How do you add fonts to laser printer?

[wchang99]

My printer (HP Laserjet 6L) seems to be missing some fonts; some text in many web pages often comes out as blank lines (it's not replaced by a default font, even though it should be). In some cases, the missing font is enough of the web page as to make the hard copy completely useless...

In addition, I'd like to be able to print out Asian text. I have Microsoft's Asian fonts as well as a little program called NJ Communicator, which make it possible to view them onscreen...But how can I get Asian text in hard copy? How *do* you add font support to printers anyway?

Thank you very much!
W Chang

[Axel]

I think you might be looking in the wrong direction for the font issue.

First thing we need to know is what browser software you are using. Netscape has different pluggins on the web to support unsupported fonts as well as foreign character sets.

Older browers may not be compliant with the level of HTML you are experiencing on the web sites you are hitting. There is a bunch of sites that MS IE 2.0 just won't open.

Also, you might need to upgrade your activeX software, or possibly need to download the latest free shockwave load to open some sites. (lego.com)

Also, you might need the latest load of Adobe Acrobat software to open some things. This is also free on the web - some sites have buttons with links to free downloads for this.

Lastly, is this a new printer? - you might need to re-set-up the printer settings within your browser. Also check the printer control panel to see you have the correct printer checked as your default.

As a last resort, you might just check the larger search engines for true-type font sets out there.

Your best bet, however, is to update your browser, and then pay attention to the "best viewed by" recommendation at the bottom of the web pages you are having trouble with.

Good luck.

[wchang99]

Hi, thanks for replying. I do have the latest versions of the programs you mentioned, Netscape 4.7, IE 5, Shockwave, Acrobat Reader, etc. along with asian fonts that work with IE5 and a third-party program called NJ Communicator that provides asian language support to Netscape as well as Windows in general. The problem seems to be not in viewing unusual fonts onscreen but in getting them to print on the laser printer. Some (english) fonts in web pages don't translate to my printer; they just appear as blank lines, and although I understand the printer is supposed to substitute a default font for any fonts it doesn't have, this doesn't happen. All asian text also doesn't print out on the printer. Does a printer have to have all the fonts on its own, or does the browser/word processor etc send all necessary fonts to the printer each time a page is printed? What I'm asking is, how do I get the printer to print these unusual fonts? The printer's help file and the web page don't say anything about this; unfortunately I don't have the manual either so I don't know the concept at all.

You mentioned downloading truetype fonts off the net; after I have found them, what do I do with them? Do they get used by Windows or are they somehow directly for the printer?

Thanks again for helping...

W Chang

[Axel]

Have you saved the page as a file on your hard drive and then tried to open it as an adobe object - then printed it as a picture instead of font based text.

I know that's highly conceptual in nature, but I think the direction is correct.

I don't think you'll be able to open it in word unless you do find a font pack of some sort. - but it wouldn't hurt to try opening it in word as an html page to try to print it that way.

Just don't do what an HP scanner user called support about - he held his scanner up to his screen and tried to scan a picture of a truck off a web site - complained that the picture didn't look right...... ( I couldn't stop laughing for 15 minutes when I heard about that call )