Microsoft KB Archive/67046

HPGL/2 Resolution Causes Error 21 on HP LaserJet

PSS ID Number: Q67046 Article last modified on 01-24-1995

5.00 5.50 | 5.00 5.50

MS-DOS | OS/2

= SUMMARY =

Printing to a Hewlett-Packard (HP) LaserJet III or IIID from Word with the HPGL/2 resolution mode may cause an error 21 (print overrun) to display on the printer. The HPGL/2 mode allows vector graphics (such as Lotus PIC and HPGL images) to be sent directly to the printer, reducing the amount of data that needs to be sent.

= MORE INFORMATION =

In the HPGL/2 mode, the printer is required to lay out (rasterize) the images internally. This allows far less data to be sent to the printer, which significantly improves speed. The HPGL/2 mode also allows the image to be laid out with maximum printer resolution, providing a potentially cleaner image than is available from Word. If the print engine in the printer (the part pulling paper through) gets ahead of the imager (calculating the actual image), an error 21 will occur.

There are three possible solutions to this problem:


 * 1) Use 300 dpi resolution instead of HPGL/2 in Printer Setup (Word 5.50) or Print Options (Word 5.00) command. The 300 dpi resolution provides similar image quality to HPGL/2 and eliminates the error 21 in most cases.
 * 2) Reduce the size of the image within Word.
 * 3) If the LaserJet has an optional 1 megabyte (MB) RAM installed, use the “Page Protect” feature to correct the error. Page protect buffers the entire page before printing and sends everything to the imager at one time in the proper order. This method should eliminate the error; however, page protect requires 1 MB of RAM (for letter-size paper) to be set aside. This memory cannot be used for buffering or download fonts.

You can enable the page protect feature from the front panel of the printer. This is an option available from the configuration menu (hold the Menu key down for approximately five seconds). Once page protect is set to “Yes,” press the Enter key to confirm the selection. When a printer self-test is performed, the test sheet will display the current status of page protect (on or off).

KBCategory: kbprint KBSubcategory: Additional reference words: graphic winword ============================================================================= Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1995.