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Note This information applies only to printing in some modules.

Note Device Configurator is not available for Sage 100 Premium.

General

 

 What are the default device codes and descriptions?

The default device codes and descriptions are listed in the following table.

PD	This device code is used for printing to display or printing to a deferred printer when running in character mode. Multiple PD devices are not required in multiuser environments. Do not attempt to create, delete, or modify a PD- type device. The absence of this device code results in the absence of the ability to select Display or Deferred within a printer selection window in a character-based report.
PF	This device code is used for printing to a file when running in character mode. Multiple PF devices are not required in multiuser environments. Do not attempt to create, delete, or modify a PF-type device. The absence of this device code results in the absence of the ability to print to file in a character-based report.
PW	The PW device assumes the default Windows printer and relies on Windows Print Manager for all control sequences. This device code is supplied for Windows printers. This is the only Windows printer device that can be configured as a global printer because it is associated with your Windows default printer. This device code is independent of the local Windows printer name and the local Windows printer driver for the default printer. If a specific Windows printer is selected in the Device Name field in Device Configurator, it should be set up as a local printer because it is dependent on the local Windows printer name.
PR	The PR device assumes the default Windows printer, but allows the user to enter control code sequences to be passed through the Windows Print Manager to the printer. This device code is supplied for Windows Printer Port. It is found as a global printer and is configured to use your Windows default printer. This device code is specifically associated with the HP Laser Series Portrait driver. The PR device code is never independent of both the local Windows printer driver and local Windows printer name (like the PW device code); therefore, it should never be used as a shared device. Using any Windows Printer Port device issues a form feed, by design, at the end of the print job.
LP	This device code contains LPT1 for the device name and is set up as Physical Device using the HP LaserJet Series Portrait driver.

 

 

 How do I control the alignment pattern of a form before the form-printing process is started?

Some operating systems do not allow programs to communicate directly with the printer. Instead, many operating systems use a "go-between" program (such as Print Manager in Windows) that collects each print job and holds it until it signals that it is complete. It is only then that the "go-between" program releases the print job to the printer. This is why, for example, when you print a large document in Word, it is not actually sent to the printer until Word, working with the Print Manager, has completed the spooling process.

The main advantage with "go-between" programs such as Print Manager, is that they allow you to continue working while your print job is printing. In comparison, with the old print system, you had to wait until the last page came out of the printer before continuing with any other work. A disadvantage, however, is that application software cannot treat forms printing in the same manner as printing directly to the printer. For example, you are not able to see the print job as it comes out, pause the printer, or shift the page on the platen. To print an alignment pattern before the main print job requires treating it as a separate print job. This means that the application software has to "close" the printer after each alignment pattern and wait for the user to tell it to continue, at which time the software "opens" the printer again and continues.

During form printing, you can print an alignment pattern by selecting the ALIGN option. The ALIGN option must be followed by selecting the SPOOL option. This releases the alignment pattern from the spool file to the printer. The printed pattern can then be inspected before the continuous form-printing process is started.

The SPOOL option does not have to be used when the software can print directly to the printer. The need to select the SPOOL option is determined by the way the operating system handles print jobs.

For more information, see Form Printing Defaults.

 

 How do I restore a custom form that is accidentally deleted?

Character-based forms (nongraphical forms) are stored in the system forms file MAS90\SOA\SY0FRM.SOA. If you lose a custom form by accidentally using the Reset feature within the Form feature or by using the Delete feature in the form printing program when only one form code exists, restore the SY0FRM.SOA file from the most recent backup.

For more information, see Form Printing Defaults.

 

Alignment

 

 My checks are all out of alignment by exactly the same amount. How do I correct this?

The Top Margin field in the Forms Customization window can be used to adjust consistent alignment issues. If a Windows printer is being selected, or if a Windows printer device is being used in Device Configurator, the Top Margin field setting is available by clicking Form from any form printing window. If your form is printing too high, increase the top margin to a higher number. If your form is printing too low, decrease the top margin. Do not use a number that is too large for your Top Margin field setting. It only takes a setting of 167 to make the difference of a full line. If you need a number larger than 167, adjust the Details section of your form and change the lines on which the data is printed. For more information, see Forms Customization - Fields.

 

 The first page prints correctly, but subsequent pages gradually move up or down a fraction of a line, one line or more, or all pages print with the same amount of error. How do I avoid this "form creeping"?

 

If you are using a Windows Page Printer

If the form length is set correctly, adjust the value in the Top Margin field in Forms Customization slightly higher or lower to correct the creeping.

For example, if Accounts Payable laser checks are creeping down from the second page when Windows is printing to a laser printer and the form length is set to 63, adjust the Top Margin field setting to 250 or less, so that it prints higher on the page.

For more information, see Forms Customization - Fields.

If you are using a DOS Printer

Click Modes in Device Configurator and adjust the PTON mode value according to your printer's instruction manual settings. It is not necessary to adjust the top margin in Device Configurator when printing in DOS to 8.5- x 11-inch forms.

 

Blank Pages

 

 A blank page is produced before any print job. A blank page occurs when previewing. How do I fix this?

Adjust the spool settings by selecting the "Start printing after last page is spooled" check box in the Spool Settings dialog box.

 

 A blank page is produced after any print job when printing from a module running in graphical mode. How do I fix this?

This usually has to do with the type of Windows driver that was selected for the printer. For example, if you have an HP 4000 and installed the PCL 6 driver, a blank page will likely be produced at the end of every print job. As is true with many printer drivers, you must completely uninstall the driver using the Uninstall option and selectively reinstall the PCL 5 driver.

Another example is with HP6P/6MP printers. By performing a "typical installation," three drivers are installed: PostScript, Enhanced, and Standard. The Enhanced driver uses PCL 6 and the Standard driver uses PCL 5. Using the Enhanced driver may produce a blank page at the end of every job.

 

Dot-Matrix Printers

 

 When printing forms to dot-matrix printers, data is "dropping" when using a Windows Printer. How do I avoid this problem?

Set the Top Margin field to 001 in Forms Customization in the module from which the form is being printed. For more information, see Forms Customization - Fields.

 

 Why does my dot-matrix printer print much slower in Sage 100?

Sage 100 makes use of TrueType fonts on Windows printers. TrueType fonts print somewhat slower than the printer's native font, but are able to use the correct font size for the paper being used. To bypass the TrueType fonts and use your printer's native fonts for faster printing, select a native font for your printer in the Printer Preferences window.

Dot matrix templates are also available for the following forms:

• Accounts Receivable Invoice Printing

• Accounts Receivable Statement Printing

• Accounts Payable Check Printing

• Accounts Payable Form 1099 Printing

• Bill of Materials Picking Sheet Printing

• Purchase Order Printing

• Purchase Order Return Order Printing

• Return Merchandise Authorization Customer RMA Printing

• Return Merchandise Authorization RMA Receiver Printing

• Sales Order Packing List Printing

• Sales Order Invoice Printing

• Sales Order Picking Sheet Printing

• Sales Order Printing

You can customize the dot matrix template to use the draft or high-speed draft font appropriate to your printer to increase the printing speed. For more information, see Customize Dot Matrix Form Template.

 

Missing Information

 

 Random lines are not printing on character forms, such as Payroll checks. This usually occurs in Check Printing when using a dot-matrix printer.

To correct the issue of missing information on a form, click Form in the form printing window to open the Forms Customization window. In the Forms Customization window, type 001 in the Top Margin field.

• If you are using a graphical user interface (GUI) and Device Configurator, changing the Top Margin field is necessary, and does not adversely affect the form.

• If you are using a Device Configurator printer that is not a Windows printer (such as PW) and running in a character user interface (CUI), the Top Margin field setting will not be visible. To change the top margin, you must first change to a Windows printer. After changing the top margin, you can then change back to your original printer.

• If you are using a GUI module and printing with a Windows printer (not through a Device Configurator selection), changing the Top Margin field setting changes the form. The form must be modified to compensate for this change.

For more information, see Forms Customization - Fields.

 

Large check runs or forms are dropping large sections or an entire page or more using a Physical Device set up in Device Configurator. How do I avoid this problem?

Select Windows Printer in the Device Type field in Device Configurator. If the printer buffer fills up when Physical Device is selected in Device Configurator, the print job will have incomplete output. For more information, see Device Configurator - Fields.

 

 The Memo (or other) icon is missing from forms where expected. What's wrong?

Check the appropriate Options window to make sure that the Allow Vendor/Customer Memo Inquiry from Data Entry or other appropriate check box is selected.  

 

Additional Troubleshooting

 

 How do I troubleshoot check printing problems?

If the first check feeds down too far before printing onto the first stub, either an incorrect printer driver is being selected or the printer's control panel defaults do not match the software printer defaults.

Note Use Windows printer drivers whenever possible.

1. Check the Driver Code field in Device Configurator . The most frequently used printer drivers in the software are the Epson FX Series and IBM Proprinter. If you are not sure which emulation (compatible printer driver) your printer uses, select Epson FX Series or IBM Proprinter. Also, make sure that the printer's emulation setting matches the printer driver being used. For example, most Okidata ML series dot-matrix printers can have the printer emulation set directly on the control panel of the printer for IBM, Epson, or Microline emulation. For more information, see Device Configurator - Fields.

2. Create a new device in Device Configurator, because its specialized settings may not be compatible with other printers. These printer control codes are not universal and may vary on a per-printer-model basis. The following information may not necessarily be applicable for every dot-matrix printer. Certain models have their own codes for controlling printer behavior.

If the driver code has been selected correctly but the issue still occurs, perform the following steps:

1. Click Modes in the Device Configurator window for the device being used. The Maintain Device Modes window appears.
   
   The Physical Device or Windows Printer Port device type must be selected in order for this option to be enabled. The Modes feature is not available with the Windows Printer device.

2. In the Maintain Device Modes window, click the Lookup button in the Mode field. The List Mode dialog box appears.

3. In the List Mode dialog box, select the PTON mode. If the PTON mode is not listed for your printer driver emulation, click the Search button in the Mode field on the Maintain Device Modes window to add this mode.

4. In the Maintain Device Modes window for PTON, add the following value in the Value field. For more information, see Maintain Device Modes - Fields.

1B401B321B4F1B432A

The following is an explanation of the PTON mode.

1B40 = Soft reset

1B32 = Use 6 lines/inch

1B4F = Set skip-over perforation to off

1B43xx = Set page length in lines; 2A in hexadecimal is 42 in decimal

Hexadecimal printer control codes in the PTON mode explanation shown above will be sent to the printer before processing the print job, and the codes will be processed in the order received. In this case, the codes are processed in the following order.

1. A reset command is sent to the printer.

2. The line height of 1/6 inch is set.

3. The top/bottom margins are cancelled.

4. The page length is set.

5. Perform steps 1 through 4 to add the device mode PTOFF with the value of 1B40. After the print job is processed, this setting causes a reset command to be sent to the printer to restore it to its hardware defaults.

 

 How do I troubleshoot other printing problems?

When printing to a local physically attached printer, you may encounter the following issues.

• Windows produces the following error message: There was an error writing to LPT1.

• The software produces a Printer Off-line message.

• A General Protection Fault/Invalid Page Fault occurs.

• There may be incomplete pages, extraneous form feeds, or the print jobs hang the Windows print spooler, requiring a reboot of the computer.

• Garbled, unreadable output is produced.

There are several possible causes to these situations. Some of the more common causes are described below.

 

 What are some other printing issues that can occur when printing to a local physically attached printer?

 

 Possible resolutions with a suspected bidirectional printing issue.

The most common cause is use of the wrong printer cable. During the setup of some printer drivers, bidirectional communication is tested. Either replace the cable or disable bidirectional support for this printer in Windows Control Panel > Printers and Faxes.

 

 Use of HP Printing System Software/Toolbox Software

Most new HP LaserJet and DeskJet printer driver installations will install more than just the driver.

• With the default driver installation, multiple types of drivers can be installed, such as PCL, host-based, and PostScript drivers. With PCL drivers, you may see multiple levels listed.

• Whenever there is a choice between PCL and host-based, select PCL.

• If there is a choice between different types of PCL drivers, select the lowest driver. For example, if there is a choice between PCL 6 and PCL 5, select PCL 5.

• If there is a choice between Enhanced versus Standard, select Standard.

• Additional features can be selected. This is known as the HP printing system software.

• One of the common components of the printing system software is the Status Monitor. This is frequently used in conjunction with host-based drivers and bidirectional printers to display the progress of a print job on the screen while it is printing.

• Another common component is the HP Toolbox software. The Toolbox may also provide the status monitor software. It is used to provide printer services, such as aligning and cleaning the print cartridge, and provide printer troubleshooting information.

• Some printers that are strictly host-based require that the Toolbox software be loaded. If there is a choice, as with printers that support both host-based and PCL printing methods, host-based printers generally should not be selected because they tend to cause "Invalid Page Fault" and "There was an error writing to LPT1" types of errors.

• If you are in a situation where the wrong printer drivers are loaded and/or the printing system software is loaded, you must uninstall the driver by selecting Programs from the Windows Start menu, selecting the HP program group, and selecting the Uninstall option. Uninstall every component, then reinstall with a "custom install" specifically selecting the optimal drivers; do not install additional options.

 

 Use of an HP 4000 or HP 5000 Printer

You must completely uninstall the printer driver and all the printing system software components by selecting Windows Start menu > Programs, selecting the HP program group, and selecting the Uninstall option. After this process is completed, you must reinstall the driver.

When reinstalling the driver, select Custom Installation (not Typical Installation). Select the PCL5e driver. Do not select PCL6 or PostScript for use with the software. Do not select the Toolbox monitoring software.

 

 I receive a "ProvideX Printer Allocation - cannot open document" message when printing a form. Why?

The form may have been assigned to a printer that is no longer valid on your system. This may occur when printers are removed, renamed, or if you change the network print server. To correct the issue, change the default printer for this form. If you are unable to change the default printer for this form, edit the MAS90XXX.INI file in the MAS90\HOME folder (where XXX is your workstation ID number). This file is divided into sections for printers and forms. When you find the form section for the form that you are printing, change the printer references to use the correct device name.

 

 My print jobs are not compressed when they are supposed to be, and are compressed when they are not supposed to be. Why?

If you are printing to a Windows printer driver, make sure you are using the correct emulation mode. Many printers can emulate different printers. Make sure your Windows driver matches the emulation mode for which the printer is set.

If you are printing to Device Configurator printers, and have just upgraded your software, delete the device in question and re-create it in exactly the same way. If it still does not work, click Modes in the Device Configurator window and add the LF mode. Enter the following value: 0D0A (0 is zero).