This document has been produced as a quick and easy guide to possible common queries that may arise

on the connected AR250/285/286/287/335/336/337/405/407/ 505/507 products. The guide is broken down in to the following areas. Printer Driver / Applications Issues AR-PB2 Printer Board Issues Network Card Issues Other Issues / AR-PB2a Information Printing Issues found on the Microsoft Knowledge Base

If you are using the electronic format of this document, you can click on the known issues listed on the following page and hyperlink to a more detailed explanation of the symptom, cause and resolution. If further information is required on any of these issues please contact the Connectivity Hotline on 0161-204-2555.

Latest News
The AR-PB2a is now available. The AR-PB2a uses the same hardware as the ARPB2 and through a simple firmware upgrade, an existing AR-PB2 can be upgraded to an AR-PB2a. The AR-PB2a offers all the benefits of the previous AR-PB2 but when attached to the new AR287/337/407/507 can also offer secure printing, confidential printing, print job auditing, tandem printing (not AR287), status / alerts by Email, internal network scanning (using additional ARNS1). The printer drivers have also been updated to v4. The updated firmware, utilities and printer drivers can all be downloaded from the Sharp Technical Web. The AR-PB2 Flash Memory / Printer Driver version upgrade history is as follows: Program/Font Boot Flash Memory Flash Memory 1.45 1.10 2.21 1.11 2.32 3.22 4.37 1.12 2.04 V3 V4 Printer Drivers V1 V2 Reason For Upgrade
Initial Release Version Upgrade to overcome various issues & support the AR250 Allows Binary printing from Apple Macintosh Computers Upgrade to support the AR-PB2+ Upgrade to support the AR-PB2a

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Printer Driver / Applications Issues

Can I use the different first page option with booklet printing ? How can I print using more than 2 paper sources when printing a Word document ? How do I set printer driver defaults on a Windows NT4 system ? I cannot get the copier to print A5 Booklets I cannot get Booklet Printing to work correctly, all I get is a duplexed print I cannot select A3 paper from the printer driver I am having trouble printing from WordPerfect What features are supported in a Unix Network environment ? I am experiencing character spacing problems with the NT PCL print driver versions 1/2 Using the PS driver v1.00, characters can be incorrectly printed - e.g. "S" can be replaced by "T" etc. Slow printing or symptoms where numerous sets of a print job are all stapled together are occurring

AR-PB2 Printer Board Issues

Writing off the ARPB2 printer board if the flash upgrade instructions are not correctly followed. Fixing "F9-00" error codes. What type of memory SIMM's can be fitted to the AR-PB2 / AR-PB2+ ? Postscript Errors / Copier Lockups when printing from Apple Macintosh Why can I only print one page when I am using an HP Jet Direct External Print Server ? ** NEW ** ** NEW **

Network Card Issues

Why does the copier produce numerous prints of the network configuration test page ? The copier is slow to produce the Network Configuration Page The Network Card fails to log on to a Novell NetWare file server I am experiencing intermittent printing problems when printing using the IPX Peer-Peer Redirector software. I cannot change any settings within the Network Card The MAP software does not display the copier in its drop down list. Why can't I create a bindery print server when logged into NetWare 4.1 ?
-303/07/00

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Other Issues / AR-PB2a Information

Can the printer be connected to a Token Ring network ? How can I connect to Coax 10Base2 cable using the ARNC3D 10/100 network card ? Can the built in audit accounts be used when printing, if not what can ? What was the AR-PB2+ ? What were the benefits of the AR-PB2+ ? What is the ARPB2a ? What features does the ARPB2a offer ? Is scanning built in to the new AR287/337/407/507 copier range ?

** NEW ** ** NEW ** ** NEW **

Printing Issues found on the Microsoft Knowledge Base

The following are a number of printer related issues that have been found on Microsoft's Knowledge Base. These problems have not specifically been experienced when printing to the AR-PB2 but are included within this FAQ guide, in case odd printing problems are experienced. Print Jobs may appear in an NT Queue but never be printed NT Application Error indicates SPOOLSS.exe when printing How to move the NT Page and Spool files An NT Print Job using LPR may cause the TCP/IP service to hang

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Printer Driver / Application Issues

Q. I would like to use card or coloured paper for the cover when printing booklets. Can I do this using different first page from the printer driver?
A. This function cannot be performed from within the printer driver as, the copier ignores the request for a different first page when selecting booklets. The copier will draw all paper from the one defined paper source.

Q. How can I print using more than 2 paper sources when printing a Word document?
A. The printer driver allows you to select up to two paper sources for a document. This is achieved by using the "Different First Page" feature. Using "Different First Page" allows the first page of a document to be selected from one paper source and then the remainder of the document from another source. In order to use more than 2 paper sources within a document, the section break feature within Microsoft Word should be used. This will allow different pages of a document to be defined from varying paper sources. Refer to Microsoft Word for help on performing section breaks.

Q. Using Windows NT 4.0 I have installed the AR-PB2 drivers and set up the printer configuration in Printer Properties. When I go into an application and select different defaults for any of the Main or Paper settings these are not saved and I have to change them each time.
A. In Windows NT 4.0 any changes to printer settings are only kept if they are made through the Printer Folder settings. As well as Printer Properties, on Windows NT4 there is also a Document Defaults selection. Any changes made here will be kept as the printer defaults of all applications. To access the Document Defaults, right click the desired printer from within Control Panel-Printers and select Document Defaults from the menu.

Q. I cannot get the copier to print A5 booklets (Printed A4 paper from the machine then folded to make an A5 booklet).
A. The v1/2/3 PCL print drivers did not have the option to print A4 on A4. This is the setting that is required in order to perform A5 Booklets. To print A5 Booklets the v4 PCL6 or v1/v2/v3/v4 Postscript print drivers should be used. Refer to the information in the question below, if printing is being performed from an application with a page setup option i.e. Microsoft Word etc.

Q. Using Microsoft Word I can not get booklets to print out correctly. I have selected A4 on A3 booklets in the driver but it only prints one page per side.
A. Microsoft Word is designed to give the user full control of the printing process. It has many of the functions in the printer driver built-in and these take priority over the settings in the printer driver. To enable Booklet Mode to print correctly go to Page Setup in Word, select the Paper Size tab and select A4 on A3 Booklet in the pull-down list. The Booklet paper sizes are at the bottom of the list and so are easily missed. A4 on A3 Booklets will result in A3 Paper being selected and then when folded will result in an A4 Booklet. For A5 Booklets see the question above. Note: An A4 on A3 booklet would print on A3 paper and then when folded produce an A4 Booklet.

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Q. I can not select A3 paper from the AR-PB2 printer driver. There is no entry in the pull-down list of paper sizes.
A. If you have a 2-tray finisher (FN2) configured then the default paper output is set to Offset Tray, Face down. However the offset tray on the FN2 can only be used for A4 and Letter-sized paper output. If top tray, face-up is selected then the full list of paper sizes will be shown.

Q. I am having trouble printing from WordPerfect?

A. With WordPerfect 6.1, 7, or 8 note the following points: If copies (prints) are greater than 1, check the Group box not Collate. To print double sided using the PCL print driver, 2-Sided (book) should be selected from within the properties of the print driver. This can be done by the following: Set up a document Select File and Print Click on Select and choose the AR-PB2 PCL driver Click on Options and select Setup Set the properties of the printer driver ensuring 2-Sided (book) is selected. (f) Click OK to exit the printer driver (g) Click on Select to exit the printer selection (h) Click on Print to print the document To print double sided using the Postscript print drivers, the properties within the printer driver will not produce a double-sided copy. To perform double sided copying the document must be formatted to include the double-sided command. This can be done by the following: (a) Set up a document (b) With the cursor at the start of the first page, select Format, Page and Binding/Duplex. (c) Select double sided and Duplex Long Edge (d) Select File and Print (e) Click on Select and choose the AR-PB2 PCL driver (f) Click on Select to exit the printer selection (g) Click on Print to print the document For correct stapling on duplex jobs check the Print in reverse order box. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

Q. What features are supported for an ARPB2 connected copier in a Unix environment?
A. By using the Sharp Printing Utility for Unix (SHLPR) the following features are available: Resolution 300 or 600dpi Stapling 1 or 2 staples, or no staple Booklet mode Paper selection A3, A4, A5, B5, envelope, executive, foolscap, invoice Tray selection 1,2,3,4,5,LCC, manual feed Orientation Portrait or Landscape Duplex Printing Binding method long edge, or short edge Output method Face down or face up Output tray - tray 1, 2 or offset Toner save mode

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Q. When printing from Windows NT4 using the v1/v2 PCL print driver, character spacing problems can be experienced.
A. It is recommended that the latest printer board firmware and printer drivers are first installed. This issue was fixed in the v3 Print Driver. If you are still using v1 or v2 then the workaround below can be used. To overcome this symptom the following can then be performed: Right Click the installed AR-PB2 NT PCL Print Driver and goto the General tab. Click on Print Processor. The RAW setting for the winprint Print Processor may be highlighted, this indicates the default datatype that is used if no other is specified.

To overcome the character spacing problem, check the Always spool RAW datatype setting as below. This will ensure that the RAW datatype is always used.

Q. When printing from NT4, using the PS driver v1.00, characters can be incorrectly printed - e.g. "S" can be replaced by "T" etc.
A. Upgrade the AR-PB2 Printer Board firmware to V1.11 Boot and v2.21 Program/Font or higher. Then upgrade the NT4 PS printer driver to at least v2. Both the Printer Board firmware and the updated printer drivers can be found on the Sharp Technical Web.

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Q. Slow printing or symptoms where numerous sets of a print job are all stapled together are occurring
A. When printing to the AR-PB2, it is important to ensure that the "Collate" option within Microsoft Word's print dialog box is unchecked. This setting can be seen in the screen shot below.

Uncheck this box

As an example, If the "Collate" option is checked within Microsoft Word (as above), and 5 sets of a 3-page print job are requested, Microsoft Word will send 15 pages in one single set to the copier. With stapling selected, the result of this would be that the all 15 pages will have to be ripped (slowing down the printing process) and all 15 pages may be stapled together.

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AR-PB2 Printer Board Issues

Q. Writing off the ARPB2 printer board if the flash upgrade instructions are not followed.
A. When upgrading the flash memory of an ARPB2/ARPB2+ to an ARPB2a ensure that the new flash upgrade procedure is followed. If the instructions are not correctly followed, it is possible to write off the printer board. Please download the latest flash procedure from the Copier/AR Product/ARPB2a area of the Sharp technical web.

Q. Fixing "F9-00" error codes.

A. An F9-00 error is described as a communication error between the ARPB2 and the ICU board of the copier. However, there are additional conditions that might cause this error message. These conditions are as follows: When printing a large complex graphic such as an Autocad drawing. After fitting a Flash ROM chip to an ARPB2 that has previously been used as an Engine Flash ROM chip. When updating the ARPB2 firmware from 1.45 directly to 3.22 If the PB2 Flash ROM is faulty. If additional Installed RAM is faulty. If the Copier Engine Firmware is not at the latest level.

Refer to NIS Support Bulletin 027 for detailed information on each of the above points.

Q. What type of memory SIMM's can be fitted to the AR-PB2 printer board ?
A. Sharp Japan have tested a number of memory SIMM's in the AR-PB2 Printer Board. The recommended make of memory is Kingston Technology memory. Below, are the specific part numbers that you should quote when ordering. Please note however that you must also ensure that you quote the correct revision number as shown below or the memory obtained will not work correctly in the printer. The maximum optional memory that can be fitted to the printer board is 2x32mb=64mb. 16mb memory SIMM 32mb memory SIMM - KTM4x32L-60EG Revision number "2128" or "2174" - KTM8x32L-60EG Revision number "2128" or "2174"

This memory can be obtained directly from, Upgrade Options PLC 31-33 Grosvenor Road Aldershot GU11 3DP Telephone - 01252-331441 Contact Name - Glenn Morrison

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Q. Why when printing from an Apple Macintosh computer can I experience Postscript errors or locking up of the copier with "Processing Print Data" displayed.
A. If the customers document is in a Binary format, then the symptoms above could be experienced. Support for Binary formatted documents was not in the initial specification of the product and so the hardware could experience problems printing this format of data. As a workaround the documents being printed had to be saved and printed in an ASCI format. As a permanent fix, ensure that the AR-PB2 Program/Font Flash Memory is at least v2.32.

Q. I Can only print one page when using a HP Jet Direct External Print Server or alternative External Print Server device.
A. An external print server device may be used in some installations instead of a Sharp provided Network Card. In this instance, the printer may be connected to the external device using a Parallel cable and the external print server will then have a direct network connection onto the network. During parallel communication, some external print servers do not send the "Select In" signal to the printer. If this is the case then the printer will print the first page but not any subsequent pages. To overcome this symptom, enter the printers simulation mode and change the select-in signal setting 67-11 from 0=On to 1=Off. This will overcome the symptom and allow more than one page to be printed. Note however that it will disable bi-directional communication and Plug and Play capabilities within the printer.

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Network Card Issues

Q. When the printer is powered on, the network card prints numerous configuration pages instead of just one.
A. When the AR-NC3D network card is fitted to an AR-PB2 printer board that was purchased prior to September 1999, a modified relay connector PWB that sits on the AR-PB2 printer board between the printer board and the AR-NC3D network card will be required. The modified relay connector PWB has the addition of a capacitor to overcome the possible generation of noise leading to potential occurrences of printing problems. How to distinguish between the old and new relay connector PWB's.

Old relay connector PWB Without white marking

New relay connector PWB With white marking Part Code: CPWBN1277FC52

How to distinguish between the old and new AR-PB2 Printer Board kits.

AR-PB2

Serial Number

Red Underline added The modified relay connector PWB can be ordered using part code: CPWBN1277FC52. Price Rank "AL". The modified relay connector PWB will be factory fitted to all AR-PB2's from September 1999.

Q. The copier takes up to 5 minutes to print out a network configuration test sheet out even though the copier is not installed on a Novell NetWare network or using any form of IPX/SPX protocol?
A. If the copier is only being used with the TCP/IP protocol, the time taken for the initial print out the network card configuration page can be reduced by disabling NetWare and IPX/SPX support within the network card. This can be done from the copiers control panel by accessing, Print Mode/Offline/Menu/Network settings and then un-checking the Enable NetWare option.

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Q. At installation, the network card fails to logon to a Novell NetWare file server.
A1. Ensure that the Print Server Name set in the network card exactly matches the same name specified on the Novell NetWare server. A2. If a Directory Services Context setting has been made in the network card, ensure that it does not start with a full stop. I.e. Note: The name specified below is only an example. .nis.manchester.uk = nis.manchester.uk = Wrong Correct

A3. If the network card has previously been installed and used on a network, ensure that the card is reset to factory default prior to configuration on the second network. This is so that the network card can automatically sense the frame type that is being used on this second network. Automatic sensing of the frame type is only performed the very first time the card is powered on. If the copier is moved between networks and the second network is using a different frame type, without a factory default the network card will not be capable of accepting or interpreting the data packets.

Q. I am experiencing intermittent printing problems when printing using the IPX Peer-Peer Redirector software.
A. Intermittent printing problems have been experienced with the IPX Peer-Peer Redirector software that is bundled on the floppy disks with the AR-NC1D. This software has subsequently been updated to Version 1.3, and can be obtained from the Sharp Technical Web Site. Note: Although this IPX Peer-Peer redirector is capable of being used on a Windows NT system, the LPR printing facility that utilises the TCP/IP protocol and comes bundled with Windows NT should be the preferred option for a Windows NT environment.

Q. I cannot change any settings within the Network Card.

A. If you experience problems writing settings to the network card when using the MAP software, ensure that you are using the later version of this software (Available from the AR-NC1D/AR-NC3D area of the Sharp Technical Web). The version distributed on the floppy disc is version 2.04, this has been updated to version 3.2. Also ensure that you are entering the correct network card password, which is "sysadm"(In lowercase).

Q. The MAP software that I am using to communicate to the copiers Network Card does not display the copier in its drop down list.
A. If you are using the MAP software that is found on the bundled floppy disc you are using version 2.04. These symptoms may occur with this version of MAP. To overcome these symptoms, download the updated version of MAP from the AR-NC1D area of the Sharp Technical Web. This later version of MAP (version 3.2) can be used on both TCP and IPX networks. It does however require both TCP and a web browser to also be installed.

Q. Why can't I create a bindery print server when logged into NetWare 4.1 ?
A. You need to be logged into a NetWare 3.xx server In order to create a bindery print server.

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Other Issues / AR-PB2a

Q. Can the printer be connected to a Token Ring Network ?
A. Using a third party Token Ring external print server the printer can be connected to a Token Ring network. There are many Token Ring devices available however we would recommend the AXIS 640 or 660 products. To find out more information about these products click on the following link http://www.uk.axis.com/products/print_servers/selectguide.html.

Q.. How can I connect to Coax 10Base2 cable using the ARNC3D 10/100 network card ?
A. Dlink manufacture a product called the DE-855 Ethernet Media Converter. This device is a very compact, lightweight media converter that has a 10Base2 and 10BaseT connection. With this, a length of Cat3 or Cat5 UTP cable can be attached between the printer and the converter. The 10Base2 BNC connection can then be used to connect the converter on to the customers 10Base2 network. This device is available from many outlets, including Dabs Direct on 0800-1385118. For further information on the product, look at http://www.dlink.co.uk/products/trans/de855.html.

Q.. Can the in-built audit accounts be used when printing?

A. No, the copiers audit accounts do not have any relevance when printing. If a user wants to monitor and account for there printing, or have secure printing, a third party software suite from a company called software metrics can be used. For further information on this software please contact the NIS Systems Support Hotline on 0161-204-2555.

Q.. What was the AR-PB2+?

A. The AR-PB2+ was an enhanced version of the AR-PB2 Printer Board. The hardware is identical but the firmware is different. Existing AR-PB2 Printer Boards could be upgraded to an AR-PB2+ through a simple flash memory upgrade. The BOOT flash memory needs to be updated to v1.12 and the Program/Font flash memory to v3.22. The ARPB2a has now replaced the ARPB2+.

Q.. What were the benefits of the AR-PB2+?

A. When an additional 32mb memory SIMM is fitted to an AR-PB2+, the firmware used to run the printer board can then be loaded into RAM instead of keeping it in flash memory. As RAM provides a faster access time, the result is that the ripping speed of an AR-PB2+ can be 30-50% greater than the equivalent AR-PB2. When a AR-PB2+ was ordered from Sharp, the printer board also included a CDROM with updated v3 printer drivers, additional PCL6 print drivers, Sharp Administration, Status Monitor and NWSetup utility software and an integrated automatic print driver installer. All these drivers/utilities can be obtained from the Sharp Technical Web, AR Product, ARPB2 area.

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Q.. What is the AR-PB2a?

A. The AR-PB2a is an enhanced version of the AR-PB2 & ARPB2+ Printer Board released to support the AR287/337/407/507. The hardware is identical but the firmware is different. Existing AR-PB2 Printer Boards can be upgraded to an AR-PB2a through a simple flash memory upgrade. The BOOT flash memory needs to be updated to v2.04 and the Program/Font flash memory to v4.37. The ARPB2a has now replaced the ARPB2+. There are important points that you should be aware of: Only the ARPB2a can be installed in an AR287/337/407/507. If an ARPB2 or ARPB2+ is installed, an F9 error will occur. An existing ARPB2 or ARPB2+ installed in an AR250/280/285/286/335/336/405/505 can be upgraded into an ARPB2a. The Boot & Program /Font firmware within the printer board will require updating to Boot v2.04 and Program/Font v4.37. This is advisable as you then benefit from any bug fixes that are included in the later firmware and v4 printer drivers. When upgrading the printer board firmware to v2.04/4.37 it is very important to follow the correct upgrade instructions. Please ensure you download and read the new modified Flash Upgrade procedure. If the correct upgrade procedure is not followed, the printer board could be made unusable and re-flashing is then impossible. The ARPB2a firmware can be downloaded from the Sharp Technical Web site and can be found in the Copier/ARProduct/ARPB2a area. The updated v4 printer drivers should be used in conjunction with the ARPB2a printer board. Previous versions of printer driver must be removed prior to the installation of the new v4 driver. Version 2 and version 3 drivers will conflict and may cause unpredictable results. To obtain the advanced features of the ARPB2a, the ARNC3D Network Card firmware must also be upgraded to v5.55a. This firmware is included on the ARPB2a CDRom or can be downloaded with the instructions from the Copier/ARProduct/NC3D area of the Sharp Technical Web. All ARPB2 stock has been updated and so only the ARPB2a can now be purchased.

Q.. What features does the ARPB2a offer ?

A. The CD that accompanies the ARPB2a contains the following updated print drivers & utilities; PCL5e, PCL6, and PS2 (Version 4) printer drivers Printer Administration Utility v2.3 Status Monitor v2 Windows 2000 PPDs

When the ARPB2a is fitted to the AR287/337/407/507 the following additional advanced features can also be utilised; Secure Printing Confidential Printing Print Job Auditing Tandem Printing ** (not AR287) Status/Alerts By Email Internal Network Scanning (with additional ARNS1 & additional 32MB RAM) - 14 03/07/00

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Q.. Is scanning built in to the new AR287/337/407/507 copier range ?

A. To scan using the AR287/337/407/507 an additional ARNS1 internal network scanner is required. An additional 32MB of SIMM memory must also be installed in the ARPB2a.

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Printing Issues found on the Microsoft Knowledge Base

Q.. Print Jobs may appear in an NT Queue but never be printed

A. A. If a print job is stuck in an NT printer queue and cannot be deleted, please refer to the Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q162365 using the following URL. http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q162/3/65.asp

Q.. NT Application Error indicates SPOOLSS.exe when printing

A. When you attempt to print or configure the printer in Windows NT, the following error message can appear. An application error has occurred and the application error log is being generated. SPOOLSS.EXE Exception: access violation (0xc0000005), address: <Hex address> Please refer to the Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q147347 using the following URL. http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q147/3/47.asp

Q.. How to move the NT Page and Spool files

A. This Microsoft article describes how to move the paging file and print spooler to another hard Disk of the Windows NT computer. Please refer to the Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q123747 using the following URL. http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q123/7/47.asp

Q.. An NT Print Job using LPR may cause the Windows NT TCP/IP service to hang
A. After a print job is sent from a Windows NT computer using LPR to the printer, the TCP/IP print server service may stop responding (hangs) and can cause over 90% CPU useage in the TCP/IP printing service. Please refer to the Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q197253 using the following URL. http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q197/2/53.asp

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