Updated HP Mobile Printing Software [Archive]

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Brad Adrian

10-25-2003, 09:00 AM

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Home.jsp?locale=en_US&prodTypeId=18964&prodSeriesId=242184' target='_blank'>http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...SeriesId=242184</a> </div>I was fairly impressed with how well HP's free Mobile Printing applications worked when <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18231">I recently needed them</a>. Within a few moments of installing the software, I was able to print Pocket Word documents via my 2215's infrared port. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/hp-print.jpg" /> HP has now <a href="http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Home.jsp?locale=en_US&prodTypeId=18964&prodSeriesId=242184">updated the software </a> for both 2002 and 2003 devices. The new v2.0 includes some very nice enhancements: • Job queueing capability • Native Pocket Excel (.pxl) printing support • Microsoft Excel (.xls) printing support within HPMP for PPC • Microsoft Server ActiveSync support • Ability to change amount of information logged through logging levels • New Job Status user interface • New printer configuration and selection user interface • Improvements to the document rendering capabilities • Embedded on-line survey to capture customer's input more effectively • Automatic detection of Westtek ClearVue version compatibility In addition to providing the software, HP has some <a href="http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Resource.jsp?locale=en_US&taskId=115&prodSeriesId=242184&prodTypeId=18964">very useful documents </a> to help you install and use the software (even though it's pretty intuitive). If there's even the remote chance that you might have to print from your Pocket PC, you owe it to yourself to download this software.

scmidlap

10-25-2003, 12:51 PM

Does this software only apply to Ipaqs or to all PPCs? :roll:

atsouch

10-25-2003, 02:58 PM

It runs on all Pocket PCs. There are two versions, one for Pocket PC 2002 and one for 2003. I've used it and it's excellent.

Paragon

10-25-2003, 03:38 PM

• Native Pocket Excel (.pxl) printing support
• Microsoft Excel (.xls) printing support within HPMP for PPC

Am I the only one who reads this a saying you can print Pocket Excel from within the app.......or are they calling Pocket Excel "native" to Pocket PC opposed to .xls files? It appears to be the latter, and I'm reading it wrong?!

Dave

DaleReeck

10-25-2003, 05:42 PM

It runs on all Pocket PCs. There are two versions, one for Pocket PC 2002 and one for 2003. I've used it and it's excellent.

Actually, it appears there is only one file for both versions. They probably separate it into 2002 and 2003 versions to count usage.

Dave Beauvais

10-25-2003, 06:29 PM

OSUKid7

10-25-2003, 09:23 PM

From the HP website

Print Quality...

Due to shared memory resources and other constraints of the Pocket PC operating system, print quality may not be as good as printing from a desktop PC. In general, the document printing process is intended to give the end user WSYWIG (what you see is what you get) functionality from the viewer. However, fonts substitutions may occur, resolution may be reduced, PowerPoint slides will print "2-up" and complex graphics may not print correctly.

WSYWIG??? lol...nice ;)

(http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/...&os=Pocket%20PC%202002 (http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/pond/mobileprinting/ppc-download.cgi?t=r&l=en&cc=us&p=J7931AA&os=Pocket%20PC%202002))

Gerard

10-26-2003, 12:31 AM

Does anyone have a clue about the WestTek CAB files unpacked along with the 3 HP files? They come to about 3MB, and I can't figure if they're freebies or trial versions, or which one does what. Guess I should just do a fresh backup when I have some time and install them one at a time, check them out, but I'm feeling lazy. Since the ClearVue stuff is normally rather high priced I'm guessing they're trial version...

I tend to use CabInstl to direct CAB files to SD memory, that's why the question. I didn't follow through with the whole PC installation, grabbing out the CAB files instead. And whoa, it's quite a big package overall!

christak

10-26-2003, 01:48 AM

The Westek files are apparently free updates, at least for the units, like the HP2210, that come with the Westek on CD... I assume that for other machines you'd need the registration code.

I have loaded the new print software and Westek viewers on my 2210 -- they work quite well. I also have the Westek registration code for my old 3950, but have not tried to update that machine yet (I have to get it away from my wife for 15 minutes...) I'll let you know if I have more info after that installation.

8)

Gerard

10-26-2003, 02:20 AM

Um, never mind. I just wasted an hour messing with this on my 3835, and eventually determined that no matter what registry edits I used, no matter where I moved all the many files dumped into \Windows, this package is too stubborn to be installed anywhere but main memory. That's bogus, considering the massive scale of the install. It'd be like putting Adobe's Reader there!

So I cleaned it all out, started over with a default installation. After getting past a couple of errors I managed to get it to work, and tried it on a small JPG file; a bug I snapped with the HP CF camera this week, on my window. The shot shows a dark version, with two small rectangles of white on the darkest parts of the bug - that's the HP Mobile Printing rendition. The lighter one is very close to the original shot - that's from FieldSoftware's PocketPixPrint. Seems HP still has a way to go before this clunker can match what an install less than 1/5th the size (including FieldSoftware's PrintPocketCE, and the main printer driver they share) can print.

http://www.luthier.ca/other/forum/hp-field_printing_comparison.jpg

The HP software also slowed the system to a crawl in general, about 50% of normal speed for my 3835. Maybe they've optimised this for 2003 devices, but that has killed it for 2002? I've no way of knowing. I do know it's now uninstalled. Oh, and on that subject... the Add/Remove thing couldn't get rid of quite all the files. Even S_K's Remover couldn't. Had to manually delete a few in \Windows, including a Help file. There was a chunk of the registry key left behind too, also now deleted.

Dave Beauvais

10-26-2003, 02:30 AM

After using this for a couple days now, I am removing it and going back to the previous version, v1.1.1.8. This new one is slow and the print queuing feature seems to be very buggy. My h5455 has locked up twice so far while trying to print things that I was able to print just fine with the older version. (Besides, the print queue module has a horrible user interface.) Honestly, how many of us would be able to start a second print job before the first one finished, anyway? Does anyone do that much printing from their Pocket PC?

I'm almost sorry I submitted this as news. :|

--Dave

christak

10-26-2003, 06:12 AM

FYI,

Confirmed that the Westtek files only offer to upgrade units like the 2210 and 5550 that come with the Westtek viewers on CD (with the iPAQs).

On PPC2002 units, like my wife's 3950, the HP print software installs and works fine, but a window pops up (if you have previous Westtek viewers installed) telling you that the new HP print software requires Westtek version 2.3 viewers and to go to the Westtek site for a free upgrade...) Great, right? Well, Westtek hasn't posted version 2.3 yet... So no printing from Westek yet...

Other than that -- at least on my 2210, this new software works fine!!

8)

Sven Johannsen

10-26-2003, 06:03 PM

requires Westtek version 2.3 viewers and to go to the Westtek site for a free upgrade...) Great, right? Well, Westtek hasn't posted version 2.3 yet... So no printing from Westek yet..

The news section on their site still says that they just released 2.11 and 2.12 (http://www.westtek.com/clearvue.htm) even though 2.2.x is what you get when you download from Handango. Be nice if they coordnated the releases so you didn't lose capability when you 'upgraded'.

Sven Johannsen

10-26-2003, 06:11 PM

The previous version did actually have two versions. v1.0.0.8 for PPC2002 and v1.1.1.8 for WM2003. It seems they have one version now which runs on both.

I tried printing from RepliGo -- which has support built-in for HP Mobile Printing but my h5455 locked up requiring a soft reset. (Bummer.)

--Dave

I remember going through this headache before. Repligo had their own installation of HP printing software that you could get at their site. It was different than the HP software you got at HP. Playing with this I got two seperate installations of printing software (or maybe one at a time, I forget). I realized it when I had several printers set up under HP and none showed up under Repligo. I had to add them again for the Repligo instance. E-mails to Repligo confirmed they were different. I figure that hasn't changed, so I guess installing a new HP version could very likely break the Repligo version.

Dave Beauvais

10-26-2003, 08:57 PM

... I figure that hasn't changed, so I guess installing a new HP version could very likely break the Repligo version.
I remember if I tried to print from RepliGo and didn't have their version of HP Mobile Printing installed, I'd just get an error that HP Mobile Printing wasn't installed. Since installing v2.0 from HP's site, I no longer get that error, but my PPC does lock up each time. I'd like to see Cerience support the "official" HP release of the software instead of making us deal with multiple versions of the software.

--Dave

Sven Johannsen

10-26-2003, 11:03 PM

I remember if I tried to print from RepliGo and didn't have their version of HP Mobile Printing installed, I'd just get an error that HP Mobile Printing wasn't installed. Since installing v2.0 from HP's site, I no longer get that error, but my PPC does lock up each time. I'd like to see Cerience support the "official" HP release of the software instead of making us deal with multiple versions of the software.

--Dave

Could be the Carience version you had working is still enough intact to let Repligo see it, but trashed enough by the new HP install to cause the lockups?

I agree though, if the product indicates working with the HP printing solution it should work with the HP printing solution, not a varient.

craiglud

10-26-2003, 11:31 PM

Dave Beauvais

10-27-2003, 01:05 AM

... Could be the Carience version you had working is still enough intact to let Repligo see it, but trashed enough by the new HP install to cause the lockups? ...
I neglected to mention that I never installed the version that Cerience provides; all I had was v1.1.1.8 since installing the WM2003 upgrade on my h5455. After removing v1.1.1.8 and installing v2.0 from HP's site, I just happened to try printing from RepliGo to see if it would work.

--Dave

christak

10-27-2003, 04:41 AM

I have a 4150 and had the hp printing solution and the westtek viewers installed and working great. After I install the new HP Printing V2, I can no longer use the Westtek Viewers to print. It does not seem to update the viewers to recognize the new HP printing software.
Any suggestions?

Maybe you didn't wait long enough during the installation...
The Westtek viewers took a while to be checked and offer to update.

craiglud

10-27-2003, 04:54 AM

Gerard

10-27-2003, 07:24 AM

Been there, tried that. When a developer wants to hard-code the path of all or some of the elements within a CAB, there is nothing (yet) to contradict this. Most times, it is possible to go into the file system and registry afterwards and move/edit things, accuracy being very important, so as to make them work from a location other than that planned for by the developer. However, there are certain programs which due to their nature must run from main memory, in \Windows. There are others, like this printing suite, which are so complex that modifying the paths for every component is virtually impossible.

I found that it was difficult to make the previous version work from an SD card, but with a lot of fiddling I eventually made it so. This version is a lot more complex, with dozens of files and unknown complexities being written into the registry. After a time I gave up, and having satisfied myself that the program simply isn't worth having (it's a step backwards in a few departments, and no version yet offers the simple and effective printing of FieldSoftware's suite), I uninstalled it thoroughly.

I'd suggest either running it from the default location or not at all. If you really need some of the functionality it can, for some users, offer, then consider installing some other softwares and data to a card to make room for this big install.

jrecampbell

10-27-2003, 11:08 AM

After using this for a couple days now, I am removing it and going back to the previous version, v1.1.1.8.

I too would like to go back to the earlier version for WM2003 but no longer have it. Is there anywhere this previous version can be downloaded from or can someone email it to me? This new one is unstable and such a resource hog!

Thanks.

ahovis

10-27-2003, 02:30 PM

I too had the version incorrect message. All I need to be able to do is print from pdf files as PrintPocketCE will not do that. Is there any solution besides the Westtek PDF viewer + hp printing software to print an Acrobat file from the ppc?

Jason Lee

10-27-2003, 03:55 PM

I can't get the 1.1.1.8 version to work in my 2215. It installs and runs but i cannot add a printer. It always says error saving printer information. And the option for ip printing is not there as it was on my e740.

Anyone else have this propblem with the older verison and does the new version work for you.

I hesitate to install the new version. It took 20 mintues or more to clean the left over files and reg entries after removing the old one. :(

sanjay.srikonda

10-27-2003, 04:13 PM

I go through all the links to get to the "download now" page and click the link for download now and am dumped into the FTP directory with no clear way of figuring out which of the massive number of directories contains this file:

http://register.hp.com/srvp/SoftReg.jsp?modelID=J7931AA&ftplink=ftp%3A%2F%2Fftp.hp.com%2Fpub%2Fsoftlib%2Fsoftware2%2F

is the link that I click to get to the "download now" link. I don't understand why it's dumping me into a FTP directory.

Jason Lee

10-27-2003, 04:27 PM

same problem here... :(

dequardo

10-27-2003, 06:12 PM

WTF, same FTP crap here also. Also the 'late breaking readme' file URL is crap. Sheesh HP, get your act together.

Mike

christak

10-27-2003, 07:30 PM

You don't end up here??

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?locale=en_US&lang=English+%28US%29&pnameOID=235049&prodSeriesId=242184&prodTypeId=18964&basePartNum=COL3992&locBasepartNum=ja-13094-2&os=Microsoft+Windows+for+Pocket+PC+2003&tech=Software

8)

EDIT: Never mind... I see what you guys are saying... Sorry. :?:

dequardo

10-27-2003, 10:10 PM

It's fixed now.

Mike

RobMtl007

11-08-2004, 01:47 PM

Greetings Everyone

I've been reading the messages on this subject and one question comes to mine.

Can HP mobile printing software work over a wireless network by WiFi connection.

I've installed version 4 of HP Mobile Printing on a SD card in my Toshiba E755, and get a error message when I print the Test Page.

Anyone else experiencing the same problem on their E755

Regards Robert

christak

11-08-2004, 03:29 PM

HP Mobile Print software works fine over a WiFi connection --

8)

Jason Lee

11-08-2004, 04:17 PM

but i don't think it would work that well installed on an sd card...