Information Systems:Laser Printers

uniPHARM uses Lexmark laser printers for printing invoices at each picking station in the distribution centre. The most common model is the T650/T652. In the past we also used the T640 and T630 which have all been phased out. Lexmark colour laser and black only laser printers are present in the office areas. While there is no restriction on the use of other brands of laser printers (HP for example) it is a best practice to keep the number of brands as close to 1 as possible so that users don't have to adjust to 10 different print drivers. The T650 lasers at each of the picking stations is connected to the HP print server box with a parallel cable. When purchasing replacement invoice printers, the parallel port must also be purchased as new black only laser printers don't come with a built in port. This of course wouldn't be a problem if we could just network attach all the picking station printers. Also keep in mind that the T650s that print invoices at the picking stations are all using their factory defaults because they are not network attached. All they need is to be plugged into the HP print server box with a parallel cable and powered on. If the Lexmark still does not print an invoice then power cycle the HP print server box at the picking station. If that still doesn't work then check the network cable. If the green lights on the HP print server box are not blinking rapidly then there is no valid network connection.

The Lexmark printers at the picking stations are not setup as shared network printers from a Windows print server. The HP boxes are configured as TCPIP printers on the Lucy Jetforms server, but they are not shared so that users can print to them. The 2 Lexmarks in the office area are setup as shared network printers from SuperServer and are used by staff for general office printing.

BONUS MAGIC SAUCE TIP If you need to install a new fuser into the LP05 printer in accounting (C748 model) and the printer refuses to see a brand new fuser as a brand new fuser, reboot the printer while holding down the 2 and the 6 buttons on the front panel. The printer will boot into a special configuration menu where you have to reset the page counter on the new fuser. I suppose you could do this same trick when that printer prompts for a new fuser because that printer eats consumables like the fat Austrian kid on the Simpsons eats chocolate.