Am I crazy or is it my user? (printing problem)

[RexesOperator]

In the for what it's worth category I have something similarily weird. I am using Access 2003.

I try to print a specific report to a network printer. But it won't print in colour! All other reports are fine. If I print to a pdf file first I can then print in colour. This only happens with one particular report printing to a network printer. It doesn't happen when I use a local printer. Or with any other reports in the same database. I am the only user. I have given up trying to figure out what is going on.

Once I open the database there are no initial problems. Troubles start to occur if I switch the windows focus from the database to another program - say Word or Excel - then back to the database. After that point - no colour for that report when printing to the network printer. As I said it doesn't affect any other report.

Weird. I am not looking for a solution to this, but it is nice to know I am not the only one experiencing this.

 

[Alisa]

I hear you - if I can't solve this problem for my user, I am going to chalk it up to the will of the Access printing gods, whom I have apparently angered somehow.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

OK, let's do a process of elimination.

1. He can print to other printers. This rules out the entire body of Access.

2. The problem only applies to one specific printer, which is like other printers you have in your general area. This doesn't exhonerate the printer driver 100% but it does tend to point elsewhere. It has been a while since I tried this, but there are rules about how tightly Access binds to its printer. So...

a. Is the printer this person's deault printer. If not, make it so.

b. Can your user define a default printer to send the report to a file followed by separate output of the now-formatted file to the printer?

3. Nobody else has this problem even with the problematic printer. This means the printer is probably good, too.

4. That leaves the network between computer and printer. I would ask my network guys to check for possible firewall rules between that one user and the printer in question. You are looking for something that would affect one of the lesser TCP/IP sub-protocols. Not LDAP but perhaps SMB or MS Sharing protocols. If this user is in the same network segment as others who CAN use the same printer, then it can only be an Access Control Entry that somehow affects that one user.

 

[NigelShaw]

I had something similar a while ago but in excel. It turns out vba looks at printers differently and assigns it to a variable type item. I will post an example when my child has gone to bed...

Nigel

In the mean time, try a simple macro record in excel using a print scenario and then check the coding.

 

[Alisa]

Thanks for replying doc man!

OK, let's do a process of elimination.

1. He can print to other printers. This rules out the entire body of Access.

Yep

2. The problem only applies to one specific printer, which is like other printers you have in your general area. This doesn't exhonerate the printer driver 100% but it does tend to point elsewhere. It has been a while since I tried this, but there are rules about how tightly Access binds to its printer. So...

a. Is the printer this person's deault printer. If not, make it so.

Yes, it is his default printer.

b. Can your user define a default printer to send the report to a file followed by separate output of the now-formatted file to the printer?

I don't think I quite understand this point?

3. Nobody else has this problem even with the problematic printer. This means the printer is probably good, too.

Well it is a local printer, so he is the only one that can use it, but you bring up a good point. One way to completely rule out the printer driver as the source of the problem would be to install that same printer on another computer, and see if the same issue occurs.

 

[Alisa]

I had something similar a while ago but in excel. It turns out vba looks at printers differently and assigns it to a variable type item. I will post an example when my child has gone to bed...

Nigel

In the mean time, try a simple macro record in excel using a print scenario and then check the coding.

I'm not sure what you mean about vba and printing . . . my code just does docmd.print to open the standard print dialog.

 

[Alisa]

Thanks everyone who helped - finally got this one solved. It turned out that the user did NOT have all his updates - he assured me that he did, but when I made him to go to microsoft updates and do a custom scan, it turned out that there were additional updates he did not have that fixed the problem. Lesson learned: never trust a user that says he has all his updates!

 

[MSAccessRookie]

In regards to the title of your thread? My experience has been that about 90% of the time I find that it is the user who is crazy, but I never say this aloud because of the 10% of the time where it is not.

 

[Alisa]

Wow, 10%, you must have really good users. I would have said 5% . . .

 

[MSAccessRookie]

Wow, 10%, you must have really good users. I would have said 5% . . .

Actully, it is I who tends to go crazy after working several 60+ hour weeks in a row.

 

[Alisa]

Whenever I start to work too much overtime, I just remind myself that I every overtime hour I work is an hour I just gave my boss for free. That usually snaps me out of it pretty quickly.

 

[MSAccessRookie]

I have been paid by the hour up to 60 hours/week if I wanted/needed to. I try to keep it between 40-50.

 

[Joe8915]

Just a thought, if the computer is on a network, can you sign on his computer and print?