Print

[w3526602]

Hi,

I have acquired the fancy braided lead to connect my printer to my lap top.

Question ... does this lead replace the original lead ... OR ... does it run in parallel to the original lead?  I have sufficient ports in the PC for either, or both, options, but there were no instructions with the new lead.

603

[Craig T]

If it is a USB cable then there will only be one socket on the printer.
A normal printer will only have two cables, one from the 240v power supply and one USB cable. That should be all that is needed.

Craig.

[w3526602]

Hi Craig,

Thanks for reply.

OK, I replaced the original skinny cable with the magnificent braided cable. Nothing happened, apart from a message that it was out of ink.

I told Barbara order me some new ink ... and PREMIUM  cartridges arrive .... much prettier and more substantial that the originals. The originals were labelled as CANON PG-545 and PG-546,
while the new replacements are labelled 545XL and 546XL. I don't think the replacements are going to fit, without a club hammer. So yes ... the printer IS out of ink.

Personally, I'd rather cut my losses, and just buy another new printer, but where from .... Curry's (shop in MK) or AMAZON (Website) ... and the same make and model? I don't knowective

In the meantime, my right hand has forgotten how to drive a pen in longhand (though my printing is still up to drawing office standards).

602

Doh! PS ... I have just noticed another CANON PIXMA MG25505 on my other desk, not plugged into anything, which looks brand new. But the ports, in the back, for the ink cartridges are completely different (in that I can't find them). 

Gibbo, if you are passing, I'd be grateful if you could call in, and slap some sense into me. I. not at home about lunch times, Tuesdays thru Fridays.

I'll try to post photos of both printers by tomorrow morning.

[alchad]

602,

Sadly - IMHO - printer connectivity is still in the Stone Age as far as I’m concerned. I’m reasonably pretty good with PC  stuff but setting up a new printer has me pulling out what little hair I have left. Even then when I’ve managed to get it talking to the PC a power outage usually needs me to reset the wireless link which is a PITA.

That doesn’t really help youI’m afraid, are there any local companies who could help? A quick Google came up with this outfit - there re others that offer similar services but these say home visits.

https://www.counter-act.co.uk/support-for-home-computers


Alchad

[The Shed]

Hi Craig,

Thanks for reply.

OK, I replaced the original skinny cable with the magnificent braided cable. Nothing happened, apart from a message that it was out of ink.

I told Barbara order me some new ink ... and PREMIUM  cartridges arrive .... much prettier and more substantial that the originals. The originals were labelled as CANON PG-545 and PG-546,
while the new replacements are labelled 545XL and 546XL. I don't think the replacements are going to fit, without a club hammer. So yes ... the printer IS out of ink.

Personally, I'd rather cut my losses, and just buy another new printer, but where from .... Curry's (shop in MK) or AMAZON (Website) ... and the same make and model? I don't knowective

In the meantime, my right hand has forgotten how to drive a pen in longhand (though my printing is still up to drawing office standards).

602

Doh! PS ... I have just noticed another CANON PIXMA MG25505 on my other desk, not plugged into anything, which looks brand new. But the ports, in the back, for the ink cartridges are completely different (in that I can't find them). 

Gibbo, if you are passing, I'd be grateful if you could call in, and slap some sense into me. I. not at home about lunch times, Tuesdays thru Fridays.

I'll try to post photos of both printers by tomorrow morning.

It is tempting to buy a new printer, but you may still have connection issues. New printers are supplied with minimal ink so you may be out of ink once again before you know it.

[w3526602]

Hi Shed,

I can't argue with you philosophy (Two dead printers), but as it stands, it's costing me £40 each week in lost Attendance Allowance. My options seem to be ...

PRINT (by hand) my letters to Social Services.

Get Barbara to take my dictation, in longhand.

"Grid my Lions", and launch a physical assault on Social Services Offices, which may not be possible if I have to walk more than a few yards.

My African (I think) wolverine (in Carer's Uniform) no longer visits me. The Carers who do still visit are angels (and beautiful), but not what I need for this particular task.
 
Barbara and the Wolverine once went "eyeball to eyeball", (with the other Carers taking cover) but are now best friends.

Barbara tells me that she fell in love with me when I picked her up, in the middle of Chelsea, carried her back to the car, and threw her in. But that was then.

602

[The Shed]

A loverly tale 602, but you may get arrested for that these days !  😁

[ChrisJC]

Sadly - IMHO - printer connectivity is still in the Stone Age as far as I’m concerned.

Really? I have found it to be trivially straightforward. I have a networked setup, with the printer being wired onto the ethernet network and set up with a static IP address.

Whenever I power up a machine on the same network, it automatically discovers the printer and installs the right drivers.

Perhaps it's a perk of Linux, I don't know.

Chris.

[alchad]

Really? I have found it to be trivially straightforward. I have a networked setup, with the printer being wired onto the ethernet network and set up with a static IP address.

Whenever I power up a machine on the same network, it automatically discovers the printer and installs the right drivers.

Perhaps it's a perk of Linux, I don't know.

Chris.

 Chris, probably wasn’t as clear as I should have been, I was referring to the initial software setting up of the printer to get it to talk to my Windows PC, numerous software apps which presumably offer me options I may or may not need and then in the case of my wireless printer other hoops to jump through, it’s not what I would call ‘plug and play” although whether the fault is Epson or Windows I don’t know. However ‘trivially straightforward’ is perhaps subjective depending on your IT skills - and If you’re a Linux user I suspect you’re a lot more IT savvy than most?

[ChrisJC]

Ah I see. Yes, most PC equipment is bundled with huge amounts of 'bloatware' these days, none of it being required. Unless you want to be bombarded with 'touch your customer' e-mails and popups.

Being a Linux user, I can't use any of it, which doesn't seem to be to my detriment!

I guess it depends on the hardware, but my printer could be set up via the control panel, and plugged in to the Ethernet switch. Job done.

Chris.

[Wittsend]

I really don't think 602 is a potential Linux user 

We don't know the age or iteration of his PC and operating system, or if the printer is current.
Previous posts on this and other computing problems suggest his kit is not current.

It needs a site visit - I doubt this can be sorted out over the forum.

My advice would be to purchase a modern laserjet printer and scanner.
Do you really need colour
How many pages are you printing per day/week ?

For the very few colour photo quality images I need, I use an online service like Moonpig 
Much, much cheaper than trying to keep a cloud ink jet working.

In between printing ink cartridges dry out and the jets gum up 
They need regular use.

A laserjet tonner cartridge last ages, you can change in seconds.

They tend to come with a USB cable - you plug in and switch on.
All the drivers these days are instantly downloaded from the internet and in a few moments you are up and printing.

I'm a happy HP user - never had any problems 

But, as I say, a site visit is the only way to get 602 printing again.

 

[alchad]

I think Wittsend is spot on - a kind soul in the MK region is needed.

Alternatively, my impression is that you're trying to print a letter? to send to Social Services. If you can type a letter on your PC, can you not email it to them??

Alchad

[Wittsend]

^^^^ Good point ^^^^

Not just Social Services - almost everyone now uses email correspondence.
Quicker, cheaper and you are not reliant on whether the Post Office are on strike or not.

If it's a long message - type it out into Word or Open Office to check the content.
Then copy and paste into your email to them.

Using email means you can file messages away on your computer, and best of all - in the cloud, so they are always to hand and not stuffed behind the clock on the mantelpiece or in the back of a drawer.


 

[w3526602]

Hi All,

Thanks for your sensible advice ... but when have I ever been sensible?
Some of you may have been noticed my absence of several days ... UNABLE TO CONNECT TO THE INTERNET.

Today, my builders arrived to build my garden pond ...8ft x 5ft x 16ins deep, using 8" high x 4" wide timbers. It seems adequate for my needs. All done and dusted, and filled with water, now I have to wait for it to mature. Barbara tells me its my birthday prezzy ... I don't think she asked for an estimate. Remind me to check my water bill, to see the cost per cubic foot.

The second builder in the pecking order took a shufti at my ailing PC, and diagnosed that I had pressed the AIRCRAFT BUTTON, which blocks access to the Internet. (dashed clever these orientals). Can anybody tell me which button he was referring to?

So, I'm back on-line, but have not yet checked to see if my printer is behaving itself. Watch this space!

602

PS. The goldfish, in the pond at our last house, were bought when they were 2" long, and grew to about 6" ... and then started to disappear, one at a time. Cats? Herons? Then one day, I caught Ki, our German Shepherd, making a meal of one. Ki was too thick to catch a cold. Wilkie (JRT) caught a pigeon in mid-air. ... Possible makings of a Frizbee Hound?

[LN11AAB498A]

....... took a shufti at my ailing PC, and diagnosed that I had pressed the AIRCRAFT BUTTON, which blocks access to the Internet. Can anybody tell me which button he was referring to? .....

Hi 602,
There is a `Flight Mode`on your mobile phone, and as you say it stops all incoming & outgoing communications. But I`ve never heard of this mode being available on a PC