Computer: Blue & White G4 Tower, OS 9 
Printer: HP LaserJet 4M Plus

Symptoms:  
        1) Print jobs appear to process normally from the computer end, and 
        printer appears to receive and process job, but job never actually 
        prints.  Appears to occur mainly in Adobe PageMaker 6.5, although ps 
        and eps files saved to desktop experience identical failure.  
        2) The same file, from another machine, produced a box on the 
        partially pronted page containing the text:
        --
        An error occurred while printing this page.
        Error: VMerror          Offending Command: dict
        Suggestions:
        Choose correct PPD in the Print dialog.  Page or graphic too
        complicated.  Simplify page, try Maximum setting for PostScript
        printing in Other Preferences or try proof print.
        --
        (Correct PPD is selected. Location of referenced setting unknown.)

Steps taken thus far: 
        Upgrade OS to 9.2.2 (OS X not an option at this time)
        Full diagnostic (TechTool Pro - minor file errors only)
        Install Adobe PostScript print drivers
        Trash and rebuild desktop printer, both using Adobe and Apple 
                drivers (identical results with both).
        Configure printer to print PS error notification (no output beyond 
        that described above).

Suspected problems/contributing factors:  
        1) Appletalk network flakiness (suggested by bizarre filesharing 
        behaviors such as machine identities being confused)
        2) Unidentified corrupted fonts
        3) Too many fonts (what IS the limit, anyway?)

24 responses total.

The printer in question was in use by other machines on the LAN 
throughout the process with no adverse or unexpected results on those 
print jobs.

(This item seems to need a little use....here is a printer-related question.)

I have a HPDeskjet 932C printer that seems to have developed a heart problem.
That is, after it has been used a while, the goes into "fibrillation" - all
three panel lights flash rapidly in unison. The User's Guide says to turn it
off, unplug the printer, plug it back in, and turn it on again. This works
if I leave it unplugged for a long time (overnight, for example), but not
if I just leave it unplugged for some minutes. If I plug it back in too soon,
it goes into "fibrillation" immediately.

Is there anything I can do about this? Or is it time to recycle the printer?

It sounds like a capacitor somewhere is holding a charge and they tried to
make this into a feature instead of redesigning it.  Jim will ask our neighbor
the electronics engineer.  

Maybe some transistor is failing and overheats and lets through current when
it should not?

The User's Manual doesn't give any reason why it might "fibrillate" except
for saying "printer might need to be reset". I guess it could get unset for
all sorts of hardware problems. 

Here is some more Mac network printing weirdness.

On the same LAN with a G4(OSX/9.2) and iMac(9.2), which I have described
elsewhere, I have a HP Deskwriter 540 by means of an AsanteTalk
Ethernet-to-Serial-to-Phonenet adapter. This has always worked well when I
had OS 9.2 on both computers, but it stopped working when I went to OSX on
the G4. Some websurfing disclosed that OSX runs a different flavor of
AppleTalk (required for the printer) than does OS 9.2.2, and this is the
reason the HP 540 doesn't show up on the OSX printer list. But it also
didn't show up in the Chooser on the iMac or on the G4 when booted in
9.2.2. 

I thought I was going to have to abandon the HP 540 (and a OS 7.1 computer
on the PhoneNet LAN). But I came across a suggestion on the web that has
made it possible to print to the HP 540: turn the printer on *before*
turning on the AsanteTalk adapter! Apparently the adapter can't see the
printer now if the adapter is on first, but does if the printer is already
on.  The mystery is, why is this new need a result of the installation of
OSX on the G4? 

Sounds like a Microsoft trick: Upgrade and make all your other apps
incompatible!

It certainly shows some indifference to all the consequences of the changes
they make. I can see that, though, from their perspective: the changes
they make offer more prospects for future applications (and growth) than
losses from the forced obsolesence. What I don't like, though, is that they
don't do a good job in explaining the work-arounds for the use of the older
systems. This is left up to user groups to find and pass around.

The behavior of the Deskwriter 540 has changed: it no longer requires
being turned on before the AsanteTalk adapter to show up on the Choosers
in either computer as long as OS 9.2.2 is running. I guess something,
somewhere, had to trained..... 

Then it forgot its training....and I couldn't find the 540 in the chooser
for a while, even though I thought I did again what I did before. However
I got it back by following a particular sequence in turning on the printer
- pause - the Ethernet hub - pause - the iMac (running 9.2.2). Apparently
if I turned on the G4 on the same network before the iMac, I could not
link to the 540 with the iMac - maybe. Anyway, you have to admit this is
all "Mac network printing weirdness".

As to the HP 932C, you might try there web-site.  Finding the section for
older printers is tricky, but once there they have some problem determination
procedures, and contact info for a real person.  Among the things I found
for the 935C is button sequences for extended testing at power-up.

That didn't figure out the problem, but two rounds of email did.  It turns
out the ink cartridge was expired.

"Expired" or "empty"?

The "fibrillation" problem is not due to an "expired" cartridge. The 932C
will print from what it *says* is an empty cartridge if you insist on it.
I suspect a problem in the power supply, which is in the printer (which
plugs directly into 120 VAC): maybe even a capacitor! 

Expired, not empty.  Black stoped working, so I put in a "new" cartridge.
it worked for a bit then stopped.  Since the first cartridge still had ink
I thought the problem was in the printer.

The cartridges have two expiration dates.  One on the outside of the package,
and a later date printed on the cartridge, but hard to read.

I refill my cartridges and have been using the same ones over again many
times, for years. I suspect a printed expiration date is like an expiration
date on many products, to indicate beyond what date the product is no longer
warranted to perform correctly. For example, you can use film years beyond
the printed expiration date if you store it properly.

I have a VCR that has a similar weirdness in its power supply. 
Eventually it will not track on a tape no matter what.  It fuzzes in and
out with a periodicity of just over 1 second.  The only way to fix it is
to unplug the power cord until the unit has reached room temp again. 
This happens much more frequently in the summer, and has yet to do it
since fall this time.

As to the printing weirdness it sounds like various components in the
setup set compatibility flags when they first come up based on what they
are capable of, and what they hear on the wire.  The OS9 box may come up
and hear the 'old' adapter protocol and lock to some compatible version,
or since it hears that proto does not turn it off in favor of more
modern stuff, but if the OSX box is up then maybe the OS9 box says,
'hey, modern stuff, lets turn off the old stuff.'

As awesome as Mac stuff is, this is the kind of error you can get in a
fully autoconfig system when the system includes components spanning
three generations.

A classic way to diagnose problems like your VCR's is to spray various 
components with a cooling spray until the one that fixes the problem 
is discovered.  I don't know what they make the spray out of these 
days; it used to be Freon but I'm sure it isn't anymore. 
 

Is it worth fixing VCRs nowadays?  There are lots of old ones around - try
Kiwanis.  THe parts could be hard to get hold or or at least expensive.

I have three in various states.  I intend to spend $0 on VCR-ness from
now on.  When they are all dead beyond kicking and rigging, then I will
no longer view the 5 or so VHS tapes I own.  That goes as far as using
up spray on them to put in a part from my junk drawer.  VHS was a bad
idea while it lasted.  I'm glad it's finally going away.

Sometimes it's worth fixing old ones, if they're good quality.  You can
buy a new VCR pretty cheaply now, but getting a *good* one...that still
isn't cheap.

I still like having a VCR around, not just for viewing old tapes, but
for time-shifting.

We find our VCR quite useful for recording some programs for later viewing.
I suppose we will use it until it fails....and then start using the extra
one we have in reserve until it fails...and then I guess DVD-RW will be
dirt cheap. 

I do prefer DVD for movie viewing because of the flexibility of reviewing
scenes, and of course the "extras". But they are more fragile than tape when
personhandled by previous rentors. We are finding rented DVD more frequently
unreadable (although some thorough cleaning often restores them). 

I'm quite OCD with my DVDs and CDs, but rentals are sometimes a problem.
 Other people seem to think that since they don't own that disc they can
treat it as porrly as they want.  But it's not far to the rental store
for me, and they will switch out if you have one that you can't play.

We had one rental DVD that had the movie burned on both sides. One side
was damaged about half-way through, but the other side played fine. I haven't
come across another burned on both sides. 

Was that 4:3 on one side and widescreen on the other?  I've seen a bunch
done that way.

Yes, now that you mention it. (I stop noticing after watching for a while.)

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