Vista vs. my NEC Superscript 870 Printer

Microsoft Vista has no native support for my NEC Superscript 870. What is the solution? Install the printer using the HP LaserJet IIP driver. The downside to this is your printer will only print at 300 DPI instead of 600 DPI.

You will also lose all of the cool tools you had with the printer under Windows 98 and before. That right you lost a lot of functionality by moving to Windows 2K, Windows XP, or Windows Vista if you used this printer. So what to do? Install FinePrint. FinePrint gives you back all of the print options you had and more. In fact I have used FinePrint as my default printer on systems in the past. It just works great.

So how do you install your NEC printer as an HP printer?

First open your Control Panel and click Printers. Now click “Add a Printer”. Specify if you printer is Local (plugged in to your computer) or on the Network (plugged in to a different computer). We are assuming you have a Local printer.

Next specify the port. Usually you can just take the default here. Now you will be presented with a list of available printer drivers with manufacturers on the left and printer models on the right.

Under manufacturers choose “HP”. Then on the right scroll down and find the “HP LaserJet IIP”. It will probably show up just after the “Laserjet IIIP”. Click next and follow the instructions to complet installing your printer.