Unprintable

Sometimes things you take for granted get complicated. I'm working on the Pysanky patterns, and need to print out the graph of the newest ones to take around with me and knit from.

As a student, I could always just use the printer at the lab. So while I still have my old printer, it hasn't been used in years. I had to buy a new ink cartridge (because the old one was dried up) before I could even test it to see if it still functioned. And hell, now I know why Dad refills his cartridges, and why the joke is that it's cheaper to buy a new printer than to buy more ink.

Set up printer with new cartridge, plug into computer. Try to print and printer promptly goes offline. Someone said it might be I need to install a driver, or maybe the printer just doesn't work with this computer. The old computer was a PC, this one is a Mac and 10 years newer.

But wait, I still have the old computer. So I figured maybe I could just use my USB, get the file onto the old computer, and print from that. Did that today, remembered the old computer can't read my new USB, put the file on the old USB instead, and got it onto the old computer. Plugged in the printer, and the computer found it, but apparently no driver or whatever was needed to install it there either.

It seems I've had the printer all this time, and never used it, or I would have found that out before. I don't seem to have the CD with the necessary program. And I'm sure after almost a decade, my father wouldn't have kept it either.

At this point I had a headache, and decided I'd had enough. The printer is in its corner until the next electronics recycling I can get to. I will see if anyone wants the ink cartridge. And I will stop at the library and print the graph tomorrow before I go knitting. Some things aren't worth the hassle.

I did some carding and knitting instead. Three silk/wool batts done, and half a sleeve knitted. My new sweater, at least, is entirely satisfactory so far.