Ballooning print jobs with Netscape 6.2

[Bob Duncan]

After frequent log jams in our print queues lately, we've identified the 
culprit as print jobs which spool into huge jobs when users try to print 
from certain Web resources using Netscape 6.2 (Win).  Jobs which would show 
up in a printer's properties as 15-20k when printed from IE6 or Netscape 
4.7x are spooling into the 40-50MB range when printed from Netscape 6.2 
(they never actually print).

The problem only occurs for certain resources---two we have identified are 
GroveArt and Blackboard5.  I suspect the way in which they generate content 
has something to do with the problem.  One oddity (and a possible clue) 
regarding GroveArt:  when a page is slow to load, box characters appear as 
place holders before the actual text shows up.

I know the fashion is to blame Netscape, but is this Netscape's fault, or 
is it another symptom of developers coding to IE and ignoring the standards 
to which Mozilla-based browsers adhere?  Or could it be some failing of the 
printers (HP LJ4100 with the PCL6 driver and plenty of RAM) or the spooling 
process (Win2000Pro/Win98)?

Has anyone else experienced these problems?  Any insight, advice, 
ammunition, etc., would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob Duncan


~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Robert E. Duncan
Systems Librarian
David Bishop Skillman Library
Lafayette College
Easton, PA  18042
duncanr at lafayette.edu
http://www.library.lafayette.edu/