10-28-2011, 07:58 AM

I'm new here, so I might well be in the wrong corner, but I'll proceed anyway just in case.

I use Word for Mac 2008 and my trusty HP printer suddenly refuses to print anything formatted in it, yet still prints documents formatted in Pages and other programs. I wonder if there's something I should tweak in Word to make it work again for this printer, as it has done for years.

Any thoughts please?

10-28-2011, 12:55 PM

You were in the wrong forum. I moved your post here where it belongs.

If your HP printer previously worked OK with Word 2008 and works fine with other apps, I have to think that some option or some thing changed within Word. Check your Word preferences to make sure everything is setup correctly.

10-28-2011, 03:50 PM

Thanks for redirecting me. Checking Word preferences sounds like good advice, but to be honest I don't know what I'm looking for. Everything looks right to me. Is there something specific I should make sure of?

I might add that although Word documents start to print, they stop after about a fifth of a page, then I get a 'Paper Jam' or 'Ink Cartridge Stuck' message. There’s never a paper jam, but the cartridges do stop about half way – but only when using Word.

10-28-2011, 11:41 PM

I might add that although Word documents start to print, they stop after about a fifth of a page, then I get a 'Paper Jam' or 'Ink Cartridge Stuck' message. There’s never a paper jam, but the cartridges do stop about half way – but only when using Word.

It sounds more like your HP is at fault. You didn't mention which HP printer but assuming it's of the newer variety, I can verify that cartridges do clog up and stop on some of them especially the "PhotoSmart" series". Have you tried cleaning the cartridges to see if that helps? I know it's a pain and the cartridges are expensive but there's not much else you can do.

I recently got rid of two HP printers that likewise were misbehaving. The only HP I have left is a BW laser which is a work horse.

10-29-2011, 05:17 AM

My printer is indeed a Photosmart, but a 7660, which is no longer made. I bought it three Macs back - along with a big G5, in 2003 - so I can't complain if it's on its last legs. But I much prefer it to the large Epson bought a couple of years ago, and would rather keep it than chuck it - especially with expensive ink cartridges in reserve - now that I've found that it will print other things than Word docs.

And yes, I have cleaned the cartridges, and realigned them, all of that, to no avail. Begins to sound like a ho-hum, c'est la vie situation, doesn't it?

10-29-2011, 03:14 PM

Yes, unfortunately it does. But you've really got your money's worth out of it to say the least. I recently switched over to using a Canon printer which is less expensive to upkeep as far as consumables go. I don't like its setup instructions and it's definitely difficult to get working wireless, but otherwise a decent printer. I also have a newer Epson which I received for free when we bought the iMac but consumables for it are likewise expensive.

10-29-2011, 03:32 PM

Annoyingly, after what I've been saying about my trusty old HP printing other kinds of document than Word, today it's refusing to print documents in either Pages or Nisus Writer. Looks like the reserve inks will have to scrapped after all.

I like the quality of HP inks, which is why I incline towards their printers, but in Britain at least, one colour and one black ink costs more than a cheap printer, which seems to me insane. But you mention that the upkeep of your Canon is less expensive than some printers - presumably you mean Canon inks. Thanks for sharing that. I'll have a look at some Canons. I only need a simple printer anyway, mostly for printing texts.