 
Troubleshooting flowchart for Macintosh 
users
1
Can you print from a software
application?
YES
➜
Go to step
2
.
NO
The Macintosh computer is 
not communicating with the 
printer.
Auto Setup did not 
automatically set up the 
printer.
The printer driver 
icon does not 
appear in the 
Chooser.
• Make sure the printer control
panel displays
READY
(see the first
page of “Troubleshooting 
flowchart” on page 137).
• Make sure the correct printer
driver is selected in the left half of 
the Chooser. Then make sure 
that the desired printer name is 
selected (highlighted) on the right 
half of the Chooser. There will be 
an icon next to the printer name 
after the driver has been set up 
and configured with the PPD.
• If the printer resides on a network
with multiple zones, make sure 
the correct zone is selected in the 
AppleTalk Zones box in the 
Chooser.
• Make sure the correct printer has
been chosen in the Chooser by 
printing a configuration (see 
“Configuration page” on 
page 152). Make sure the name 
of the printer displayed on the 
configuration page matches the 
printer in the Chooser.
• Make sure AppleTalk is active.
(Select this in the Chooser or in 
the AppleTalk control panel, 
whichever is applicable for your 
OS version.)
• Make sure the computer and
printer are on the same network. 
From Control Panels in the Apple 
menu, select the Network (or the 
AppleTalk) control panel and then 
choose the correct network (for 
example, LocalTalk or EtherNet).
• Set up the printer manually by
selecting Configure.
• Reinstall the printer software.
(See the getting started guide.)
• Select an alternate PPD (see
“Selecting an alternate PPD” 
on page 145).
• The PPD might have been
renamed. If so, select the 
renamed PPD (see “Selecting 
an alternate PPD” on 
page 145).
• A network queue might be
present.
• Make sure the Apple
LaserWriter 8 
Chooser extension 
resides in the 
Extensions folder.
• If it is not present
anywhere on your 
system, contact 
Apple Computer, Inc.
➜
 
144 Chapter 4 - Problem solving
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2
Does the job print as expected?
YES
➜
For other problems, 
check the Contents, the 
Index, or the printer 
online help.
NO
The print job is 
not sent to the 
desired printer.
The print job
 has incorrect 
fonts.
The computer cannot be 
used while the printer is 
printing.
• Another printer with the same
or similar name might have 
received the print job. Verify 
that the printer name matches 
the name selected in the 
Chooser (see “Selecting an 
alternate PPD” on page 145). 
• If you are printing an .eps file,
try downloading the fonts 
contained in the .eps file to 
the printer before printing. 
Use the HP LaserJet Utility 
(see “HP LaserJet Utility” on 
page 40).
• If the document is not printing
with New York, Geneva, or 
Monaco fonts, go into the 
Page Setup dialog box, and 
select Options to deselect 
substituted fonts.
• Select Print in
Background from the 
Background Printing menu 
in the Print Dialog box. 
Status messages will be 
redirected to the Desktop 
Print Monitor, allowing the 
computer to continue 
working while the printer is 
printing.
➜
 
EN
Determining printer problems 145
Selecting an alternate PPD
1
Open the Chooser from the Apple menu.
2
Click the LaserWriter 8 icon.
3
If you are on a network with multiple zones, select the zone in the 
AppleTalk Zones box where the printer is located.
4
Click the printer name you want to use in the Select a PostScript 
Printer box. (Double-clicking will immediately generate the next 
few steps.)
5
Click Setup. (This button might read Create for first-time setup.)
6
Click Select PPD.
7
Find the desired PPD in the list and click Select. If the desired 
PPD is not listed, choose one of the following options:
• Select a PPD for a printer with similar features.
• Select a PPD from another folder.
• Select the generic PPD by clicking Use Generic. The generic
PPD allows you to print, but limits your access to printer 
features.
8
In the Setup dialog box, click Select, and then click OK to return 
to the Chooser.
Note
If you manually select a PPD, an icon might not appear next to the 
selected printer in the Select a PostScript Printer box. In the 
Chooser, click Setup, click Printer Info, and then click Update Info to 
bring up the icon.
9
Close the Chooser.
Renaming the printer
If you are going to rename the printer, do this before selecting the 
printer in the Chooser. If you rename the printer after selecting it in 
the Chooser, you will have to go back into the Chooser and 
reselect it.
Use the Set Printer Name feature in the HP LaserJet Utility to 
rename the printer. 
 
146 Chapter 4 - Problem solving
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