Printer problems

[Eljefegeneo]

I have come across a printer problem which despite days of research and testing of alternative methods of printing I cannot solve.

On my personal computer at work which has a non-network printer attached, all is well. All reports print as required, no problems. I do not have to push any manual print buttons on the computer to get all pages of a multi-page report.

However, when I try to print the same reports from other computers in the office all kinds of different errors arise. Mostly it is that the printer will not print unless one pushes a manual print button on the specific printer, or case two, the first page of a report prints but the second won't unless a manual print button on the printer is pressed.

The real strange problem is that two people have the same printer but get different results. On one print sequence where perhaps ten reports are printed in sequence, one person only has to press the manual print button once on their printer to get all the reports to print. The second person has to continue to press the manual print button on their printer to get all copies of all the reports.

The problem is two-fold. Either the second page or any subsequent pages of the report will not print unless a manual print button is pushed, or the first page won't print saying that the printer is not connected. On other printers, once the first page is printed, it says the user has to manually load paper into a different tray.
I know how to switch printer so that these users can print to the main printer connected to the server and all is well. However, one person cannot print to their printer without the "printer not connected" error, but when I am on my computer I can switch via VBA to their printer which is connect to the local network and use it without a problem.

I have also tried to use the [FONT=&quot]Me.Printer.Paperbin command but that does not do anything.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]I have tried to open the report in print preview, then select it and then use the command print selection. Still no god results.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]I realize that my explanation is vague at best, but what I would like to know is how I might go about solving this problem. That is, what steps I might take to see what is causing the problem and how I might correct it.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]This problem does not occur on Word, Excel, etc. Only on Access 2010.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Thank you.[/FONT]

 

[JHB]

Is it only one report in the database or all reports?
Is it only in the particular database or in other databases, the problem occurs?
What is the Page Setup for the report on the computers which have the problems? Open the report in design view on problem computer.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

a likely cause could be the paper type set up

if the reports are designed for say, "letter" format paper, and the work printers are set to "A4" the prints will probably not auto-print.

You may also find blank sheets appearing, or bits of the print missed off.

("Letter" is common in the US, isn't it - but less so elsewhere - we tend to use A4 in UK)

 

[Eljefegeneo]

Thank you both for answering. The page setup is standard UD, 8-1/2 X 11 inches, either portrait or landscape. Most of the reports are in portrait.

I would have to say most reports have the same problem. As I said previously, on one computer (mine) which has a non-network printer attached, all is well. Nary a problem. But on others with a similar setup, different things happen. Two computers, identical printers, for a series of reports all printed by clicking on the command button to print, 12 reports are printed. One user only has to press the manual print button on the printer once; the other has to press it almost 12 times. Most are one page reports, some are multiple page reports. For another report printing with multiple pages, one asks for the user to put paper in tray 1 or tray 2, the other just makes the user hit the manual print button on the printer with no error message.

Then on a third computer setup, the local printer is a network printer but also their local printer. That one gives a "printer not attached" error message, you press the manual print button on the printer and all is well. But, I select this network printer to use from my computer, it works fine.

Also, we have another network computer that is also our copy machine. If any of the users select that, all is OK.

I have tried to code the printing to "select" a printer, even if is already the default one, no better results. Then I tried to add code to select a try, no better results.

Now for more confusion or maybe not. We have a second DB at work with much less data and much simpler reports. All report that there are no problems with this DB.

I should add there is no difference in the code for printing on the two DBs.

 

[speakers_86]

What command are you using to print? Here is what I do:

Private Function TryPrint() As Boolean
    On Error GoTo err
    DoCmd.RunCommand acCmdPrint
    TryPrint = True
err:
End Function

 

[Eljefegeneo]

I use all the standard ones, from a Macro of "PrintObject", to Docmd.open report, open the report in print preview and print it with DoCmd.PrintOut acPrintAll or DoCmd.PrintOut acPages, 1, 1, acHigh, 1, etc. Doesn't seem to matter what I use. Open the report in acViewNormal, open it in acViewReport and then try to print it, no joy.

 

[speakers_86]

Perhaps try DoCmd.RunCommand acCmdPrint

 

[Eljefegeneo]

I tried that too.

 

[JHB]

Did you try?

What is the Page Setup for the report on the computers which have the problems? Open the report in design view on problem computer after it is shown in "Print Preview".

Another idea could be to create a new database and import all from the old into the new one. You only need it as a test for one of the problem computer.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

Thank you both for answering. The page setup is standard UD, 8-1/2 X 11 inches, either portrait or landscape. Most of the reports are in portrait.

I would have to say most reports have the same problem. As I said previously, on one computer (mine) which has a non-network printer attached, all is well. Nary a problem. But on others with a similar setup, different things happen. Two computers, identical printers, for a series of reports all printed by clicking on the command button to print, 12 reports are printed. One user only has to press the manual print button on the printer once; the other has to press it almost 12 times. Most are one page reports, some are multiple page reports. For another report printing with multiple pages, one asks for the user to put paper in tray 1 or tray 2, the other just makes the user hit the manual print button on the printer with no error message.

Then on a third computer setup, the local printer is a network printer but also their local printer. That one gives a "printer not attached" error message, you press the manual print button on the printer and all is well. But, I select this network printer to use from my computer, it works fine.

Also, we have another network computer that is also our copy machine. If any of the users select that, all is OK.

I have tried to code the printing to "select" a printer, even if is already the default one, no better results. Then I tried to add code to select a try, no better results.

Now for more confusion or maybe not. We have a second DB at work with much less data and much simpler reports. All report that there are no problems with this DB.

I should add there is no difference in the code for printing on the two DBs.

Just to repeat what I said before 8.5 x 11 is Letter (or Foolscap, I think), and different to A4.

If the printer is set differently to the access report, it will not print without intervention. Maybe some printers are set to override automatically, which might account for this being an occasional problem.

 

[Eljefegeneo]

The paper size is set to 8-1/2 X 11 for everything. Have never used A4.

Will try the new DB, importing everything to it. I assume you mean the front end only.

I will try almost anything to solve this.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

is the default paper size on the other PCs that aren't working correctly set correctly. Do they even have the correct driver for the printer. Personally, I would check stuff like that first before addressing the database.

Try a non-access document. Word or Excel, and see how the paper settings work for them.

 

[Eljefegeneo]

Thank you for your reply. Yes I have checked the paper size on all the printers. All are set for 8-1/2 X 11.

AS for the drivers, I am checking that now. But if all the other programs in Ms Office 2010, specifically Word and Excel work fine, why should I have a problem with Access? The paper/page setup on Word and Excel is the same as I have for Access.

The one network printer that is also a local printer for one computer has been operating well for perhaps 10 years. All are HP laser printers with the exception of the main server printer a Ricoh.

I am going to try the new DB route next week to see if that works (only in the office one day a week).

 

[Eljefegeneo]

Learning something new every day. Set up a new Front End, copied everything, queries didn't work. Had to delete the queries then put them back in. Now I am not sure if everything will work properly; all the code that is.

No matter, going to test if the printers work now that I have rebuilt the DB.

 

[Eljefegeneo]

Should have added, the proper sequence seem to be is to set up a new front end, copy forms, reports, modules, etc. but not the queries. Then link the DB, then add the queries.

 

[Eljefegeneo]

I transferred everything to a new front end, linked it to a back end and set it up on the server at work for people to copy it to their desktops. Asked them to run the same reports that were causing problems and see if there was any difference.

Unfortunately none.

All paper sizes are 8-/12 X 11 inches. Excel and Word (2010 versions) have no problems.

Any suggestions on what to try next?

 

[sneuberg]

Is there any computer that can print these reports to these printers without problems?

Has this problem always existed? If not when did it start and what preceded this?

Have you tested these printers from these computers with a different Access application? If not I suggest creating one and running that test.

Does this problem exist for Access generated reports like the relationships report?

 

[Eljefegeneo]

Thank you for your reply. I can print everything - no problems on two printers. One at home and one at work. If I code to print to the main network server printer, they print fine. Tested a secondary DB with a few reports and no problems on any of the computer/printer combos at work. The problem exists on four computer/printer combos at work, but not the fifth. And only on the Main DB, lots of data, queries and reports.

Don't know if this existed before as I only recently got everyone at work to use the new DB. Had a few problems perviously, but thought I solved them by dropping print by macro to using VBA.


Have not tested it with a relationship report, will follow up on that on Monday.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

i am struggling to suggest things.

Is it all prints, or just certain prints.

It's worth re checking that the prints are
a) not designed to print on a specific printer AND
b) designed as for Letter size paper

It's then worth checking that the offending PC has the correct printer driver for the printer being used, and that it is also set up to print on Letter size paper as a default.

I just noticed a further point. you say you are "coding" to print to the main printer. Out of interest, how do you code this?

If you simply say something like set printer = "MainServerPrinter" (or whatever the syntax is), then what can cause an issue is the fact that in Windows the printer name is case sensitive, and if the printer is just called "mainserverprinter" it will not set correctly.

What I tend to do is

 for each ptr in printers
      'see note
      if ptr.name = "MainServerPrinter" then   '** see note
         set printer = ptr.name
         exit for block
      end if
 next

** note
simply testing the names in access is not case sensitive. Setting the printer is case sensitive.

----
Just one other point. previously you mentioned that you struggled to copy queries from an old database into a new one, and had to do them as a second stage. I have never had that problem. I copy tables then queries. Never a problem.

 

[Eljefegeneo]

Again thank you for your response. To Clarify things,
(1) The reports are all set to the same paper size. Most are portrait orientation, a few are landscape orientation.
(2) Yes, a some reports run fine, others require that the user hit the manual print button on their laser jet printer. The really strange thing is that there are a series of reports that are almost identical, that is the format is the same, only the underlying query is different. Some print fine, some do not.
(3) We did check to see if the printer drivers were up to date and they are.
(4) I use several different codes to print reports, the most common I set in a module

  Public Sub PrintNew()
  DoCmd.PrintOut acPages, 1, 1, acHigh, 1
  End Sub
   
  Public Sub PrintNewAll()
  DoCmd.PrintOut acPrintAll
  End Sub

If there is just one page, then I just use PrintNew. If more than one page I use PrintNewAll. I had so many reports that I decided to make sure that I was using the same code to print them to avoid any difference in codes so that I could eliminate the code as causing the problem.

(5) I do use all the other standard codes to print, open in print preview then print, open and print "acViewNormal", etc. I have tried them all and the results are always the same, some print fine, others need a "boost" as I call it. I was originally just using a macro to print object, first opening the report in report view, then clicking on a button to initiate the macro. But that was almost universally causing the user to push the manual print button on their printer. So I changed from a macro to VBA to print.
(6) For selecting a different printer than the local default one I use another set of code from a module: (This is for the main network printer)

  Sub NetworkPrinter()
  Dim defPrinter As String, NewPrinter As Printer
  'Get the default printer name
  defPrinter = Application.Printer.DeviceName
  'Create a new printer object
  sSet NewPrinter = Application.Printers("\\Panam-dc1\ricoh mp c4503") 'Network Printer
  'Set the default printer to the new printer
  Set Application.Printer = NewPrinter
  End Sub
   
  Sub UnSelectPrinter()
  Dim defPrinter As String, NewPrinter As Printer
  'Get the default printer name
  defPrinter = Application.Printer.DeviceName
  'Reset the printer back to the default printer
  Set NewPrinter = Application.Printers(defPrinter)
  Set Application.Printer = NewPrinter
  End Sub

Then I insert in the print code when I want to use them, first NetworkPrinter, then the print out code and then UnselectPrinter. It functions well.

(7) The problem I had with creating the new DB was that it was a split DB. I wanted to replicate the DB as best possible. Thus if I copied the queries without linking the front and back end first, the queries would all indicate that the fields did not have a reference, that is has the "Expr" on each field.

(8) I am going to try to print an Access generated report as sneuberg suggested. Will have to wait until Monday for that.

Again I sincerely appreciate the help that all have given.