FamilySearch Ordinance cards fail to print: PCL XL Error

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ulupoi
Member
Posts: 147
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 2:21 am
Location: California, USA

FamilySearch Ordinance cards fail to print: PCL XL Error

#1

Post by ulupoi »

I solved a problem recently that others might run into.

Problem
Computer OS: Windows 10
Printer: HP LaserJet 1300n (Actually, it is an HP LaserJet 1300 with an added HP JetDirect 200m print server, but the LaserJet 1300n is just those two things sold together with an "n" added to the name. And yes, I know it's a dinosaur.)
App: FamilySearch website on Chrome (Did not check with other browsers.)
Description of problem:

Recently, my friend lost the ability to print ordinance cards and family ordinance requests over the network to an HP LaserJet 1300n. Instead, the following error message would print:

PCL XL error
Subsystem: IMAGE
Error: IllegalAttributeValue
Operator: ReadImage
Position: 6880

The problem was printer specific. We could print successfully over the network to a relatively new model HP color laser printer.

Solution
1. When I connected the HP LaserJet 1300n to a computer directly using a USB cable, Windows automatically installed the printer with an HP LaserJet 1300 PCL 5 driver, and the computer successfully printed the ordinance cards and family ordinance requests.

2. I noticed that the current driver for printing over the network was an HP Universal Print Driver PCL 6, which is the driver first suggested by Windows when installing the printer. I uninstalled that printer, and then I reinstalled it using the HP LaserJet 1300 PCL 5 driver. Now it works fine.

Note 1: The HP LaserJet 1300 PCL 5 option is not initially in the list of options presented by Windows during installation. You can click on the option that the printer installer window gives you to load more printer drivers via Windows Update, but that can take a long time. It is faster to just attach the computer directly to the printer by USB cable, as that will cause Windows to retrieve the HP LaserJet 1300 PCL 5 driver quickly and automatically. Then, unplug the USB cable and install the printer using the manual method:

Settings > Printers & Scanners > Add Printer > The printer that I want isn't listed > Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings > Create a new port: Standard TCP/IP port > Type in the static IP address of the printer (You should have assigned it a static IP address beforehand.) Uncheck the box for "Query the printer and automatically select the driver to use > Select the HP LaserJet 1300 PCL 5 driver

Note 2: Sometimes you can't remove printers from the Settings > Printers & Scanners menu. In such cases, you can still uninstall them from Control Panel > Devices and Printers.
drepouille
Senior Member
Posts: 2859
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 6:06 pm
Location: Plattsmouth, NE

Re: FamilySearch Ordinance cards fail to print: PCL XL Error

#2

Post by drepouille »

Thank you for documenting this issue, which I have been dealing with ever since Microsoft dropped support for the LaserJet 1200 and 1300 series printers in Windows 10 years ago. Thousands of these printers are still in good working order, but few people know how to configure the drivers for them.
Dana Repouille, Plattsmouth, Nebraska
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