OIT Enterprise Systems Management

Additional Issues in Establishing a OIT UNIX Printserver Print Queue for an HP LaserJet 8000 Series Printer

This document contains some printer-specific information about the HP LaserJet 8000 series printer, for use when establishing a OIT UNIX printserver print queue.

In addition to the information, there are some questions below for you to answer; please send your answers to printmaster@princeton.edu at the same time you submit the Request to Establish a New Printserver Print Queue.

Although the printer may speak both AppleTalk and HP's version of IP printing, printserver will communicate with the printer exclusively using HP's version of IP printing; that provides better performance and features. Therefore, please configure the printer to speak IP, and to obtain its configuration using "BootP" (not DHCP); see your HP manuals for instructions. (You can still configure the printer to speak other communication protocols; printserver simply won't use them.)

The HP 8000N or 8000DN have some additional features we need to be aware of when driving the printer from the OIT printserver. To correctly define the print queue(s) for these printer models, we need you to answer the questions below. For some cases below, you'll also need to take additional steps in configuring the printer.

  1. The printer comes standard with two built-in paper trays, numbered '2' and '3' (plus the manual feed, tray number '1'). Have you also purchased and installed the optional 2000-Sheet Input Tray option (tray number 4)?

  2. Did you purchase and install the optional duplex feature? If not, is that possible/likely in the future? (The optional duplex feature is included on the 8000DN model.)

  3. Will you be loading all the built-in paper trays with the same kind of paper (e.g. 3holes-letter, 0holes-legal)?

  4. If the answer to question #3 is "yes", please skip these questions. Otherwise, if the answer to question #3 is "no", then answer these questions:

    1. What ONE kind of paper will be loaded into tray 2? (e.g. 3holes-letter, 0holes-letter, 0holes-legal)

    2. What ONE kind of paper will be loaded into tray 3?

    3. If you have the optional 2000 Sheet Input Tray (tray 4) installed, what ONE kind of paper will be loaded into that tray?

    Note that if you have the duplexing option installed, 3hole paper will require two trays (assuming you wish to be able to print one 3hole paper in both simplex and duplex modes) since it must be loaded with the holes on the right for simplex printing and with the holes on the left for duplex printing.

  5. If the answer to question #3 is "no", please skip these questions. Otherwise, if the answer to question #3 is "yes", then answer these questions:

    1. What ONE kind of paper will be loaded in trays 2 and 3 (as well as the optional High-Capacity tray if installed)? (E.g. 3hole-letter, 0hole-letter, 0hole-legal)

    2. If the answer to question #5-a is "3hole" (or any other kind of paper which has a distinct "front" and "back" side) and the answer to question #2 is "yes", and the answer to question #1 is "no", then:

      You will need to load the 3hole paper into tray 2 so that the holes are on the right, and into tray 3 so the holes are on the left. (When printing in simplex mode, the printer prints on the "bottom" of the sheet, but when printing in duplex mode, the printer prints first on the "top" of the sheet, then on the "bottom" of the sheet. Tray 2 will be used for simplex printing, and tray 3 will be used for duplex printing.)

      Please use the printer's front panel controls to tell the printer that you have a different *kind* paper stock in each of trays 2 and 3; see below.

    3. If the answer to question #5-a is "3hole paper" (or any other kind of paper which has a distinct "front" and "back" side) and the answer to question #2 is "yes", and the answer to question #1 is "yes", then:

      Do you expect to print more in simplex mode, or more in duplex mode?

      You will need to load the 3hole paper into trays 2 and 3 so the holes are on one side, and into the High-Capacity tray so the holes are on the other side. (When printing in simplex mode, the printer prints on the "bottom" of the sheet, but when printing in duplex mode, the printer prints first on the "top" of the sheet, then on the "bottom" of the sheet.) To allow best use of the High-Capacity tray, we will want to configure the print queues so that tray is used for whichever kind of printing you do most. Your answer to this question will be used to correctly configure the queues, and will then determine which way you will need to load the paper into each trays (holes on left, or holes on right).

      Please use the printer's front panel controls to tell the printer that you have a *one* kind of paper stock in trays 2 and 3, and *another* kind of paper stock in tray 4; see below.

  6. If the answer to question #3 is "yes", please skip this item. Otherwise, if the answer to question #3 is "no", then:

    Please use the printer's front panel controls to tell the printer that you have a unique *kind* of paper stock in each tray (tray 1, 2, 3, and if present, tray 4); see below.


    Specifying Different Kinds of Paper Stock

    If the instructions above directed you to use the printer's front panel controls to tell the printer you have different kinds of paper stock in particular trays, you do this using the console's "Tray' menu; see the HP manuals that came with the printer for instructions (Note: you are specifying kinds of paper stock, *not* paper sizes.)

    E.g. your may the printer that one tray contains "letter" paper, another tray contains "bond" paper, etc. It doesn't matter the kinds of paper you select; they can have no relationship to the paper you actually plan to load into each tray.

    All this is simply to convince the printer that it has different kinds of paper in each tray (or group of trays), so it will not automatically switch from one tray to another when it runs out of paper; that automatic switching would defeat the purpose of loading different kinds of paper into each tray.

    Note that doing this may mean that non-UNIX users who print to this printer may need to experiment with their printing software to determine what they need to do when they want to cause the printer to draw paper from a particular tray.


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    The Office of Information Technology,
    Princeton University
    Last Update: September 11 2001