Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

[Peter2]

Hi,
my first post here. I'm sure that someone can help me ..


The dialogue for the "Ricoh PCL6 UniversaDriver V4.32" offers me ..

• Tab "General" - Button "Preferences" - Dialogue "Printing Preferences"
• Tab "Advanced" - Button "Printing Defaults" - Dialogue "Printing Defaults"

Both dialogues look exactly the same, but the can contain different settings.
What's the difference? What is used when?

Thanks in advance!

[8T2]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

The advanced tab is admin protected when using shared printers. I usually use that to set my preferred settings and when another PC links to that driver my preferred settings and one click presets get pulled to the client PC automatically. Client user still has option to change print preferences in normal tab when needed even though they don't have access to advanced tab

Sent from my SM-A305F using Tapatalk

[PrintWhisperer]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

I would suspect the difference you are seeing is due to the Universal Driver and the fact that it is not a model specific driver. It doesn't know what device you may choose to print to, and because it supports mulitple devices they may have different capabilities. This makes storing defaults problematic, especially in a client-server environment.

It is one of the reasons I never recommend their use.

If you use a model specific driver, then the options like finishing etc. are static and only one .ppd/.gpd profile is available to the driver.

The differences in Features must come from different .gpd/.ppd files being referenced by the Universal driver (because it includes multiple model support and hence multiple .ppd/.gpd profiles), maybe because the last printer used is different from the one you are looking at.

[slimslob]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

Is there a reason that you are using the PCL6 for Universal Print instead of the model specific PCL6 driver.
The Universal Print Driver is needed for 2 reasons only:

1. You absolutely must have a driver that is compatible with Microsoft piece of crap V4 architecture
2. You are pooling different make and model print devices

[Peter2]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

Is there a reason that you are using the PCL6 for Universal Print instead of the model specific PCL6 driver....

I suppose "yes", but I don't know the background of this decision.

[KenB]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

The existence of "printing defaults" and "printing preferences" has NOTHING to do with the driver being universal.

"Printing Preferences" dictates how the driver is used on the particular workstation or server it is installed on. Most customers don't normally print from the server itself, but there certainly are a number of exceptions.

"Printing Defaults" controls how the driver is shared when using "point-and-print", whether it is installed on a workstaion or server makes no difference.

Setting the "printing defaults" often gets overlooked when sharing a driver (universal or not) if the customer wants the workstations to default to B&W when the machines are color-capable.

The other reason is to set the default to duplex, in an effort to save paper.

As mentioned, the users can override the defaults by setting their own preferences.

[copier tech]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

Hi,
my first post here. I'm sure that someone can help me ..


The dialogue for the "Ricoh PCL6 UniversaDriver V4.32" offers me ..

• Tab "General" - Button "Preferences" - Dialogue "Printing Preferences"
• Tab "Advanced" - Button "Printing Defaults" - Dialogue "Printing Defaults"

Both dialogues look exactly the same, but the can contain different settings.
What's the difference? What is used when?

Thanks in advance!

Did you install this printer by simply using the "add printer" wizard?

If yes then Windows will automatically install the universal driver.

You may also want to check it has not been installed on a WSD port.

[KenB]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

Did you install this printer by simply using the "add printer" wizard?

If yes then Windows will automatically install the universal driver.

You may also want to check it has not been installed on a WSD port.

It's an "unhappy coincidence" that the Ricoh Universal driver and the (ick) Microsoft driver are both "V4".

They are unrelated as much as you can imagine.

The Ricoh 4.32 driver is the most current itteration (last I checked, anyway), provided by Ricoh. It is actually a "Type 3" driver. The Microsoft junk is a "Type 4" driver, which is a totally unrelated entity, with an entirely different structure.

[slimslob]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

Did you install this printer by simply using the "add printer" wizard?

If yes then Windows will automatically install the universal driver.

You may also want to check it has not been installed on a WSD port.

Not if you know how to properly install printers on modern day Microsoft OS.

1. After clicking "Add Printer" simply click on "The Printer I want isn't Listed' at the bottom of the first window that opens.
2. On the Find printer by other options select add a local or network printer with manual settings
3. Chose a printer port
4. You can then select what driver you wish to use or install one from a disk (or folder where you extracted a downloaded driver)

[slimslob]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

It's an "unhappy coincidence" that the Ricoh Universal driver and the (ick) Microsoft driver are both "V4".

They are unrelated as much as you can imagine.

The Ricoh 4.32 driver is the most current itteration (last I checked, anyway), provided by Ricoh. It is actually a "Type 3" driver. The Microsoft junk is a "Type 4" driver, which is a totally unrelated entity, with an entirely different structure.

I just checked and it is still 4.32. Ricoh does also provide a Microsoft junk V4 driver. PCL6 V4 driver for Universal Print V4.10.0.0. Stay with the Type 3 drivers.

Universal Print Driver Downloads | Ricoh Global

[KenB]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

I just checked and it is still 4.32. Ricoh does also provide a Microsoft junk V4 driver. PCL6 V4 driver for Universal Print V4.10.0.0. Stay with the Type 3 drivers.

Universal Print Driver Downloads | Ricoh Global

Nothing like making it confusing.

[PrintWhisperer]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

The existence of "printing defaults" and "printing preferences" has NOTHING to do with the driver being universal.

Well I think you are mis-understanding the point. The existence of them is not dictated by the driver, but what appears there is.

Where else would it come from? You need to understand .gpd and .ppd files and how they work. This is also where UI Constraints come from, like not letting you select incompatible options.



So if his statement is he sees different features (not options) they must be coming from different driver files defining different models which Universal drivers have but model specific ones do not.

[slimslob]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

Well I think you are mis-understanding the point. The existence of them is not dictated by the driver, but what appears there is.

Where else would it come from? You need to understand .gpd and .ppd files and how they work. This is also where UI Constraints come from, like not letting you select incompatible options.



So if his statement is he sees different features (not options) they must be coming from different driver files defining different models which Universal drivers have but model specific ones do not.

You are aware that this thread is about drivers for current Windows versions? .ppd files are for MAC OS X. .gpd files are for the Generic Print Drivers which to my knowledge Ricoh no longer provides for current MFP. The last time I had to use one was about 20 years ago to install a driver on XP for an Aficio 250.

[Peter2]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

Hi

to be more precise for my original question:

I'm talking about an existing installation of the driver on a Microsoft Server 2019 which is used as a print-server.

[KenB]

Re: Ricoh PCL 6 UNiversal: "Preferences" versus "Defaults"

You are aware that this thread is about drivers for current Windows versions? .ppd files are for MAC OS X. .gpd files are for the Generic Print Drivers which to my knowledge Ricoh no longer provides for current MFP. The last time I had to use one was about 20 years ago to install a driver on XP for an Aficio 250.

Actually, PPDs are cross-platform.

Any OS that prints Postscript (at least true PostScript) uses a PPD, whether it's Mac, Windows, Linux, etc...

Many years ago, the PPD Canon supplied for the iR C3200 with the Mac driver somehow did not include the ability for the optional 2 lower paper trays, only the top 2, which were standard.

On several occasions, I used the PPD that came with the Windows driver on Macs, and it work perfectly.