Nothing went right for this newsletter. The week before, after the last operating system upgrade, my mac decided that it wouldn’t open Word. OK - time was short, resort to Pages, the mac default. A basic programme and has some OK features, and I did use it last year, but bit the bullet and resumed Word, as it still has a lot more features - including indexing , which is vital. Frantic call to tech guy and after a couple of hours was all fixed. So, for the first time in nearly thirty years of mac use, there was a problem I needed help with.
Then deadlines from contributors were missed, and I was contacted to see if the article could still be used, which meant that all the formatting had to be changed when the article was inserted.
And that would have been OK, but then the printer decided to give out an error message, asking that the black cartridge be changed. Duly did so, as I am nothing if not prepared. Same error message. Another cartridge was purchased and installed - same message. Google was consulted. The HP website was consulted. No resolution. Went back through years worth of receipts and found purchase materials. Rang the number. Was talked through several scenarios, none worked, the technician then said he would transfer me to a hardware technician, but don’t worry if the call disconnected, they would definitely call back. Still waiting.
Luckily, there is another printer in the house. Only to be used as a last resort, the output was disappointing, especially when it wouldn’t print a pdf properly. Take the printer downstairs and print via my (now) reliable mac. No problem. But still not a good copy.
Too late to do anything else, so took to photocopier, and for once, it copied perfectly. No dramas. No running out of toner. All done. But, because it wasn’t a great copy in the first place, they’re not great.
Am now consulting google again to find a better printer, as this is the second HP printer that has quit because of a false error message.
Copies of the newsletter are at the Admin desk in the Market, and will be in the Post Office on Monday.
Cartoon is by Mark Parisi.