AutoCad can not find system printer

[hman]

my Acad 2000 program has somehow lost the ability to print. When I select my printer I get a series of error messages that says #1(system printer must be installed in order to connect to this device) #2 (this plotter configuration cannot be used. Either the device cannot be found, the driver cannot be found, or the driver has a problem. The none device has been substituted). My system printer works for all other applications, and has worked on Acad in the past. I have attempted to use the Plotter Manager to no avail. Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you hman

[jammie]

Hi hman,

Is it a network printer or local to your machine? What type of printer are you using? What OS are you running?

[hman]

Hello Jammie-- this printer is local to my machine. I am using a Cannon iP100 Series. computer operating system Windows XP Professional version 2002. I know that the DWG files are fine because I can export to another computer and print them without any problem. this printer configuration problem is exclusive to my system. I did use this computer and printer without problem for a year or more, before it got itself glitched.
any help appreciated, thank you, hman

[jammie]

I'd say its a printer driver compatability issue between AutoCAD and the Cannon iP100 printer.

When did the issue start? Have you updated your printer driver recently? I notice that the current printer driver for the ip100 is v2.17 on the cannon website, is this what you are using?

[ReMark]

Have you tried uninstalling the printer then reinstalling it?

[hman]

Hello Jammie-- I did re-install and update driver a couple of months ago, but just to be on the safe side I followed your advice and deleted, than reinstalled the printer a couple of minutes ago. No dice. the same problem. This problem started over a year ago. i uploaded something from the web for a project that I was working on, and i remember it caused me to do something with my print manager. I wasn't able to print again after that. I have actually uninstalled acad from my system, and reinstalled but have not been able to get rid of this glitch. I really do not think that it is a acad/printer problem. My Acad print menu does not see any of the normal windows print options. It should see several options just like my system files show, but it only shows stuff that the print manager put in all of which are .pc3 files. I don't know what this means, but they all give me the same error message.
Thank you for the help. hman

[rkent]

Go to Options, Files, Printer Support File Path, and finally Printer Configuration Search Path. What does it show? Now in Windows drill down to that folder, are your printers / plotters .pc3 files located there? If not then you need to change that in Options, Files, ... to the correct path.

[hman]

hello rkent--
I went to the 'options menu' and drilled down through all paths as you have suggested. all path and directions seem to be in order. it points me to acad2000/ plotter and my printer is listed there. however I get the same error message as before. Telling me that a windows printer must be installed in order to use this device.

[rkent]

I would go into windows and re-do adding the printer. Then go into AutoCAD and re-do adding that printer to a .pc3. I seem to remember having to do that in the past and had no idea why it needed to be done, just a corrupt file I suppose.

[hman]

hello rkent--
I did the uninstall/reinstall in both the windows printer, then on acad. I actually did this three times today. No dice. same error message. I can still forward dwg file to another computer and print just fine, just cannot print from this computer.