When it comes to Custom Document Printing, ensuring accuracy in size and scale is paramount. However, users often encounter frustrating issues, especially when dealing with custom paper sizes across different software and hardware ecosystems. This article delves into a real-world troubleshooting experience that highlights the complexities and lack of clear solutions in the realm of custom document printing.
The issue began with incorrect scaling when printing PDFs on custom size paper in OS X 10.9, using Adobe Acrobat/Reader and a Xerox Phaser 7800 printer. Seeking resolution, a user engaged in extensive support interactions with Adobe, Xerox, and Apple, the three major players involved in the printing process.
Adobe’s technical support, after a lengthy investigation, concluded that their application correctly created the document with the specified custom size. They stated that the PDF properties and printer preview reflected the correct dimensions. However, they suggested the problem arose during the printing process itself, possibly due to compatibility issues with the Mac OS 10.9 update. Adobe ultimately redirected the user to printer support, effectively shifting the responsibility.
Xerox’s response, stemming from escalated engineering levels, mirrored a similar deflection. Their engineers successfully reproduced the scaling issue on Mac OS 10.9.1 using both the Xerox 7800 driver and a generic Postscript driver. Crucially, they found that the issue did not occur on Mac OS 10.8.5 with the same Xerox driver. Xerox pinpointed a potential culprit: CUPS (Common Unix Printing System). They noted that Mac OS 10.8.5 uses CUPS version 1.6.2, while 10.9.1 utilizes version 1.7, suggesting a CUPS-related problem and directing the user to Apple for resolution.
Apple’s response, after their own escalated investigation, offered a contrasting perspective. Their engineer found that printing a custom size PDF via Preview resulted in correctly sized output. However, when using Adobe Reader, the document size appeared incorrect. This finding led Apple to suggest that the issue might lie within the Adobe Reader application itself, completing a full circle back to the starting point.
This troubleshooting journey reveals a classic “blame game” scenario. Each vendor, while acknowledging the issue, pointed towards another part of the ecosystem as the potential source of the problem. While Xerox’s analysis hinted at a possible CUPS issue related to the OS update, the lack of a definitive solution leaves users struggling with inconsistent custom document printing. The experience underscores the challenges in resolving complex printing problems that span multiple software and hardware components and highlights the need for clearer diagnostics and more collaborative troubleshooting approaches from technology vendors to effectively address custom document printing challenges.
