how2it04.htm
How to troubleshoot report printer problems
Most Windows printing issues are related to an improper Windows printer driver, a lost or unavailable network connection or a Windows print spooler issue. We can't cover all of them here, but we can offer some guidelines...
Is it plugged in and does it have paper? - These are often the first questions we ask a person who's having trouble, and it's amazing how often the response is, "I don't know." Check. Make sure that the printer is powered on, that it has a sufficient supply of paper and is "on-line," ready to print. There's usually a small power light on the printer, and often there's another light that shows when it's connected to the computer, i.e. "on-line."
Are you in Windows or Dos? - While some printers can print from both Windows applications and DOS applications, some printers ONLY work with Windows applications. Examples are a lot of the newer inkjet or color printers, nearly any printer that uses what's called a "USB" connection, or many network-standalone printers. Also, just because it plugs into your Windows computer doesn't automatically mean it will work: some printers are designed for specific versions of Windows. Before you buy a printer, make absolutely certain that it will work with the computer, the operating system you have, and the applications you intend to use it with. Remember that if you're still using InfoTouch for DOS but on a Windows computer, it's still a DOS application and you need to get a report printer that works with DOS applications. If you're using InfoTouch 2000 then you can use just about any report printer on the market today.
Printer Drivers - Windows talks to the printer via a piece of software called a "driver." The driver is usually designed by the same company that designed the printer and in a way, a driver is a lot like a translator: it is supposed to translate the standardized commands that Windows creates for printing into commands that the printer manufacturer's hardware can understand. It's best to use the driver that's designed for the printer in question: using a HP LaserJet 5N printer driver with a Lexmark D600 printer probably won't work very well, if it works at all. Drivers are normally supplied with the printer, although Windows 2000 and Windows XP include built-in drivers for nearly every printer imaginable. When all else fails, the printer manufacturer's Internet web site likely has the most up-to-date printer drivers and you can download them from there without charge.
Cable problems - Most printers use what is called a "parallel" cable, which is a somewhat thick cable with many wires inside and a large connector on each end. Parallel printer cables are generally limited to about 12 feet in length, and while you can get printer cable extension cords, once you go past the 12 foot guideline, you may encounter some weird printing results such as missing characters in the middle of words, corrupt page formatting and more. If you use an A/B switch box to switch between two different printers, make sure the total length of cable between the computer and either of the printers doesn't exceed the 12 foot guideline. Also, because of the large number of wires inside the parallel cable, try not to bend it too sharply, don't staple it to a wall, etc. All it takes is one damaged wire to create problems that are extremely difficult to figure out.
Printer jams - really high or really low humidity can cause all sorts of headaches with paper -- it gets sticky if it's too humid and it gets static cling in the winter when the humidity is really low -- both situations can jam printers because the paper doesn't feed evenly. Before you put new paper in your printer, be sure to fan it so the pages aren't stuck to begin with. Otherwise, if you have to open panels on your printer to extract whole or partial sheets of paper, be very careful. There are powerful motors in there, not to mention often lethally dangerous electrical current, and bad things can happen if the power is turned on when you're poking around inside there. Power it off, or unplug it before you open it up.
Network printers - If you're printing to a shared printer that's connected to some other computer or possibly it's a standalone network printer, you're faced with not only the printer driver issue but networking issues; on top of that, other users may also be using the same equipment which means you may have to careful with what and when you print because someone else may have put a different type of paper in the printer than you're expecting! But the main problem is just connectivity -- we get many calls such as "I'm trying to print but nothing's coming out..." If you've subscribed to our network support option, we can help. Otherwise, your best option is to use the built-in Windows help system to solve network printer problems. Sometimes it involves uninstalling and then reinstalling the drivers; other times it can be as drastic as uninstalling the printer driver, then uninstalling the printer port from the Windows device manager, restarting the computer so that it re-recognizes the printer port, and then reinstalling the printer driver again. Lotsa fun there...
Special note for InfoTouch for DOS users who are running in a Windows environment: you need to CAPTURE your printer port to the network printer or InfoTouch will likely give you an LPT1 printer error, or no error or printing at all. Windows 95/98/ME users: click start-help and search for the word CAPTURE for information on how to do this. InfoTouch for DOS users running on Windows NT, 2000 or XP: you need to use the NET USE command to use a networked DOS printer instead because "capture" isn't an option in those versions of Windows. Refer to "How to troubleshoot error 67" or click here: how2it02d.htm.