Printing in Vista

[FrankSG]

I've got Vista beta installed on my other computer. For printing, Vista has what is called Microsoft XPS Document Writer. I can't get it to work. When I go to print something, a box pops up telling me to print to file. The only option I have is to save it. So I type in a file name and it saves it with an XPS extension. I can then go to the file and open it, but when I try to print it, I get the same box telling me to give it a file name.:mad: I have yet get it to print. Han anyone else tried to use it and have you had any luck? Thanks. ~Frank~

[123456]

Try installing your printer driver. This XPS writer seems a lot like Office Document Image Writer.

[FrankSG]

Try installing your printer driver. This XPS writer seems a lot like Office Document Image Writer.
Do you mean from my other printer? I installed my regular printer, but I can't even get that one to work right. My other printer will work if I print from a Word Processor or other application. But sometimes when I go to print, it only shows MS's Document Printer as the only printer. About the only time I need to print while in VISTA is if I bring up something from the Help section, I like to print some of that. And that's the one I'm having problems with. I'm going to get away from it now and go watch a ball game on TV.

[ErnieK]

Have you tried to copy and paste the contents you want from the help file into a word pad or note pad document and then print it?

[FrankSG]

Have you tried to copy and paste the contents you want from the help file into a word pad or note pad document and then print it?
I did a copy paste and opened up WordPad. I went to Print and it still brought up the box to save it to a file. I then tried to print it to my Konica Minolta printer and it still brought up that box. I save it to a file and then go the the file and try to print that and the box still comes up. There is no way I can get it to work. Has anyone else tried to print in Vista? And I wonder if there is a way to disable the operating system's printer. Anything I try to print from Help and Support won't work.

[rond36]

Read this: Print to the Microsoft XPS Document Writer (http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/3847e058-6e00-43e7-b642-3a2eed063c231033.mspx)

I have the same problem as you do, no printer driver for My HP Deskjet 6980 (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=467982&lang=en&docname=c00569571).

My printer is network capable wired and wireless + Bluetooth I have it connected via wireless to my Linksys WRT54GS router. I have also tried USB directly to the Vista PC.

I have found a workaround. If I share the printer on one of the XP Pro PCs on the network I can print to the printer through my laptop or my daughters PC.

I can see the printer on the network as a UPnP device along with my router.

I can even configure the printer's setup but still cant print to it directly without drivers. I have to print to the XP machine and it prints to the printer.

[FrankSG]

Thanks for the info, Rond...

[rond36]

We may get the XPS Document Viewer in the final release of Vista.

[FrankSG]

Rond--There was some good information on that page that you directed me to. Here's where my problem was: I was trying to print with Microsoft Document Writer and it's not made for printing. It's made only for creating the file. When you make the file with an xps extension you save it then open it with your regular printer that you have installed and print it with that. The advantage with that type of a file is that it can't be modified. If you want to send a file to someone and you don't want anything in it changed, then you save the file with the Document Writer. At least that's the way I understood it. As I think about it, it's not called a Document Printer, it's called a Document Writer.