AutoCAD 2015 and HP printer Issue Resolved

So turns out that AutoCAD 2015 on windows 8 or 8.1 does not want to print to a HP Printer or Plotter. I have experienced this at a client the other day and the funny thing was that they where able to print perfectly on AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD 2013. The printer cannot be selected and reverts back to “none” or AutoCAD will crash, hang and fail with the following error message.

“None: The plotter configuration cannot be used for one of these reasons: the driver cannot be found, the device cannot be found, or the driver has a problem.The None plotter device has been substituted.”

So here was the workarounds that I have tried suggested by Autodesk, but found that it was still unable to print.

Workaround 1: Check for newer printer drivers that support Windows 8 and higher
Try uninstalling and reinstalling the HP printer driver using the latest driver from HP’s website (HP Drivers & Downloads).
Steps to do this:

1. Uninstall any listing for the printer in Programs and Features.
2. Delete it from Devices and Printers.

Note: This process may not remove all the necessary driver files in order to let you have a clean reinstall. You may need to manually remove the HP driver files (see How to manually uninstall a printer driver in Windows 7 or 8).

Workaround 2: Use the generic HPGL/2 driver
Autodesk includes some HP plotter drivers internally with AutoCAD. You may be able to specify a generic HPGL/2 driver, which uses the old AutoCAD drivers:

1. In AutoCAD, enter the PLOTTERMANAGER command and start the Add-A-Plotter Wizard.
2. In the list, select HP.
3. In the models, select a printer model, such as Designjet 755CM (a non-matching model may work).
4. Define the ports and all information.

Alternative Suggestions:
If reinstalling the printer does not resolve the problem, try either of the following:

• Plot to PDF from AutoCAD 2015 and then print the PDF from Adobe Reader to your HP printer.
• Use AutoCAD 2014 for plotting your drawings.

Obviously telling my client that they have to plot to PDF then print, opening the chances of getting the wrong scales, or buying a new plotter, the client was very unimpressed. So I HAD to find another solution.

Solution:
So this is what I tried and it fixed the problem:

1. Close all the Autodesk software applications
2. Go to the HP Website and find the latest software for your printer. Search for ((HP Drivers & Downloads).
3. Go to the Devices and Printers in your control panel
4. Right-click on the printer and select Printer Properties
5. Go to the Advanced tab and select New Driver
6. Follow the dialog box, Select next > Select Have disk and select the downloaded drivers
7. Finish the printer properties.
8. Open your AutoCAD and select your relevant printer
9. You should now be able to print without any issues.