Microsoft Printer Driver

lostmind

Active member
Has anyone been able to find the Generic PS Printer Driver for Publisher anymore? I used to have it at the old company that I used to work for but now I can't find it online anymore. Of course, there's instructions on how to install it, but where did the download go? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 


There is no such beast as an Adobe Universal PostScript Windows Driver. What is posted on Adobe's website is something called the Adobe Universal PostScript Windows Driver Installer. This package is a 16-bit installer that has two functions:

For ancient versions of Windows (Windows'9x, Me, and NT3.x), this package installs the old AdobePS driver and associates same with a PPD of the user's choice to create a PostScript printer driver instance based on AdobePS.

For Windows 2000 and 32-bit versions of Windows XP, this package simply associates a user-designated PPD (PostScript Printer Description) file representing a particular printer model with the PostScript driver that is part of Windows 2000 and XP.

This installer cannot be used on any 64-bit version of Windows nor on the 32-bit versions of Windows Vista or Windows 7. There are no plans whatsoever to update this installer.

Currently, Adobe advises users to create new PostScript printer driver instances under Windows using the Add Printer wizard.

Note that the Generic PostScript Driver is really based on a very generic PPD file based on older PostScript versions and with very few options that would be useful for a PostScript device (especially distilling PostScript into PDF).

Perhaps if the original poster, lostmind, could give us the use case that they are pursuing, we could give some more specific advice.

- Dov
 
I am running vista 32 bit (Ultimate) the installed runs in compatible mode (windows XP) and a default PPD is available for installation.
 
I am running vista 32 bit (Ultimate) the installed runs in compatible mode (windows XP) and a default PPD is available for installation.

Even with the so-called XP compatibility mode, we strongly recommend that you not use the Adobe installer. The compatibility mode refers to applications, not to drivers or driver setup!!

- Dov (on behalf of Adobe)
 
It's the one way I know how to get a "Generic" PS driver installed. The Compatiblity mode enabled you to the programme with which to install the PPD
 
It's the one way I know how to get a "Generic" PS driver installed. The Compatiblity mode enabled you to the programme with which to install the PPD

It may be a PostScript printer driver instance, but since it doesn't obey the rules for Vista (or Windows 7), driver operation may be compromised.

FWIW, why in the world do you want/need this so-called “generic” PostScript driver instance? Given the contents of the PPD associated with it, it is nearly useless for anything. It doesn't support PostScript language level 3, supports only monochrome, doesn't support in-RIP separations, is relatively low resolution, has few paper sizes, no printer options, wide page borders (which clips content out of your printed page, etc.

- Dov
 
win t 64bit

win t 64bit

Hello,
I am new here and maybe you can give me the solution to finish my nightmares. Recently I upgraded my computer to Win 7 64bit and I have problems making ps files. Before Win 7 we were using Win XP systems, where I had Adobes generic ps printer on which I used Metadimension's ppd files. After that I distilled everything with Distiller with meta dimensions job option. Such pdf file I took to print service.
The problem is that in Win 7 I cannot find the way to install the ppd file for using the print companys production.
Can you help me, please, solve my issues.
Regards and TNX in advance,
Robert
 
Hello,
I am new here and maybe you can give me the solution to finish my nightmares. Recently I upgraded my computer to Win 7 64bit and I have problems making ps files. Before Win 7 we were using Win XP systems, where I had Adobes generic ps printer on which I used Metadimension's ppd files. After that I distilled everything with Distiller with meta dimensions job option. Such pdf file I took to print service.
The problem is that in Win 7 I cannot find the way to install the ppd file for using the print companys production.
Can you help me, please, solve my issues.
Regards and TNX in advance,
Robert

Earlier in this thread I discussed in detail the issues of the so-called generic PPD and driver installers. For versions of Windows beyond Windows XP and for 64-bit versions of Windows, there is no such thing as either a generic PostScript driver or a generic PPD or an Adobe PostScript driver or an Adobe PostScript driver installer.

Apparently, you are trying to create PDF via distillation of PostScript. If that is the case, you certainly should not be using a PPD for anything other than the PPD distributed with Acrobat Distiller and that PPD file and the correct PostScript printer driver instance, Adobe PDF, is automatically installed on your Windows 7 system when you install Acrobat 9 (Acrobat 9 is the only version of Adobe Acrobat supported for Windows 7). When you print to the Adobe PDF PostScript printer driver instance, the proper PostScript language level 3 is generated for distillation and the resultant PostScript is automatically fed to the Distiller in the background yielding a PDF file where you designate same. Note that you never, repeat never, repeat yet again never use a printer/RIP device specific PPD to produce PostScript for distillation. Your PDF should be device independent with device dependencies introduced only when printing the PDF (1) in the PostScript when printing from Acrobat to a PostScript device or (2) in the job ticket, often JDF, when printing to a PDF direct device.

- Dov
 

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