can't print on windows xp shared printer

The Windows Printing protocol (and other network protocols) on OS X is made possible by the CUPS printing system. The driver provided by HP bypasses CUPS, so only the comm protocol provided in the driver (USB) works. You need a CUPS-capable driver to do Windows Printing. Get hpijs (3 parts):
http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/MacOSX/hpijs
(in case the specific model isn't in that, download the PPD here:)
http://openprinting.org/showprinter.cgi?recnum=HP-DeskJet1280

The first link above has instructions. Basically, download three .dmg (disk image) files from the hpijs page. When you double-click on them, they will look like a disk drive - inside is an installer that you double-click on to install.

After that, use Print & Fax prefs or Printer Setup Utility to Add the printer. Click Add then click More Printers, then browse to find the printer.

I've installed the three software pieces on my MacBook. I try to print to my HP Deskjet D4260 set up as a shared printer on a Windows XP Home box in a workgroup on my network. I can see the printer, select it, add the new hpijs driver for it. I go to print, and everything seems to work on the Mac. It hands it off to the windows machine. However the printer doesn't print anything, and in the printer queue it just says 'printing.'

Is there a special way to set up the HP Printer on the windows machine - does it need to be set up differently for sharing with the mac to receive and use the printing from the Mac - is it arriving as postscript?

Problem solved! Uncheck 'enable bidirectional support' in the ports section of the windows shared problem and printing works (with hpijs drivers, ghostscript and foomatic.)

Keywords: Print to a non-postscript Windows shared printer from Mac OSX when no GIMP drivers are available.