Unable to check HP printer ink levels via Supply Levels

Question

Level 2

254 points

Unable to check HP printer ink levels via Supply Levels

I've got an HP Photosmart 8450 printer, and so far no printing problems with 10.5.1. However, I can't check ink levels in the printer via the "Supply Levels" window, and I can't find another way to see this information. I'm using the printer driver supplied with 10.5.1.

This information was available under 10.4.11 - is there a way to obtain printer ink levels in 10.5.1?

Dual 2 GHz G5, Mac OS X (10.4.6), 3 GB RAM

Posted on Dec 26, 2007 10:18 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Dec 27, 2007 5:32 AM in response to Bob Rodenburg

Hi Bob:

Yes there is. Open +"HP Device Driver."+ Select +"open Selected Task"+ (should be only one - +'maintain printer'+ ) from the file menu. The HP printer utility will open. One option is +"supply levels."+

There may be an extra step here, but I know this works - at least for my HP printer.

Barry

Message was edited by: Barry Hemphill

Reply

Answer 2

Bob Rodenburg Author

Level 2

254 points

Dec 27, 2007 12:22 PM in response to Barry Hemphill

There's no such thing as "HP Device Driver" on my system according to Spotlight. Did you install software from HP, or did you just use the printer driver(s) with Leopard?

However, there's the "Print & Fax" control panel, under which there's a button for "Options & Supplies", under which there's a tab marked "Supply Levels". This shows no information. That's the point of my question.

Reply

Answer 3

Dec 27, 2007 4:03 PM in response to Bob Rodenburg

Hello Bob:

The point of my answer was to try to help you get the ink level information. I have no idea what you have installed on your system. In my case, I have an Hewlett-Packard folder that contains the HP Device Manager.

The process I described before gives me - on demand - the cartridge ink levels.

Barry

Reply

Answer 4

Dec 27, 2007 5:16 PM in response to Bob Rodenburg

If the printer was added using the HP driver, you can open the printer's queue and select Printer Utility under the Printer menu, or you can launch the utility directly from /Library/Printers/hp/Utilities.

I don't know if there is a Gutenprint driver for this particular printer, but, if so and you used that driver when adding the printer, the utility won't work; the utility only works when the printer is added with the manufacturer's driver.

Hope this helps.

Reply

Answer 5

Bob Rodenburg Author

Level 2

254 points

Dec 27, 2007 9:08 PM in response to John Blanchard1

Barry & John,

I would like to know whether you used the printer drivers with 10.5.1 or installed them manually from software from HP.

Barry, I don't have a Hewlett-Packard folder with something called HP Device Manager.

John, you describe the Printer Utility (which I find at the location you describe), but it only allows the selection of a printer - not access to its maintenance information.

When I try to run "HP Inkjet Toolbox" (which may have been what I used in 10.4.11), it starts then apparently quits a few seconds later with evidence that it ran at all. Console window shows no errors . . . ???

Reply

Answer 6

Dec 27, 2007 10:19 PM in response to Bob Rodenburg

Hello Bob:

I upgraded my G4 from OS X 10.4.11. The HP software was probably there before the upgrade. My HP printer is a deskjet 6940 connected to two iMacs via a small Ethernet network.

Barry

Reply

Answer 7

Bob Rodenburg Author

Level 2

254 points

Dec 27, 2007 11:00 PM in response to Barry Hemphill

I did a clean install (after cloning my original system drive to an external drive), so what I've got is what came with 10.5.1. Your info helps narrow the problem space.

Reply

Answer 8

Bob Rodenburg Author

Level 2

254 points

Dec 31, 2007 5:14 PM in response to Bob Rodenburg

I think I've found the source of my problem with the Hp Inkjet Toolbox. I've examined the contents of its package, and found the words "MacOSClassic", which indicates that it only runs under Classic which is not supported in Leopard. The other HP utilities, Printer Selector & Printer Utility both run under Leopard. This helps explain why I was able to see the ink levels under 10.4.11 but can't under Leopard.

Reply

Answer 9

Jan 1, 2008 3:44 AM in response to Bob Rodenburg

Hello again:

I looked again myself, and am able to see the ink levels using "HP Printer Utility."

Hopefully you are able to see

Reply

Answer 10

Bob Rodenburg Author

Level 2

254 points

Jan 1, 2008 10:28 PM in response to Barry Hemphill

Nope.

Do me a favor & watch the menu bar when you select a printer in the HP Printer Utility. Do you see the "HP Inkjet Toolbox" title appear when you see the inkjet ink levels, or at any time after you hit the select button?

Reply

Answer 11

Jan 1, 2008 11:05 PM in response to Bob Rodenburg

Hi again Bob:

I just opened the +"HP Printer Utility."+ I did not see +"HP Inkjet Toolbox"+ at all. When the printer utility opens, there is a sidebar with a number of choices. I have it set to supplies status - which display ink levels when the utility first opens. It takes about 10 seconds to open.

I did locate the +"HP Inkjet Toolbox"+ application and opened it. After a pause, it automatically opened the aforementioned +"HP Printer Utility."+

The only variable I can think of is the printer type (mine is an HP Deskjet 6940).

Barry

Reply

Answer 12

Jan 11, 2008 10:23 AM in response to Barry Hemphill

Dear Sir

i am sorry to hi-jack this message topic. But, I have spent the day trying to find the driver for the 8450!!! I have tried the disc that came with my iMac and so on, but to no avail. I am trying to rpint from my iMac, through the BT Home Hub to a Vista Hp laptop which is connected to the HP Photosmart.
Any ideas and if not where can I go?

Billy

Thank you

Reply

Answer 13

Bob Rodenburg Author

Level 2

254 points

Jan 11, 2008 2:02 PM in response to billynicol

I loaded mine from the 10.5.1 disk, but it's a separate operation from the main install. There's an optional install folder on the 10.5.1 disk with the info.

Load the system disk for your iMac and look at it in the Finder to see if there's a similar optional install folder. Then, there's always the HP website if you can find the driver there . . .

Regarding how you've got the 8450 printer set up, why not put the printer directly on the (ethernet?) hub rather than hanging it off the Vista laptop? There's an Ethernet port on that printer, and that's one of the reasons I picked that model. Your iMac probably can't see the printer the way you've configured things. Bonjour will be able to find the printer and get you hooked up with the printer directly on the hub.

Reply

Answer 14

Jan 30, 2008 8:16 PM in response to Barry Hemphill

This seems to me like it may be a Rosetta issue. I have a MacBook which is obviously Intel. Yet, when I run the program and it hangs, if I send the problem to Apple, it says it's running a Rosetta Binary (which is odd since the driver is supposedly Universal according to HP). Since, the people running G5's and G4's seem to be able to run it, maybe this is it?

Reply

Answer 15

Jan 30, 2008 8:25 PM in response to pdnellius

That post was uninformed... I re-read and it seems as this is not the problem, rather it seems to be the Classic issue stated above.

Reply