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PRODUCT : Paradox for Windows NUMBER : 1353
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : April 14, 1993 PAGE : 1/8
TITLE : Troubleshooting Printing Problems
When a software package prints, it interacts with the computer
hardware, the computer's operating system, a communication port,
and the printer itself. In addition, if the computer is hooked
up to a network or print sharing device, there are additional
factors involved in printing. If the computer has any memory
resident programs (TSRs), especially print spoolers, these
programs introduce yet more factors that may create problems when
printing. Finally, MS Windows introduces special complexity into
printing because it is an operating environment stacked on top of
the DOS operating system. Windows printing introduces the
Windows Print Manager, True Type and other font management
systems, and Windows print drivers to all the issues inherent in
printing from a DOS application. This sheet provides guidelines
for troubleshooting problems that may occur when printing from
Paradox for Windows. It will help you to narrow down the
specific factors involved in printing problems and suggest ways
to resolve those problems.
The first step to resolving a printing problem is to identify the
symptoms of the problem. To identify the symptoms, answer the
question "What happens when I try to print?".
Your answer will be a variation of one of these three answers:
I. Nothing happens.
II. Unrecognizable characters, symbols, or lines print.
III. It prints, but not the way I want it.
Each of these possible outcomes suggests a strategy to attack the
problem.
I. Nothing happens.
A. Try printing from Microsoft Write (The Windows
accessory).
If you cannot print from Microsoft Write, it is a
Windows, DOS or hardware troubleshooting issue.
PRODUCT : Paradox for Windows NUMBER : 1353
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : April 14, 1993 PAGE : 2/8
TITLE : Troubleshooting Printing Problems
B. Try printing directly from DOS.
If you can print from DOS but not from Windows
Write, it is a Windows troubleshooting issue.
Tips for troubleshooting Windows printing problems
are listed at the end of this sheet. Refer to the
Windows User's Guide and resources suggested in
the Windows documentation for more help resolving
Windows printing issues. If you cannot print from
DOS, this is a DOS issue or a hardware issue.
Verify that the printer is on and ready to receive
data, check the connections to the printer, and
consult your DOS documentation and hardware
documentation to verify that the port is set up
correctly.
It is rare that Paradox will not print at all when
other Windows applications print fine.
II. Unrecognizable characters, symbols or lines print.
A. Examine what prints out.
See if it bears any relationship to what you
wanted to print. If you need to describe the
problem to someone else, it may be necessary to
give a fairly detailed description of the
incorrect output.
B. Try printing from Microsoft Write (The Windows
accessory).
If you can't print from Microsoft Write, it is a
Windows troubleshooting issue. Tips for
troubleshooting Windows printing problems are
listed at the end of this sheet. Refer to the
Windows User's Guide and resources suggested in
the Windows documentation for more help resolving
Windows printing issues.
PRODUCT : Paradox for Windows NUMBER : 1353
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : April 14, 1993 PAGE : 3/8
TITLE : Troubleshooting Printing Problems
C. Verify that the computer has adequate memory and
resources available.
From Paradox, switch to the Windows Program
Manager and choose Help | About Program Manager.
A low memory situation may affect type managers
(like True Type, Bitstream Facelift, and Adobe
Type manager) or Paradox. You should consider
memory an issue if system resources are below 40%
or if memory listed by the Program Manager does
not exceed the virtual memory available on your
system.
D. Check to see if there is a type manager in use.
Disable the type manager or print in a font that
is not from a type manager. For example, to print
with a non-True Type font, choose a font without
the TT symbol next to it.
E. Try printing with a different font.
Occasionally Windows font files can become
corrupted. If problems occur printing in a
particular font or a few particular fonts, delete
and reinstall those fonts.
F. Try to print to a file and copy the file to the
printer. For information on how to print a report
to a file, refer to Technical Information Sheet
number 1351.
Use COPY FILENAME LPT1 /b, substitute the
appropriate filename for FILENAME and the
appropriate port for LPT1. If this procedure
succeeds where standard printing fails, look at
communication with the printer port and timeout
periods set on networks and print sharing devices
(set the time out to a longer period).
PRODUCT : Paradox for Windows NUMBER : 1353
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : April 14, 1993 PAGE : 4/8
TITLE : Troubleshooting Printing Problems
If you can print from Microsoft Write and none of the
above suggestions helps, try the options suggested in
the list of tips for troubleshooting Paradox printing
at the end of this sheet.
III. It prints, but not the way I want it.
A. Preview the form or report in Paradox.
From Design Mode, choose Form | View Data or
Report | Preview. Is the previewed page the same
as the printout? If it is the same, a print or
page setting is incorrect. Page breaks, space
between pages, space between objects and virtually
any other print setting can lead to "wrong"
printing. Check the layout settings by choosing |
Form | Page | Layout or Report | Page Layout to
adjust sizing or margins. Preview the form or
report while making modifications to these
settings until the previewed page shows the output
that you want.
From Design Mode, inspect the Run Time properties
of the objects in the form or report that are not
printing correctly. Run Time properties apply
when you view or print the document. The
properties may vary depending on the object
selected. For a complete listing of design
objects and their Run Time properties, see Table
11-3 in the User's Guide. Chapter 12, "Designing
Forms", and Chapter 13, "Designing Reports" also
provide information on these Run Time properties.
B. Examine the "Unrecognizable characters, symbols,
or lines print" section of this sheet.
PRODUCT : Paradox for Windows NUMBER : 1353
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : April 14, 1993 PAGE : 5/8
TITLE : Troubleshooting Printing Problems
TROUBLESHOOTING WINDOWS PRINTING PROBLEMS
This section contains tips that help correct common printing
problems in Windows.
o Check the TEMP directory.
Windows writes temporary files to a directory named by a SET
TEMP statement (e.g., SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP) in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If the directory is not specified, is
specified incorrectly, or does not contain enough disk
space, printing problems can occur. Make sure there is a
SET TEMP statement in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and there is at
least 2 MB of disk space available on the drive specified in
the SET TEMP statement. If the problem occurs printing a
large file with graphics, make at least 5 MB of disk space
available on the drive that holds the TEMP directory.
o Reboot the computer (this will help if a memory conflict has
arisen in Windows).
o Verify that you are using the most recent Windows printer
driver available for your printer.
If you updated from Windows 3.0 to Windows 3.1, verify that
your printer drivers have been updated as well. The Windows
3.1 install program does not automatically update printer
drivers. If there is any doubt, delete your print driver
and install the print driver that came with Windows 3.1 or
the latest driver for your printer.
o Simplify your Windows configuration.
See Technical Information Sheet number 1283, "Simplifying
Your Windows System", and the Windows Getting Started guide
for information on simplifying your Windows configuration.
Simplifying your Windows configuration includes removing
memory resident programs (including print spoolers) that may
be loaded from DOS.
PRODUCT : Paradox for Windows NUMBER : 1353
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : April 14, 1993 PAGE : 6/8
TITLE : Troubleshooting Printing Problems
o Connect the printer directly to your computer, eliminating
all print sharing devices and network connections.
If your printing problem persists, you can narrow your
search to exclude the potential problems caused by networks
and print sharing devices. If connecting the printer
directly to the computer eliminates the problem, you can
concentrate on troubleshooting the print sharing device or
the network.
o Try to print to a file and copy the file to the printer (use
COPY FILENAME LPT1 /b, substitute the appropriate file name
for FILENAME and the appropriate port for LPT1).
If this procedure succeeds where standard printing fails,
look at communication with the printer port and timeout
periods set on networks and print sharing devices (set the
time out to a longer period).
o Remove third party font managers.
The documentation for the font manager will have
instructions for disabling it. If the printing problem is
resolved by removing the font manager, verify that the font
manager is set up correctly for your system.
o Try printing with a different font.
Occasionally, Windows font files can become corrupted. If
problems occur printing in a particular font or a few
particular fonts, delete and reinstall those fonts.
o If possible, try printing to a different printer.
If a problem occurs with only one printer, verify that the
driver is the most up to date driver available for your
printer and verify that the printer is set up correctly.
PRODUCT : Paradox for Windows NUMBER : 1353
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : April 14, 1993 PAGE : 7/8
TITLE : Troubleshooting Printing Problems
o If you are using Windows in 386 Enhanced mode, try starting
Windows in Standard mode (WIN /S) to test the printing
problem.
If printing works in Standard mode, check the 386 Enhanced
section of your Windows SYSTEM.INI file. Read the Windows
README and documentation concerning this file.
o Check memory and system resources before printing.
If your system is low on memory, printing may be affected.
o Disable Print Manager.
If disabling Print Manager corrects the printing problem,
check the Windows documentation to verify that Print Manager
is set up correctly.
o Disable Fast Print Direct to Port.
If this corrects the printing problem, Windows may be unable
to use this option with your printer port.
o Enable Print True Type as Graphics (if applicable to your
printer).
If this option is available for your printer, it is found
under File | Printer Setup | Modify Printer Setup | Options.
o Check the cable connecting the printer and computer.
Parallel and serial cables longer than six feet should be
suspected of causing problems. Try a different cable to
verify that the cable is communicating correctly with your
printer.
o Check Windows troubleshooting resources.
Microsoft offers a number of resources for troubleshooting
Windows problems. The Windows documentation will help to
direct you to these resources. Microsoft's Windows Resource
Kit is a particularly rich source of Windows troubleshooting
information.
PRODUCT : Paradox for Windows NUMBER : 1353
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : April 14, 1993 PAGE : 8/8
TITLE : Troubleshooting Printing Problems
If Paradox is still unable to print correctly, it may be
necessary to contact Borland Technical Support for assistance.
Before contacting technical support, be sure to try the following
four steps to make your call as productive as possible.
1. Preview the form or report that is printing incorrectly.
From Design Mode, choose Form | View Data or Report |
Preview.
2. Simplify your Windows configuration.
3. Connect the printer directly to your computer, eliminating
all print sharing devices and network connections.
4. Remove third party font managers.
If you need to call technical support, be at your computer and be
prepared to explain to the technician the symptoms of the problem
and the steps that you have tried.
DISCLAIMER: You have the right to use this technical information
subject to the terms of the No-Nonsense License Statement that
you received with the Borland product to which this information
pertains.