HP 7475 and Y2K

[Cobra X]

No, they shouldn't have to be running the same OS & using the same driver. At my plant, the 7475 was attached to an HP Jetdirect port, not an actual computer. There were several 98 & NT4 machines hitting it, along with the one XP Pro workstation.

Still, I wouldn't think that the machines using different drivers would cause a problem. Like TripleR said, were there any error messages? The plotter act like it was receiving data at all? Or did it just do nothing?

[maracot]

I think I've followed the reply - the proposal was simply to load the HPGL/2 driver on the W2K system. So I did.

I had reloaded the W98 drivers a few times before, when I thought that the 'driver was not properly installed' error message might be accurate. This is what happened today:

On a standard functioning W98 ethernet LAN, I connected an HP7475 plotter to one machine, and loaded the W98 HPGL driver. I printed a test page - all ok. I printed a page from NotePad - ok. I went to another W98 machine and introduced the remote 7475 machine as a Network Printer, loading the W98 driver. I printed a NotePad page - ok.

I upgraded another W98 machine to W2K. There are no W2K HPGL drivers for the 7475. So I specify the remote 7475 as a Network Printer and load the HPGL/2 driver, as suggested. I check the printer and paper setup. Then I try a NotePad Page print.

Data flows to the 7475. It wakes up, moves the paper, and loads a pen. Then it makes a few dots, and sits there with the error light flashing. This is what I would expect if the W2K HPGL/2 driver was incompatible with the 7475.

[ddeane]

The HP7475 will not work with HPGL/2 it needs HPGL/1 -- period!

I am also looking for a HPGL/1 driver for Win2000.

I have surfed a few forums and the stock answer is usually 'get a new plotter' or use HPGL/2! The problem in my case, and I expect many others, is where a program uses the HP7475 as a virtual plotter to plot to file, for some sort of post processing.

The HPGL/1 code is character based and easy to process.

Most CAD/ graphics programs will directly import HPGL/1 but not HPGL/2.

The only option I have found (not tried) is to spend $200 :-( on a propriety driver from http://www.winline.com

[maracot]

The HP7475 will not work with HPGL/2 it needs HPGL/1 -- period!

I am also looking for a HPGL/1 driver for Win2000.

I have surfed a few forums and the stock answer is usually 'get a new plotter' or use HPGL/2! The problem in my case, and I expect many others, is where a program uses the HP7475 as a virtual plotter to plot to file, for some sort of post processing.

The HPGL/1 code is character based and easy to process.

Most CAD/ graphics programs will directly import HPGL/1 but not HPGL/2.

The only option I have found (not tried) is to spend $200 :-( on a propriety driver from http://www.winline.com

Hi, ddeane,

Yes, it's odd that most other items of hardware seem to be catered for by new O/Ss, and I can't see why the HP7475 (and, I suppose, other old HP devices) should be singled out to be rejected for software reasons. I suspect that if we were to dig, we would find that HP tried to retain commercial control of the graphic market at some time by keeping their language commercially protected, and banned 3rd party drivers.

I currently deal with the problem by driving the plotter from a W98 machine, and passing plots to a holding file on it from other systems on the network. These then have to be manually loaded onto a graphics package on the W98 machine and printed from there.

I wonder if anyone has produced a translator which can take in HPGL and output HPGL/2? That might help.