hp 2600 prints checks in reverse order
This is what worked:
Our accounting dept used to use an HP 2210 to print payroll. The payroll checks come pre-printed and pre-numbered from the print shop with 1 being on the top of the stack and 100 being on the bottom of the stack. The employee would place the stack in the paper tray with check #1 on top and the checks would print out in the ascending order (ie. check 1 prints first and 100 prints out last).
What's not working now:
The HP 2210 died and was replaced with a HP 2600n. Now, the pre-printed checks print out in descending order - check 100 prints first and then check 1, causing the check numbers in the accounting software to not match up.
The accounting software they use (Timberline) doesn't offer ascending / descending print options prior to printing (or so I am told), just a straight print.
The band aid:
The payroll person takes the pre-printed checks and re-orders the checks by hand prior to putting the checks in the paper tray - costly errors and ill-reconciliation problems have occurred.
We still have 4000+ checks to print in this batch (next purchase, we can have the checks delivered in a descending order, but for now ...)
Any suggestions on how to get the checks to pull correctly from the tray? Or is this a limitation based on how the 2600n pulls the paper to begin with?
Our accounting dept used to use an HP 2210 to print payroll. The payroll checks come pre-printed and pre-numbered from the print shop with 1 being on the top of the stack and 100 being on the bottom of the stack. The employee would place the stack in the paper tray with check #1 on top and the checks would print out in the ascending order (ie. check 1 prints first and 100 prints out last).
What's not working now:
The HP 2210 died and was replaced with a HP 2600n. Now, the pre-printed checks print out in descending order - check 100 prints first and then check 1, causing the check numbers in the accounting software to not match up.
The accounting software they use (Timberline) doesn't offer ascending / descending print options prior to printing (or so I am told), just a straight print.
The band aid:
The payroll person takes the pre-printed checks and re-orders the checks by hand prior to putting the checks in the paper tray - costly errors and ill-reconciliation problems have occurred.
We still have 4000+ checks to print in this batch (next purchase, we can have the checks delivered in a descending order, but for now ...)
Any suggestions on how to get the checks to pull correctly from the tray? Or is this a limitation based on how the 2600n pulls the paper to begin with?
Double check the driver options? On one of my lexmark printers, I have the option to print in the reverse order. (I don't have a 2600 driver on hand to double check if that option exists in that driver...)
There is a print option for print in reverse order, but that would only work if you knew in advance how many checks to load into the printer. Picking from the back is not something that most printers will do. The only other option i can think of would be to add a multiplexer and stack the checks in upside-down and print on the back side. Not sure how to accomplish this in the printer setup though.
>> The employee would place the stack in the paper tray with check #1 on top and the checks would print out in the ascending order
Implying that the stack of cheques was loaded 'face up' in the old printer?
>> Now, the pre-printed checks print out in descending order - check 100 prints first
I can't see how 'cheque 100' (i.e. the piece of paper which has been preprinted elsewhere with '#100') prints first, unless it is at the TOP of the stack of paper (I've never come across a printer which loads paper from the BOTTOM of a stack).
This perhaps implies that the stack of cheques is loaded 'face down' in the new printer (this may be necessary for Simplex prints?).
Can you confirm the above?
Implying that the stack of cheques was loaded 'face up' in the old printer?
>> Now, the pre-printed checks print out in descending order - check 100 prints first
I can't see how 'cheque 100' (i.e. the piece of paper which has been preprinted elsewhere with '#100') prints first, unless it is at the TOP of the stack of paper (I've never come across a printer which loads paper from the BOTTOM of a stack).
This perhaps implies that the stack of cheques is loaded 'face down' in the new printer (this may be necessary for Simplex prints?).
Can you confirm the above?
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>> So, what they need right now is a printer that prints face down, so 1 is on the top of the stack and 500 is on the bottom.
As far as I can make out, the CLJ 2600n printer always expects 'sided' paper (like Letterhead, Prepunched, etc.) to be loaded face-up in the cassette trays.
With some printers, the trays have to be loaded (when 'sided' paper is in use) differently for Simplex jobs and Duplex jobs (e.g. face-up top-ro-front for Simplex, face-down, top-to-rear for (automatic) Duplex).
But I don't think that this would help you, since:
(a) The CLJ2600n does not have a duplex unit (i.e. it does not do automatic duplex); it only offers 'manual ' duplex (where you have to print one side, then re-feed the batch of printed sheets back through the tray).
(b) You'd have to change your application to print duplex, with 'blank' faces between each 'real' face.
As far as I can make out, the CLJ 2600n printer always expects 'sided' paper (like Letterhead, Prepunched, etc.) to be loaded face-up in the cassette trays.
With some printers, the trays have to be loaded (when 'sided' paper is in use) differently for Simplex jobs and Duplex jobs (e.g. face-up top-ro-front for Simplex, face-down, top-to-rear for (automatic) Duplex).
But I don't think that this would help you, since:
(a) The CLJ2600n does not have a duplex unit (i.e. it does not do automatic duplex); it only offers 'manual ' duplex (where you have to print one side, then re-feed the batch of printed sheets back through the tray).
(b) You'd have to change your application to print duplex, with 'blank' faces between each 'real' face.
*snaps.fingers* Okay, that printer apparently doesn't have the capabilities of reverse order printing:
http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Printers-LaserJet/2600N-Need-Post-Script-Driver-Need-to-Reverse-Print-Order/m-p/656602
It looks like Windows 2000 used to have the capability: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc958168.aspx , but I can't find a way to configure that in Windows 2003.
If Timberline really doesn't have the option of changing the order it prints, it looks like you have the following options:
Replace the hp2600n with a printer that has the capabilities of the old one.
Muddle thru with the checks you have, and order future checks in the order your printer can print them. :-(
(I'm stunned that the default option to print from the software is reversed though... I'd almost put a nickel on the premise that it's configured somewhere that no one ever looks anymore... Might be worth dropping a dime to contact vendor support to confirm that it isn't configurable.)
http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Printers-LaserJet/2600N-Need-Post-Script-Driver-Need-to-Reverse-Print-Order/m-p/656602
It looks like Windows 2000 used to have the capability: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc958168.aspx , but I can't find a way to configure that in Windows 2003.
If Timberline really doesn't have the option of changing the order it prints, it looks like you have the following options:
Replace the hp2600n with a printer that has the capabilities of the old one.
Muddle thru with the checks you have, and order future checks in the order your printer can print them. :-(
(I'm stunned that the default option to print from the software is reversed though... I'd almost put a nickel on the premise that it's configured somewhere that no one ever looks anymore... Might be worth dropping a dime to contact vendor support to confirm that it isn't configurable.)
Even if it did have the reverse print option, they would still need to know how many checks they were going to do in each run. I would doubt that they do exactly 500 checks each time. For example, if they loaded 500 checks and only printed 300, it would be checks 1-300 on check numbers 200-500. I'd wager to say that's worse off than if they just manually re-ordered the checks.
*contorts.with.tongue.stuc
Okay, packratt_jk is right. Go back to the original two options... I'm not sure manually reordering is less work that putting in exactly as many checks as are needed... but it's an ugly, ugly kludge either way.
Okay, packratt_jk is right. Go back to the original two options... I'm not sure manually reordering is less work that putting in exactly as many checks as are needed... but it's an ugly, ugly kludge either way.
That would assume that the user knows in advance how many checks are needed.
I have to agree you though - ugly situation from all angles i can see.
It seems like the only real option there is for this would be to somehow automate the paper re-ordering (pre printer load). I'm thinking of, for instance, a scanner with an ADF. Those usually pull from the bottom. Of course, they stack in the same order they are put in, so that wouldn't work, but something along those lines. Maybe if you put them into a copier and set for collate (into the blank paper spot, not the source document)?
I have to agree you though - ugly situation from all angles i can see.
It seems like the only real option there is for this would be to somehow automate the paper re-ordering (pre printer load). I'm thinking of, for instance, a scanner with an ADF. Those usually pull from the bottom. Of course, they stack in the same order they are put in, so that wouldn't work, but something along those lines. Maybe if you put them into a copier and set for collate (into the blank paper spot, not the source document)?