Q129531: Windows NT Print Manager and Custom Form Limitations
Article: Q129531
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): 3.50
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s):
Last Modified: 08-AUG-2001
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
- Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
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SUMMARY
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Windows NT Print Manager does not allow you to choose a custom form, even though
the form's physical dimensions are less than or equal to the dimensions of the
largest predefined form that the device can use. For example, a print device may
support predefined letter-sized forms (8.5" by 11") but will not accept a
smaller custom form (such as 8.5" by 7"). This problem usually occurs when a
printer driver that defines the maximum custom page width or length at a value
smaller than the length or width of the largest predefined page size.
MORE INFORMATION
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Background
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There are three components to each printer driver: the base driver, the user
interface (UI) driver, and the characterization data file. The characterization
data file is a PPD file for PostScript devices, a PCD file for plotting devices,
or a minidriver for raster devices. It describes the physical characteristics of
one or more print devices (including the name, dimensions, and margins of each
predefined form that the print device supports), and the maximum and minimum
length and width of custom-defined forms. The forms database on a Windows NT
computer initially contains a wide variety of forms. When you install printer
drivers, the spooler checks the characterization data file and adds the driver's
forms to the Windows NT forms database.
In Windows NT, each form associates a name with a set of length and width
measurements, and margin measurements. For example, the Letter default form is
8.5" wide by 11" long, and has 0" margins. Only the form name must be unique.
Different print devices often recognize different names for the same physical
form dimensions, so the forms database often has several forms that have the
same dimensions, the same margins, or both.
When you run Print Manager and define a printer's form-to-tray mapping, or its
default form, Print Manager queries the driver for the physical sizes of the
forms the print device supports. Print Manager then displays a list including
every form in its database that has the same physical size as any of the forms
predefined in the driver. Consequently, these lists often show multiple forms
with identical sizes, such as Letter and Letter Small. Additionally, you can't
choose large page sizes such as Tabloid (11" by 17") on print devices that
cannot support such sizes.
Problem
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In some cases, the maximum length or width of a custom form is smaller than the
length or width of the print device's largest predefined form. For example, the
published specifications for the Epson LQ-870 ESC/P2 print device state that the
maximum physical page width is 10.1", and that the imagable width is only 8.0".
When using the Letter form, this print device enforces .5" of combined left and
right margins, so that applications will not attempt to print on more than 8.0"
of the page.
The Windows NT printer drivers for such print devices reflect these
specifications. For example, you could define a custom form 8.5" wide and 7.0"
tall with 0" combined right and left margins, but this would have an imagable
width of 8.5". Because this would conflict with the device's specification,
Print Manager will not let you use this form on this device. As a result, all
custom-sized forms that you want to use with this device under Windows NT must
have a physical width less than or equal to 8.0" even though the device supports
physical pages up to 10.1" wide.
NOTE: The Epson LQ-870 ESC/P2 described in this example is not necessarily the
only print device with which you can encounter this problem.
To identify these restrictions:
1. Run Windows NT Write.
2. Select a printer.
3. Select a predefined page size (such as Letter).
4. Select the Page Layout option from the Document menu, and enter 0" for all
margins.
5. Select OK.
If the print device does not allow 0" margins, Write returns an error message
showing the minimum required margins for this form and print device. For
example, if you select an Epson LQ-870 ESC/P2 printer, choose the Letter form,
and request 0" left and right margins, the error message reports that the
minimum left and right margins are each .25".
The maximum printable width is:
(physical width of Letter form) - (minimum left margin) - (minimum
right margin)
Using the Epson LQ-870 ESC/P2 as an example, the formula is 8.5 - .25 - .25,
which equals 8.0.
Additional query words: prodnt inch inches
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Keywords :
Technology : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT351search kbWinNT350search kbWinNT400search kbWinNTW350 kbWinNTW350search kbWinNTW351search kbWinNTW351 kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400 kbWinNTS351 kbWinNTS350 kbWinNTS351search kbWinNTS350search
Version : 3.50
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