6 (PCL XL) one.

And he is also quite correct in saying that (some) "... people always want to over analyze an issue ..." - guilty as charged!

However:

• You are currently using Windows  7; if/when you move to Windows 10, you will find that PCL5 drivers are probably not available for many printers.

• The built-in drivers available for your printer model on my Windows 10 Pro 64-bit system are for PCL6 and PS, but both are 'class' drivers (which probably implies limited functionality); this seems to be the trend for 'older' devices.

• It is certainly the case that  HP no longer provides a PCL5 variant of the Universal Printer Driver in Windows 10 - the only variants provided are the PCL6 and PS ones.

• PostScript is not itself immune to failing print jobs with (seemingly) obscure error messages (e.g. dictfull, limitcheck, stackoverflow).

• PCL5 also sometimes suffers print failures, but usually soldiers on (without showing any error messages) so you may get corrupt prints but only know it when you examine them,

• I'm retired now, but most of my working life was in software support roles; one of my functions was investigating and  clearing bugs - but this often required extensive evidence first, in order to try to understand the cause of the problem - without being able to investigate such issues, the bugs would not be fixed.

[AAANC188]

Thank you for you reply davidzuts. I am not trying to over analyze anything, before posting here I spent about a month trying to figure this out on my own and with the help of an HP Certified repair vendor. For your information there is not a native PCL5 or PS driver for the HP LaserJet CM3530 MFP printer. However I took your advise and installed the most current HP Universal PCL5 driver and applied that to the machine. We still have the same problem and same error.

[davidzuts]

If you still get the pcl xl error then you have not changed the driver. Below is a link to the universal pcl5 driver for your operating system. Suggest you download and install and associate your printer with the driver. As I stated above the error only occurs when using pcl6.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/swdetails/hp-color-laserjet-cm3530-multifunction-pr...

[dansdaduk]

@AAANC188 - I thik that David's comment about over-analysing was aimed at me, not you.

... and as he states, if you are still getting PCL XL errors, then you may have installed PCL5 and/or PostScript drivers, but you are still using a PCL6 driver.

[Jim_Asman]

I am rarely satisfied with a workaround as a solution. While it gets you past your immediate ptoblem, there may be some  underlying cause that will come to bite you later on.  

[AAANC188]

Even though the printer properties had the PCL5 driver in there, I believe somehow the PCL6 driver was still in memory for that printer. After the user started her computer it is now printing okay.

I also agree with Jim, this is a bandaid on a PCL6 printer driver issue.