Batch & Print Pro 

Frequently Asked Questions


 

Q. How do I run Batch & Print Pro automatically when the machine is rebooted.

A. Create a file shortcut to the main "Batch And Print.exe" in C:\Program Files\Traction Software\Batch & Print Pro\ directory and put it in C:\Documents and Settings\[YOURLOGINUSERNAME]\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

To force the ini files to a location set the 'start in' directory in the shortcut properties.

 

Q. When sorting in the directory monitor the .prs sorts also in and amongst

A. Always call your prs file a number i.e. 1.prs so it appears at the top of the file list

 

Q. Why does BPP carry on spooling whilst in out of paper status ?, my printer settings later are messing it up.

A. A new option has been added to the general setup called 'Wait for all prints to finish before changing printer settings', this will spool/print all files upto the next prs file then wait until all prints have finished before setting the next prs file and continuing spooling.

 

Q. Acrobat is been spawned multiple times, how do I stop that happening ?

A. This is a common problem with using full version of acrobat, Acrobat doesn't detect an open session and creates a new one for each print, please install latest version Acrobat Reader and setup to be your default print action and then only one copy of Acrobat Reader will be opened, the print association can be set in Batch & Print Pro options menu. (note: Acrobat Reader will setup as default print when installed)

 

Q. I Can't duplex print multiple copies of a file with an odd number of pages, because the first page of the 2nd copy goes on the back of the last page of the 1st copy.
A.
Batch & Print Pro will do the same as right mouse "Print" in windows, to get around the problem add 1 blank page to print queue.

 

QWhat if I want multiple copies of a document set? If I specify a number of copies in the printer setup dialog box, what happens? That is, does it print the entire file set the specified number of times, or does it print each file in the file set the specified number of times before moving on to the next file in the set?
A.
yes it will save your printer settings and use those, Batch & PRint Pro will always use your system printer settings. so for example if you want 5 copies of 2 files in the list, it will print file1 5 times then file2 5 times.



QHow do I print all the contents of lots of directories in one go ?
A.
If you are searching for a particular type of file then use File Menu --> Bulk load files.
 One other way to do all of them in one swoop is to do a windows explorer search (Press F3) for *.* or just the documents you want e.g. *.pdf on your hard drive directory, then drag all the search results files into batch print pro + you can sort on search results by clicking the header before you drag and drop. 

QWhat is the "Application print startup allowance" in General Setup Options ?
A.
That option was introduced in v1.05 for directory monitor move files option, to allow for slow applications or large documents to be loaded before checking whether the print has started or not, if you are printing very large files or find that the source file has been moved before print then adjust this to a higher value, the default "Quick" is now 5,000 spooler queue checks the slowest is 30,000 spooler queue checks. (v1.04 was 1,000 spooler checks)

 

QWhat are the document amount limitations of the print list ?

A. As far as we know the Microsoft's list view limitation is 65,535, but you shouldn't need to do this many as you can save batch lists and print them in batches.

 

QWhat are the status codes on the main screen and what do they mean ?

A. The status codes are as follows:

        Ready - ready to print - spooler status

        Done - Finished printing or has been finished by user (deleted)

        Printing - Currently printing on printer

        Deleted - Deleted by user

       Can't Print - No Print jobs or unable to print

       Error - Problem printing file, this could be an Shell Print Association problem, you can check this by right clicking on a file in windows explorer, if not "Print" option then no association is setup.

QWhat do the load/append/save/saveas batch file do and how do I use them ?

A. To save the list in the list window on the main screen, choose SaveAs or Save this then can be loaded at any time for your convenience to print automated lists. 
The information saved to the .job file is separator page + printer setup, then all the items in the list

 

QWhen using the directory monitor how do I guarantee  that my print isn't printed twice ?

A. Every print is saved in the print log, so when this re-occurs with the same filename and created/ modified date is exactly the same then it will not print.

 

QWhen using the directory monitor it won't print my file anymore.

A. See above, you can clear the print log by selecting 'clear' in the log menu.

 

QHow do I change my printer settings within a print job list ?

A. Save the printer settings you want and just add the .prs file to the print list, Batch & Print Pro will automatically identify it as a printer setting change and will change the system default printer to that setting, this operational  change can be made as many times as you want within a print run.

 

last updated: 23rd September 2003