Troubleshooting Printing Problems in Tabs3 and PracticeMaster Software

Last reviewed: 01/26/2012
Article ID: R10820

The information in this article applies to:

Summary

This article discusses common causes and resolutions for problems that may occur when printing from any Tabs3 or PracticeMaster program.

Changing the Zoom Options in the Preview Window Has No Apparent Effect.

Using a TrueType or OpenType font will eliminate these problems.

When printing APS or TAS checks, the right side wraps to the next line.

In Version 16, the spelled out check amount does not wrap to the next line, but will shrink to fit instead. Prior to Version 16, this can be caused by selecting the Advanced Printing Features option labeled Allow Variable Font Sizes and Styles. Each operating system/printer/ font combination produces unique results; therefore, the best solution to this situation is attained by trial and error. Try adjusting the actual font size OR clearing the Allow Variable Font Sizes and Styles check box in the Advanced Printing Features.

Note::  If using a dot matrix printer, be sure that you are using a printer font. If you are using a printer font, try specifying a smaller font size. Information regarding printer fonts can be found in Help in the Fonts Overview topic.

It may be desirable to set up a special Windows printer for a particular type of print job such as statements, 1099 forms, checks, labels, saving to file, etc. This allows each printer to have its own configuration including margins, fonts, paper orientation, paper size, paper source, etc. Windows allows you to set up multiple printers for the same printer driver on the same port. Additional information can be found in KB Article R10776, "How to Set Up Separate Printer Configurations for the Same Printer".

When saving reports to a file, the right side of certain fields is cut off.

When saving a report to a file, the right side of the report, such as the year in the date field, is being cut off.

To prevent this from happening, select File | Print Setup. Click Advanced Printing Features and select the Optimize for Print to File check box. With this check box selected, the software will make adjustments using character counts instead of font calculations, thus eliminating clipping problems encountered when saving to a file. You may want to consider setting up a special printer for saving reports to a file as discussed in KB Article R10776, "How to Set Up Separate Printer Configurations for the same Printer." Additional recommendations for printing reports to a disk file can be found in the Help provided with the software (keyword:  printers | configuring for print-to-file output).

Starting with Version 12, Tabs3 and PracticeMaster Software includes the DropBox feature, which lets you save reports and statements directly to the DropBox as PDF files. Files in the DropBox can then be printed, e-mailed, saved, as well as dragged or copied to another location.  Printing to DropBox can resolve many printing issues, including certain fields being cut off.  It is recommended that the Optimize for Print to File check box in Advanced Printing Features be cleared when printing to DropBox.

Note:  DropBox files are saved in a temporary folder that is cleared when DropBox is closed (i.e. when the last Tabs3/PracticeMaster software application is closed).  Make sure that any files that need to be retained are saved in a permanent location prior to closing the software.

Large Numbers are Truncated on Reports

When the Optimize for Print to File option in Advanced Printing Features is selected, numbers that are very large may be truncated on some reports.

To prevent this from happening, select File | Print Setup. Click Advanced Printing Features and clear the Optimize for Print to File check box. This will allow the software to make adjustments using font calculations, rather than using character counts. This is the best option when previewing or printing a report. The Optimize for Print to File option is commonly used only when selecting to print to File.

When printing statements, the Fee Date and Description fields print on separate lines.

This issue usually stems from one of two points. The font size in Printer Setup | Statement Setup | Normal Font, or having Fixed selected for the Statement Width in Printer Setup | Statement Setup | Statement Width. To correct the issue, either change the Statement Width from Manual to Automatic, or try decreasing the Normal Font size.

Reports/Checks/Statements are not printing properly or not printing at all

The following are some troubleshooting steps that can be taken if you are having problems with reports, checks or statements not printing properly or not printing at all.

Abnormal Report Termination or
Unable to connect to Accelerator

A report may display "Unable to Connect to Accelerator" or "* * * Abnormal Report Termination * * *". These messages indicate problems with the Report Accelerators. See KB Article R11182, "Tabs3 and PracticeMaster Accelerators". These message will only be reported in Tabs3 and PracticeMaster Client Server Version (CSV) programs.

Other Problems when printing from Windows

The following are some examples of miscellaneous printer, font and driver-related problems that may occur when printing from Windows. Recommended troubleshooting procedures are provided for each situation.

If you receive an "Out of memory" error:
Specify a font that is internal to your printer. A report printed on a printer with less than 512K memory may receive this error when a non-internal font is specified. If you change the printer font to an internal font that was included with the printer, the report should print successfully.
 
If the printed output is too wide for the page:
From the menu in the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster program, select File | Print Setup. If the Manual option is selected for the Font Selection Mode, select the Automatic option instead.
Note:  If you select an internal printer font that is non-scalable (i.e., the font size is shown in the font's description), the font will print using the specified point size regardless of the width of the report. Do not select a non-scalable font when using automatic font selection.
 
If the printed output is being clipped, overprinted or has other spacing issues:
From the menu in the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster program, select File | Print Setup | Advanced Printing Features. If the Font Size Adjustment % is set to anything besides 100%, then set it to 100%.
 
Random font sizes appearing on the report:
From the menu in the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster, select File | Print Setup. If the Manual option is selected for the Font Selection Mode, select the Automatic option instead. If you want to use manual font selection mode select a smaller font size and possibly a different font because proportional font can vary.
 
Gray text is too light to read:
From the menu in the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster program, select File | Print Setup | Advanced Printing Features. Increase the percentage of the Gray Text and Line Density by using the slider bar.

Gray shading is so dark that I can't read the text:
From the menu in the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster program, select File | Print Setup | Advanced Printing Features. Decrease the percentage of the Gray Shade Density by using the slider bar.

System will print short (one or two page) reports, but seems to freeze or stop responding when printing larger reports or multiple statements.
Changing the Spool Settings to "Print directly to Printer" can address this issue. Open the Control Panel on your computer (Start | Control Panel.) Open the Printers control panel (Note: In Windows 7, double click Devices and Printers. In Windows Vista, double click Printers. In Windows XP, double click Printers and Faxes), right click the printer you are using, and select Properties. Not all printers are the same; however, you should have Spool Settings options somewhere within your printer configuration. Increasing your Timeout Settings can also address these types of issues.

Note:: The Timeout Settings will not be available unless the printer is a local printer.
 
If your printer output contains "garbage":
Try printing from the Windows WordPad or Notepad applications. Open the application and type a few lines of text. Highlight the text and change the font so that it matches the Font, Size and Style you are trying to use in the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster application. Next, print the text using the same printer driver you are using in the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster application. If the text prints correctly in WordPad or Notepad, reports and statements should print correctly in Tabs3 and PracticeMaster applications. If the text does not print correctly, try another printer driver.
 
If you are printing on a dot matrix printer that is printing slowly:
Use the following steps to attempt to resolve the issue:
If you are having problems trying to print using TrueType fonts:
You may need to use Windows to change the printer's properties or options. Many Windows printer drivers have a special option for printing TrueType fonts as graphics. If this option is disabled, Windows will recognize the font size and font type specified (i.e., normal, italics, etc.), but will not recognize the actual font specified; instead it will use Courier as the default font. Many printer drivers have this option disabled by default because the printer prints faster when it is disabled.
 
General tips for troubleshooting printing problems:
The following are some general tips for troubleshooting printing problems. If none of the items listed above describes your situation, there are a few things you can do to try to resolve the problem:

Is the Printer Driver Damaged?

Tabs3 and PracticeMaster applications frequently query the printer driver for information needed when processing a report.  A damaged printer driver could cause an error or other unexpected results. For example, if you preview a print job and the preview looks good but the printed output is different than the preview, the most likely cause is a problem with the printer driver.

Remove and Reinstall the Printer

Note:  The following steps may require your Windows CD or the printer driver files supplied by the manufacturer of the printer. To remove and reinstall a printer driver, follow these steps:

  1. Exit all instances of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software.
  2. Open the Control Panel on your computer (Start | Control Panel).
  3. Open the Printers control panel. (Note: In Windows 7, double click Devices and Printers. In Windows Vista, double click Printers. In Windows XP, double click Printers and Faxes.)
  4. Right-click the printer that has the problem and click Delete.
  5. Click Yes to confirm the deletion. The following message may be displayed:  "Some files were used only for this printer and are no longer needed.  Would you like to delete these files now?"
  6. Click Yes.
  7. Click Add a Printer to run the Add Printer wizard.  Follow the instructions in the wizard to install the printer again, or follow the instructions that came with your printer.  Once the printer is installed, you may want to right-click its icon and click Set As Default Printer on the shortcut menu.

Printer Driver Downloads

The following table provides Internet addresses for various printer manufacturers. You can visit the Web site for your printer's manufacturer if you need to download the most current version of the printer driver software for your printer.

Manufacturer

Web Site Address

Brother

http://www.brother-usa.com/downloads/

Canon

http://www.usa.canon.com/html/download/index.html

Epson

http://www.epson.com
(Select your region and then click "Get Drivers & Support".)

Hewlett-Packardrd

http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/support.html

Lexmark

http://www.lexmark.com/US/support/drivers/

Oki Data

http://www.okidata.com/mkt/html/nf/Drivers.html

Panasonic

http://www.panasonic.com/business/office/support/downl_drivers_printers.asp

Ricoh

http://www.ricoh-usa.com/downloads/
(Read the software license agreement. If you agree, click OK. Then click the drop-down button below "Printers" and select your printer).

Samsung

http://www.samsung.com/Support/ProductSupport/Download/index.aspx

Xerox

http://www.support.xerox.com/support/enus.html

A more comprehensive list of printer manufacturers can be found in Microsoft's Knowledge Base Article 65416, "Hardware and Software Vendor Contact Information."

Postscript Versus Non-Postscript Printer Drivers

Most printer drivers use a common core file. The common core file that is used depends on whether you are using a non-Postscript driver or a Postscript driver. If you are using a non-Postscript (PCL) printer driver, then the common core file is called Unidrv.dll. This includes the Microsoft Fax and Generic/Text Only drivers. A Postscript driver uses a common core file called Pscript.drv. Therefore, if you are experiencing errors when printing and you are using a Postscript printer driver, it may be helpful to install a non-Postscript printer driver. Likewise, if you experience errors printing with a non-Postscript printer driver, it may be helpful to install a Postscript printer driver to troubleshoot errors when printing (provided your printer has Postscript capabilities).

Font on statements not printing correctly on every computer

When creating Statement Designer Layouts, you can choose any font installed on your computer. However, fonts selected must be installed on each computer that will be printing statements in order for statements to reflect the font. If this is not an option, print all statements from the computer where the statement designer template was created or, if the font is in the statement heading, create a bitmap image of the heading and use the bitmap in the statement designer template. For more information on bitmap files, visit KB Article R10168, "Bitmap Scanning Service."

References


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