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Banner Printing, w/HP in XP.
I have a computer that is running XP SP2 with an HP Deskjet 812c, I can't print a banner on banner paper. I did it in 98 with the same printer. Several friend also running XP with HP printers also have the same problem. HP tech support was no help. Thanks in advance. Tim

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A short expert note that builds on and : this is usually not a hardware fault with the 812c but a driver/application/setting mismatch that shows up after moving from Windows 98 to XP. Some HP drivers and modern print dialogs no longer expose a dedicated "banner/continuous forms" choice the way older drivers did, so the banner feature can disappear even though the printer hardware supports it. (h30434.www3.hp.com)

First check the printer itself — older DeskJet models (including the 810/812 family) have a mechanical banner/continuous-feed selector in the paper tray and a specific alternate/top feed path for banner paper. Make sure that lever/feed path is set for continuous-feed before trying any driver changes. The service/user documentation documents the banner lever and parts. ()

If the hardware is set correctly, use Windows to create a custom long form and select it in the driver (this is the usual XP-era workaround). In XP the path is Printers and Faxes -> File -> Server Properties (or Print Server Properties) -> Forms tab -> Create a new form. Give the form a name, set Width to the printer carriage width (usually 8.5 in for these models) and Height to the banner length you want, set margins to 0.00 and Save. Then open the application Print dialog and select that form (and set Paper Source to Manual/Alternate feed if available). If the driver does not list the form, the driver probably refuses unsupported sizes. ()

Practical troubleshooting sequence:

  1. Confirm the physical banner lever and feed path are set. ()
  2. Try printing the new custom form from a simple app (Notepad/Word/Publisher or a PDF with the same custom page size) to separate driver vs Print Shop issues. Many users found Print Shop-era apps behave differently than modern apps. (postersw.com)
  3. If the custom form never appears, remove the printer driver and reinstall the XP-compatible driver (or try the basic/built-in DeskJet 810/812 driver), or temporarily try a Generic/PostScript or Generic/Text driver to force the custom size. Keep the paper width within the printer�s supported carriage width so the form will be visible to the driver. ()

These steps let you isolate whether the problem is the app (Print Shop), the driver, or a missing hardware feed setting and give a reliable way to get banners printing from XP-era systems.

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Member Avatar for Catweazle

What softeware program are you using to print the banners with? It may simply not be compatible with Windows XP. This doesn't sound like a printer problem, it sounds like a software one!

Member Avatar for goose88

Print Shop
However in the printer preferences, where you select the paper type there is no listing for continuous feed, banner paper.

Member Avatar for Catweazle

Are you using the most up to date Windows XP printer driver for the 812c? You'll find it on HP's website. Is your version of Print Shop a recent version or an old version?

If you are using software and drivers from an installation CD, and the device was purchased some time ago, then its highly likely that it's outdated and there will be incompatibilities and other problems.

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