Lightroom Error: Troubleshooting Part 7

category: Lightroom • 2 min read

Adobe has a whole set of procedures to troubleshoot Lightroom. One of their recommendations is:

  • Set a Postscript printer as your default printer

The two major printer systems are HP with PCL, Printer Command Language, and Adobe with Postscript.

In the old days, a printer driver was just a translator that would convert a file to something that your printer would understand. Like I said, this was the old days, of 7 to 10 years ago.

Today, almost all printers come with a CD or a DVD that is bloated with various software that talk to your printer, tell you the status of your ink/toner, remind you that your coffee is ready and…

These printing programs do things that Lightroom wants to do itself. So Lightroom can’t talk to your printer, not technically correct, since Lightroom can only talk to the operating system printing sub-system which in turn “drives” the driver, instead Lightroom talks to these programs.

Even if you are not printing, Lightroom “talks” to the printer during startup and when switching to the Print module.

Windows XP & Vista & Windows 7

  1. Make sure that when you install the new printer driver, disable the Automatically detect and install my Plug and Play printer.
  2. Select any Apple LaserWriter
  3. Go the Printers And Faxes.
  4. Right-click on the newly installed printer, and select Set As Default Printer.

OSx

OSx allows you to have a virtual postscript printer.

  1. Apple menu -> System Preferences
  2. Print & Fax. -> Add icon -> IP icon
  3. From the pop-up menu: select IPP: Internet Printing Protocol
  4. In the address box, type: localhost
  5. In name box, type: *abc *
  6. From the Printer using popup menu select: Generic Postscript Printer
  7. Click on Add and set as default

Lightroom LR_Errors