Printing Problem

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reputta
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 6:34 pm
Location: Pandora Missionary Church

Printing Problem

Post by reputta »

I just installed the new version 9 this month and I find I am having trouble printing reports. Data is printing on top of each other so it is not legible. I don't have any problems printing from Excel or Word so I feel it is this program. I have tried rebooting several times and it does not help. Any suggestions?

Shari

foxygramps
Posts: 83
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2003 4:22 pm
Location: Our Redeemer Lutheran Church

Post by foxygramps »

What printer are you using?
I had the same problem during the Beta testing. I was using a HP 932c printer, thru the USB input port. The printer worked fine using the serial input port.

The reports in version 9 are written in unicode, that and using the USB input port caused the problem on this printer. I was using the latest drivers from HP for that model printer.

I suggest you try the following:
1. If you are using a USB input, try changing to the serial port.
2. Check with your printers manufacturer to see if there is a better driver availible, or if using the driver from a different model printer will work.

Zaphod
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Post by Zaphod »

That's pretty much right on the money. We've seen this happening primarily with Windows 98 and ME. As far as we can tell, it has something to do with the printer driver, but we're not sure what. In many cases, reinstalling or replacing the printer driver works. Also, I've had at least one person install a 2nd instance of their printer, and select that during the printing.

According to HP, if you use the 550c driver, that's supposed to be their most generic, compatible driver. You can use it for just about any HP inkjet printer, except the 1200 series.

If all else fails, a workaround is to export to Word (use the "save as" feature) and print from Word. The export has been improved in v9, so the report you see in Word looks just like the original report in PowerChurch.

In the meantime, we're looking at this from our end, but it looks like it's out of our hands - it's something weird in the new version of Crystal Reports.
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reputta
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Location: Pandora Missionary Church

Post by reputta »

Thanks so much for your help. I have Windows ME and am using a HP1210 printer. I will try your suggestions.

Thanks again.

Riverside-MB-Church
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Location: Riverside MB Church

Post by Riverside-MB-Church »

Zaphod,

we also experienced a problem viewing reports on the screen but they would print out fine. We were using a Savio Laser printer but when we changed the driver to a generic HP 4, it displayed and printed fine.

In a previous post, you mentioned that it's probably a problem with the new version of Crystal Reports. We did some investigating on our own and discovered that there are different versions of Crystal Report .dll files on our computer. For example, crpe32.dll is version 8 and craxdrt.dll is version 9. I don't know if this makes a difference or not but I wanted you to know. Maybe the upgrade did not overwrite all of the Crystal Report files?

Zaphod
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Post by Zaphod »

It's my understanding that Crystal Reports version 9 uses all different files than version 8, and they're in different places in your directory tree. The scenario you've described is completely plausible.
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Mike_P
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Printing problem with PC+ 9

Post by Mike_P »

Just installed PC+ 9 and latest maintenance release. The first report I ran on our network printer had the same problem as reputta. The output is overlapping so it's unreadable. It's a Toshiba e-Studio28 copier with a network print board installed. Printing the same report on LPT1: to our HP LaserJet 1100 worked perfectly. Also did not have any problems printing to Toshiba with PC+ 8.5 and prior.

We have had occasional lockups and BSOD's since PC+ started using Crystal Reports a few years ago, and I'm pretty sure it's a Crystal Reports conflict with some printer drivers. MS DrWatson helped steer me to this conclusion. Unfortunately, updating the Toshiba printer driver (Toshiba e-STUDIO45srs-PCL6UC) has NOT solved the latest problem.

Hopefully, someone can help me before I have to uninstall PC+ 9 to print several hundred pages of contributor statements on our speedy network printer. :(

Thanks,

Mike P.
P III 1.0gHz, 256MB RAM, Win 98SE

foxygramps
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Post by foxygramps »

Do they have a universal type driver, something like the one for a HP550 deskjet that solved the same problem that I had with a HP 932c deskjet.
The problem isn't with Crystal reports, as near as I know, but that the reports are now writtten in Unicode. Ask Toshiba if they have a driver that will work with Unicode. Good Luck

jeffkoke
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Re: Printing problem with PC+ 9

Post by jeffkoke »

Mike_P wrote:Hopefully, someone can help me before I have to uninstall PC+ 9 to print several hundred pages of contributor statements on our speedy network printer. :(
Mike,

You could generate/print the entire set of reports by saving them to a word doc file and use word to print them.

Hope this helps,
Jeff
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children will follow his example instead of his advice."

Mike_P
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Printing Problem

Post by Mike_P »

Thanks Jeff,

I used to do that workaround in our old DOS days with PC+ 6.2 and WordPerfect 5.1, to get the reports to fit just right into double window envelopes.

Since PC+ 8, the print preview mode has had the buttons to save the report to the disk. Ever since that version, and quite unpredictably, I would get a BSOD when pressing that button to save any type of report to the disk. This occurred even before we had the Toshiba installed. Therefore, I have avoided using that feature to avoid the lockups. Still happens often enough to make me gun shy.

I will probably just run the reports I need from the 8.5 installation and making no changes to data there. I'll only make data changes to 9 as we converted at the first of the year. Any problems doing this?

BTW, I'm not sure what Unicode is, but I will try to contact Toshiba to see if they can help.

Mike P.

jeffkoke
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Re: Printing Problem

Post by jeffkoke »

Mike_P wrote:BTW, I'm not sure what Unicode is, but I will try to contact Toshiba to see if they can help.Mike P.
Probably more than you wanted to know :lol:

http://www.unicode.org/standard/WhatIsUnicode.html

Jeff
Jeff
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Jeff Koke, KK4SN
Great Bridge Church of God
Chesapeake VA
"Every Father should remember that one day his
children will follow his example instead of his advice."

scwright
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2005 5:26 pm
Location: Chappell Assembly of God

Post by scwright »

Our church has had the same problem with an HP printer and windows 98. I discovered that when using the HP Printer with windows 98 the numbers are printed ontop of each other, but if I move the printer to a computer that uses XP everything works fine.

I did install the latest drivers, but I may try that 550 generic driver.

Scott

scwright
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Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2005 5:26 pm
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Post by scwright »

Our church has had the same problem with an HP printer and windows 98. I discovered that when using the HP Printer with windows 98 the numbers are printed ontop of each other, but if I move the printer to a computer that uses XP everything works fine.

I worked with another church that also had Win98 and an hp printer and had the same problems

I did install the latest drivers, but I may try that 550 generic driver.

Scott

foxygramps
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Post by foxygramps »

I think you will find that its not just the numbers that are printed on top of each other, but everywhere that there is a punctuation mark. Comma's in numbers, Colons in dates, appostrophies in word contractions, Etc. send the printer back to the beginning of that date or number or word.
Many printer drivers cannot handle Unicode. My initial problem as a Beta tester was with an HP932C, using the USB input. When I changed to the regular port, I thought it was solved, but later with the full release of ver 9, found that it was still present in some reports. Switched to the 550 driver which works fine, but I have not yet tried it thru the USB port.
Incidently, my other HP 672C had no problems with unicode.

I think that its time for printer mfgs to specify if they are Unicode compliant or not. HP does not appear to be part of the Unicode consortium.

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