Printer trouble

[carpenoctem]

I'm running WIN98 and lately, my printer is acting strange. For instance, I am in MSWord and I hit the print button. The printer responds, getting ready to print a page. Then, it will just sit there. After about 2 minutes it will move the paper in to be printed, and then about every 30 seconds it will print one more line of text. So basically, it is REALLY slow and takes about 10 minutes to print out one page. Is this a printer problem, a cable problem, a hardware problem, or maybe a windows problem? I cannot survive printing .1 pages/minute, and help would be appreciated. For reference, it is the HP Deskjet870Cse printer...it was a hella nice printer when I got it, and hasn't given me a problem in 3 years...I appreciate any help anyone could give me...

[Leon]

Hmm... I've used that printer. It is a VERY nice printer. Do the problems persist even when you update the drivers?

http://www.hp.com/cposupport/swindex...70cz_swen.html

[carpenoctem]

I'll download the drivers in a little bit (death to 56k) and I'll let you know what happens..thanks

[carpenoctem]

Negatory, same problem...if you have any more ideas, they would be appreciated...the problem started after I moved my comp and had unplugged and then replugged in the parallel cable--think something could have been damaged?

[spigidygak]

Check both ends of the cable to make sure none of the pins are damaged. This could be the problem. If not, is there something else sharing your parallel port? That could be slowing down the communication speed too.

[Startide]

The newer HP printers come with a "Toolbox" program that is accessible via the START button or by clicking in the folder for that printer. One of the diagnostic features is something to check the bidirectional communication ability of your cable. If your cable has bad pins or wires, then this test should reveal something about the cable or whether or not you've damaged the parallel port by static electricity. The classic is walking on carpet while wearing acylic socks -- a recipe for disaster when touching electronic connectors.

[chrissy]

Does this happen only in Word?