HP DesignJet 90r driver error when trying to configure Plotter Manager

[frank]

OS: Windows 8.1 64 bit

Acad Version: Autocad LT 2015

Plotter: HP Designjet 90r

Driver: Latest drivers installed from here: http://h20566.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=453843&swItemId=pl_117508_1&swEnvOid=4132

Error Message Displayed by Autocad LT:

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AutoCAD LT Warning

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HP DesignJet 90r: This plotter configuration cannot be used for one
of these reasons: the driver cannot be found, the device cannot be
found, or the driver has a problem. The None plot device has been
substituted.

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OK

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Steps Attempted:

1. Confirmed printer driver worked from from other programs (example, prints PDF from Adobe Reader without a problem)
2. Checked for new driver on Windows update (there wasn't one)
3. Ensured printer was set as default printer in Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Devices and Printers
4. Scoured HP and Autocad Support sites for information. Read numerous references to hp-gl/2 driver, but couldn't find any such animal. Also these seemed to be referencing older operating systems.

Questions:

1. Does the HP Designjet 90r simply not work with Autocad LT 2015?
2. Or, is there some way to force Plotter Manager to recognize that this printer driver DOES in fact work just fine and allow me to configure it?

Thanks for any information.

[JoAnn_Hogan]

Hi Frank,

Please have a look at this link: AutoCAD 2015 and HP Printer issue

AutoCAD 2015, Windows 8 and HP plotter is not working so nice together. In this link I explain exactly how to fix this issue.

[frank]

Hi,

Thanks for trying to help. I had already done that, and it didn't solve the problem. I am finding so much conflicting and out of date information about Designjets and setting up plotting in Autocad. I'm not the Autocad person, I'm the daughter (technical support) and I've worked in software development for the past 15 years, and am finding everything about Autocad extremely frustrating. I have a working computer, I have a working printer, I have working autocad LT 2015 - and it won't use the darn printer...

I naturally first tried to simply add a plotter attached to this computer and it wanted a Heidi file, I think they call it that because everywhere I look, it's HIDE-ing, then after reading a bit more somewhere it said, NO with designjet I need to create a create a PC3 file using PLOTTERMANAGER - and don't use local computer (even though that is where my dad's printer is connected) use network (ZING) wants a Heidi file... other advice use System printer... what the heck, tried that, picked the 90r (ZING), it tells me "BAD DRIVER, pick another printer", so I tried the system printer (ZING), wizard crashes - thanks for playing Autocad Roulette, we crash, we give errors, we do everything except PRINT.

[pendean]

AutoCAD will use Windows System drivers with all HP printers and plotters: we have done so for 20+ years now, there is no need to create any PC3 files unless you are supporting an office of5+ users on a server type network.

Heidi? that went away with DOS, that weird operating system before Windows back in the day.

Here is a simpler explanation on what to do to setup up Win8 based plotters:
http://latitude-it.net/hp-designjet-plotter-drivers-and-windows-8/