print preview and single side printing

[frgtech]

Brand new printer today for our office and nothing but issues.

1. There is seemingly no way to force it to print single sided on the fly. I don't want to make the default single sided, I want to be able to print single sided when I want to.

I select Printing Preferences from the Windows dialog to bring up the HP driver.

• I started by just selecting "NO" to the Print on both sides" dialog. (No luck)
• I tried doing the same under the "Finishing" tab. (No Luck)
• I tried creating a "Printing shortcut" profile with all the setting I want. (No Luck)
• After enabling any of the setting I listed above, then selecting "OK" to return the the windows print dialog, then back again to the HP Driver, the setting still look right. Unfortunately it always reverts to printing on both sides.

2. No print preview.

I'm guessing you sell more ink with no print preview? From reading in the forums, there used to be an option but it was removed. I do realize that there is a preview in windows, but it lacks the features that a true, product dedicated print preview would afford. (Like maybe seeing that you are indeed printing 2-Sided before wasting half a ream of paper trying to troubleshoot 2-Sided printing!)

3. WSD Port.

I have yet to find a printer that actually works using this port. I spent the entire morning trying to figure out why our POS system couldn't print checks. It could print everything else just fine. As a last ditch, I though to check the printing port. After moving it over to an IP address, it all started working. I don't understand the technical aspects, or politics behind using this port, but it ridiculous that a network printer can't just work out of the box these days.

I feel like I have just steered the company I work for in the completely long direction. I have wasted an entire day now just trying to print some checks and a single sided report.  Our old aging brother with the bad drum isn't looking as bad as it used to.

Anyway, I do apologize for the rant, but the frustration is overflowing.

Please advise.

[frgtech]

Well no help here so I contacted support and didn't fare much better.

Short Answers.

1. Bug (Can do the reverse though of default to single side and two sided on demand)
2.  No Comment
3. Didn't get that far.

I was told in the process of troubleshooting that ..

1. I must have corrupted my printer settings.  (if this was true, then the software is even worse than I thought)
2. There is no way to scan unless you install the full software suite. (I prefer the driver only solution as printer software is always bloated and in the way unfortunately. I would not let the tech install the full software suite and had to hang up when she refused to admit you can scan without it. I of course can scan just fine without it.)

I get the feeling that these techs are used to being able to tell customers anything and having them believe it. It's very unfortunate that this was business tech support and they are still trying to get away with this. If they truly believe what they were saying, that might even be worse.

Now there are troubles with scanning to email that they can't figure out either. Again I was informed of a bug in the software and to not use the default Outgoing Email Settings, but instead to create and use a profile. That worked for one day and now it reports "cannot find remote server check server name or use ip address". Of course I can talk to the printer just fine from my browser, and I can even run the "Outgoing Email Test" feature perfectly and receive the test email. Connectivity is not the issue here.

I was promised a call back today during my working hours but time is almost out and I wouldn't have the time to try anything even they called now anyway.  I'm not sure I could be more disappointed. There was a time when HP was considered the pinnacle of office equipment, and now they don't seem any different than the rest of the field. I might actually have to send this back which seems unthinkable to me for an HP Laserjet. Laserjet to printing is like Kleenex to tissues.

Oh well. Sell your soul for a few dollars more and this is what happens.

What a shame.

[asmita6658]

Hi @frgtech

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