Author Topic: My new Landscape Printer... (Read 3298 times)

Joyce · « **on:** April 18, 2008, 07:18:40 AM »

Was delivered 2 days ago.

Tomorrow I am setting it up.

Prints 24" wide up to 50 feet long full color.

My home business is growing!

The big box is 24" x 24" by almost 6 feet long.
5 Boxes in all, including the stand, the paper catcher basket,
ink, paper roll spool, and printer.

And my new monitor (in the background) is 22".

Esther · « **Reply #1 on:** April 18, 2008, 07:39:11 AM »

Home Business??? I didn't know you were doing that. Tell us about it.

Jerry · « **Reply #2 on:** April 18, 2008, 07:40:32 AM »

Pretty impressive. Nice monitor! Mine is 22 " yours looks even bigger.

Joyce · « **Reply #3 on:** April 18, 2008, 07:46:41 AM »

Esther, I have been doing it all along, various kinds of artwork and of course landscape designs.
But I didn't have a printer big enough to print to scale. (Landscape scale is 1" = 10')
I applied directly to HP for a business lease, and now I have this for the next 3 years for $70 a month,
maintenance is free during the lease!

I do logos, screenprint art, photography, webart, etc, etc.

Pretty much any kind of art from fine illustration to graphic and commercial art, I do it.

I went to school for illustration at FIT in NYC.

Jerry, I remember when I first set up this monitor a couple of months ago....
I had to keep pushing my chair back cuz it just seemed so big.
I love it....I can see so much of my landscape plans when I am working, plus it is HD.

We just bought Jamie a new monitor for her (my old) computer and it is VERY cool with memory card slots, USB ports, and a dock for her music player.

Krista · « **Reply #4 on:** April 18, 2008, 01:38:16 PM »

oh that's going to be one beautiful printer! I have an HP that prints only 13X 17 and I thought that was good... well for me it is since my biggest I print is my scrapbook layouts which are 12X12.

enjoy your new toy:)

Joyce · « **Reply #5 on:** April 18, 2008, 01:54:54 PM »

See, when I get it all hooked up, I can print plans like this prototype landscape design of our new house.
This would print at 24" wide with a 1" white border. (no plants yet, those comes last once you get the hardscape done)

Krista, thinking about unpacking it and setting it up is giving me heart palpitations!

Direct link to larger jpeg file:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/SwimmingJewel/Misc%20Pix/PrototypePlan-1.jpg

EagleEye · « **Reply #6 on:** April 18, 2008, 04:22:29 PM »

Wow, that is so cool

Are you setting it up in the old house, then tear it down and move it and set it up again? Whew, got tired just thinking about it.

Have a blast with your new toy. (us guys love that term)

:-)

)
I also love a big monitor, I have the old cad, 21" from work at home. My brother used his 40" HDTV as his monitor

Steve

Double S · « **Reply #7 on:** April 18, 2008, 04:45:37 PM »

Forget the printer....I'm excited to finally see some beginning stages of your new place!!!!!!!!!!!

Ky Kim · « **Reply #8 on:** April 18, 2008, 07:53:03 PM »

Wow, that's nice. Does this mean if we have an awesome pic, you could print it big enough to frame? You could get alot of business just from here. Thinking out loud here...

Kim

karen J · « **Reply #9 on:** April 18, 2008, 08:41:08 PM »

That is wickedly cool.

Maybe someday you can fix my horribly designed '70's landscape!!! I shall pay handsomely for that.

What a cool toy!

El Jefe · « **Reply #10 on:** April 19, 2008, 03:23:26 PM »

Nice Joyce nice! I love the program! You can do some amazing things with that printer and that program, So where does the line form???

Joyce · « **Reply #11 on:** April 19, 2008, 06:21:37 PM »

Well, we finally put the stand together, put the printer together,
figured out how to put the paper roll spool holders on the back of the printer,
cuz those directions were NOT in the box or anywhere to be found.
Went to connect everything AND GUESS WHAT?????

The printer cable is missing, was not sent.

Also, put the driver installation CD in and went to install the driver and it wont install.
The installation window appears, then I get this message...
Please check to make sure the Installation CD is in the CD drive.
Maybe it is because the cable is missing?
The CD is in the drive, otherwise the main installation window wouldn't be open now, would it?

SOoooooo, I went to www.HP.com and tried to download the driver from there....STILL wont work.

Sent an email to the salesperson I have been working with since the getgo.
Was a very assertive email.

Tomorrow I will go to Radioshack and try to find a cable that will work.
(IF I can get it to recognize the driver CD)
Took a pic of the cable port too, so I will know which one to buy IF they have it.
(which I bet they wont)

I am so disappointed, to say the least.

It's like having a brand new sports car in your garage and no keys. :'(

Sonny · « **Reply #12 on:** April 19, 2008, 06:33:11 PM »

Quote from: Joyce on April 18, 2008, 07:46:41 AM

I went to school for illustration at FIT in NYC.

I went to Columbia back before it was co-ed and we used to have school dances and invite all those 'hot' FIT girls! Of course, we always left disappointed because those 'hot' FIT girls rarely had any interest in us nerds. I soon realized I was barking up the wrong tree.

It is a very good school and I'm not surprised that someone with your creativity went there.

Edit: best wishes for success in your business.

El Jefe · « **Reply #13 on:** April 19, 2008, 07:43:00 PM »

Joyce, the connector you have a picture of is for a parallel printer cable, that is the standard cable before everything went USB. Best buy, circuit city, Comp USA, Just ask for a standard parallel printer cable. If they don't have one I have plenty I will send you one.
Andy

Joyce · « **Reply #14 on:** April 19, 2008, 07:53:54 PM »

Thanks Andy,

You think Radioshack will have one?
They are the closest.

The other store are a half hour drive away, and we went there already today.
What a drag, huh?
Will the Parallel cable go into the back of my new computer?
Meaning, does one end have to be USB and the other fit into the printer?
I'm looking just now and there is no matching port in the back of my computer.
I remember the parallel ports on my old computers and there were ports that matched.

And I don't see anything on my regular printer that will match either....
I am so confused.

Joyce · « **Reply #15 on:** April 19, 2008, 09:31:59 PM »

I FINALLY GOT IT WORKING!!!

I went online, did some searches, asked some questions, read the manual at least 100x and still didn't find ANY info on printer cables....
and found out I could use another kind of cable from someone online at an HP forum,
one end is kind of squarish, and the other is a USB.
I happen to have several extra of these cables, so I tried one, and all of a sudden,
the printer started making whirring noises, asked for ink cartridges, downloaded the software pretty much all by itself,
and I figured how to get the paper spool loaded correctly and printed a landscape plan!
Whoa, this thing has a WICKED paper cutter blade that whizzes by and cuts the paper when the print is done!
Hope nothing (like fingers) gets in the way of that blade!

Of course, our new house plan was the first printed!
WOOOO-HOOOOO! I feel so victorious!

Mikey · « **Reply #16 on:** April 19, 2008, 10:10:52 PM »

Esther · « **Reply #17 on:** April 20, 2008, 05:10:35 AM »

I'm not surprised you've been doing "on the side" jobs all along. Guess I just never thought about it before.

Funny,

we are all feeling your first excitement, then your disappointment and frustration, your brain grinding on the possibilities, and then the AHA moment and finally the relief of success in conquering that wonderful piece of equipment. Hope it continues to do what you expect and more.

El Jefe · « **Reply #18 on:** April 20, 2008, 07:44:25 AM »

Joyce,
What your describing is a USB cable (called an 'A' to 'B' ) All new printers come with them, I thought to ask you, but then remembered one of my HP Business printers doesn't have one. But to answer your question they do make a cable that converts from Parallel to USB and works quite well. Glad to hear it is up and running, Now about my landscape...

Andy

Kittyzee · « **Reply #19 on:** April 20, 2008, 07:51:59 AM »

There is nothing like that feeling of accomplishment when poking around in strange territory (as in my case: computers, etc.) and finally figuring it out! Doing it yourself, you'll never forget it and won't have to spend hours researching that particular problem again. They just keep inventing this stuff and it's so hard to keep up on all of it. For Pete's sake, why don't they just make something we can plug into the wall and it's ready to go?!?

miguynmkoi · « **Reply #20 on:** April 20, 2008, 09:43:48 AM »

Cool printer. You are way more progressive than you think. I usually zip my large format drawings to the local printer with compatible software. They either deliver the prints to me, the job site or the big boss.

Joyce · « **Reply #21 on:** April 20, 2008, 04:18:27 PM »

Thanks everyone.

KittyZee, Yes, I feel VERY accomplished if not exhausted.

I wasn't gonna let this thing beat me.

And yes, why don't they make it easy for you?

I can NOT wait to speak with my HP man tomorrow.

Esther, it's been like a roller coaster with this dammmm thing!

Andy, they must have forgotten to put the cables in the box.

Now I just gotta get used to the 'Beam-me-up-Scotty' sound it makes all the time.
It's not loud at all, but it is there, 30" from my left ear at all times.
When we move, I will have a regular office, and this printer will be across the room, so it wont be that bad.

By the way, the stand that comes with is was very easy to assemble, all metal, and rock solid. Heavy!
No short cuts taken with plastic except for the bumpers, wheels, etc. for when it rolls around.

Krista · « **Reply #22 on:** April 20, 2008, 11:07:37 PM »

glad to hear you got it working and are happy

btw, mine didn't come with the cable either... I was under the impression that it didn't come with one by plan, not accident.

Joyce · « **Reply #23 on:** May 01, 2008, 07:54:39 AM »

They still haven't answered my emails and I have no idea how to return the extra spool that cost me about $80.

I am going to email, call and fax today.

Jerry · « **Reply #24 on:** May 06, 2008, 07:39:00 AM »

Yes, by all means, jump all over them! Politely at first. If that fails, you know the rest!

Sandye · « **Reply #25 on:** May 07, 2008, 10:25:57 PM »

WOW!!! That looks like quite a printer. CONGRATS!!!

I didn't know you were planning your own business or that you were building a new home. Both sound very exciting!