If you had to adjust a printer switch to output your printer's status page, remember to put it back the way it was.
Troubleshooting Printing Problems |
If you are experiencing printing problems, use the following procedure to see whether your issue can be resolved. If you still experience difficulties in printing your documents, you can visit the BarTender online Support Center for training videos and technical support information.
1. Check Communication Settings
If you are using a RS-232 serial port, check your printer and Windows settings for baud rate, data bits, stop bits, and parity.
Do not assume that the default printer settings that are shown in your manual reflect your printer's actual settings. You must directly inspect either the mechanical switches (usually on the back of your printer) or the front panel menu settings before you can be sure about how your printer's communications settings are configured.
2. Double-Check Port Connections
Check that the cable is properly connected and attached to the correct port on your computer and that the Windows printer port settings accurately reflect the port to which the printer cable is attached.
3. Output Your Printer's Status Page
To check for mechanical problems with the printer, print out from the printer's control panel (not from a computer) some document or label that is built into the printer's memory. Such documents have different names, depending on the printer model. They are sometimes called status pages, sample labels, configurations, or configuration labels. Consult your printer manual for the exact steps. If you are unable to print such a test document or label, you may need to have your printer serviced before you can continue with the rest of this troubleshooting process.
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If you had to adjust a printer switch to output your printer's status page, remember to put it back the way it was. |
4. Turn Printer Off and On after Printer Configuration Changes and after Failed Print Jobs
Your printer may not have properly reset after the last failed print job or after the last time you made a change to a communication setting. Turn the printer off and leave it off for five seconds before turning it on again. When it turns on again, make sure that it completes its self-test procedure before you try to print again. No lights should be blinking on your printer. Some printers will display the word Ready or display a ready light, which is usually green.
5. Print a Test Page
For the first print job after you perform steps 1 through 4, use the printer driver's Print Test Page feature:
Click the Windows Start button.
Click Settings, and then click Printers. The Printers folder is displayed.
Right-click the printer whose settings you want to change, and then click Properties. The Properties dialog opens.
Click the Status tab.
Click the Print Test Page button.
If no item (not even a blank one) comes out and/or you get a printer communications error message, skip to step 9, "Test for a Possible Cabling Problem."
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7. Test the Printing of Graphics and TrueType Text
Add a very small graphic to the template and one letter of TrueType text (such as Arial or Times New Roman). This first letter test should be in a relatively small size, such as 12 points (pt).
If the TrueType text and graphic are not printed, you may need to upgrade the printer's firmware or memory. For more information, refer to your printer manual.
Increase the point size of your TrueType text and try printing an entire word or more in TrueType instead of just a single letter. If this works, then try to print all of the graphics that you need on your template.
If you are able to print small graphics but not larger ones, you may need to upgrade your printer memory. Contact your printer reseller for a printer memory upgrade. Symptoms of a memory shortage include:
All of the graphics are printed perfectly part of the way down the printed item and then are cut off cleanly across it.
The printer outputs incorrect data, corrupted graphic images, or nothing at all on the item. However, if you are using a serial port, these symptoms may indicate a flow control problem (see step 8).
8. Test for a Flow Control Problem
If you are using an RS-232 serial port and a print job stalls and/or generates a communication error message after some data has already been successfully transmitted to the printer, you may have a flow control problem.
Test for this by slowing down your printing speed. For example, if you had been printing at 9600 baud, try a test print job at the much slower rate of 1200 or even lower. (Make the identical change in the port settings for both Windows and your printer.)
If slowing down the baud rate made your problem go away or caused the problem to occur later in the print job, then you should adjust your flow control settings. Try switching from software (Xon/Xoff) to hardware flow control (or vice versa). Be sure that you are using a cable that will allow your printer to use hardware flow control. You may need to consult the printer's manual.
9. Test for a Possible Cabling Problem
If the Print Test Page operation fails and you are using a RS-232 serial port, you can test for a cabling problem by temporarily turning off flow control. To do this:
Verify that your printer's communication settings agree with those in your Windows port settings.
Verify that you are using a null modem cable rather than a straight-through RS-232 serial cable.
Change the Windows Flow Control settings for your RS-232 serial port to None. Then, turn your printer off for five seconds and back on again.
After your printer has finished its power-on self test, repeat the small print job.
If the print job is successful, you have confirmed that the cable is incompatible with the flow control (handshaking) system. Determine what is wrong with your cable. Correct it, and then switch back to either software (Xon/Xoff) or hardware flow control.
10. If You Still Cannot Print
If you still can't print, it is very likely that one or more of the following conditions is true:
A second hardware product is competing for an interrupt or I/O address with your communication port.
An advanced Windows setting is configured improperly.
The printer cable is attached to the wrong port of your computer.
The printer port in your computer or printer is malfunctioning.
The printer is off or offline.
The computer's communications port may be conflicting with some other hardware component in your computer.
You will have to rule out these conditions one by one to solve your problem.