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Q242483: FIX: Error 486 or 482 Occurs When Using PrintForm

Article: Q242483
Product(s): Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows
Version(s): 6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbprint kbCmnDlgPage kbCmnDlgPrint kbPrinting kbVBp kbVBp600bug kbOSWin95 kbOSWin98 kbG
Last Modified: 11-SEP-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows, version 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, version 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows, version 6.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

Using code that calls the PrintForm method can cause one or more of the
following errors after you change a page level setting (for example,
Orientation) or you try to print text to the same page:

  Run-time error '482': Printer Error

  Run-time error '486': Can't print form image to this type of printer

  Printer Error

Running under Microsoft Windows NT or Windows 2000, the initial call to PrintForm
after changing settings works but subsequent attempts fail. Running under
Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me, code that makes even a single call to the
PrintForm method after changing Orientation or any other page level setting
fails with one or more of the preceding errors.

RESOLUTION
==========

You can circumvent this problem by not using PrintForm and instead employing
WIN32 API code. See the References section below for descriptions of these
methods.

Running under Windows NT or Windows 2000:

- Calling the EndDoc method after the call to PrintForm fixes the problem.

Running under Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me:

- Calling the EndDoc method before the call to PrintForm skirts the problem but
  any settings made to the Printer object are lost. This means that PrintForm
  uses the settings of the current default printer. This was the behavior prior
  to Visual Basic 6.0.

- Use the Common Dialog control to change page properties instead of direct
  assignments to the properties of the Printer object.

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the
beginning of this article. This bug was corrected in the latest service pack for
Visual Studio 6.0.

For additional information about Visual Studio service packs, click the article
numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q194022 INFO: Visual Studio 6.0 Service Packs, What, Where, Why

  Q194295 HOWTO: Tell That a Visual Studio Service Pack Is Installed

You can download the latest Visual Studio service pack from the following
Microsoft Web site:

  Visual Studio Product Updates
  (http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/downloads/updates.asp)

MORE INFORMATION
================

Prior to Visual Basic 6.0, the PrintForm method was completely self contained
and ignored any settings made to the Printer object. This was because the
Printer object and the PrintForm method each used its own Device Context (DC)
for the current printer. Each had its own printer settings that did not affect
any other DC. This also meant that PrintForm would end the current print job,
start its own job, and end it when finished.

In order to give developers the ability to control printer settings for PrintForm
and to allow the printing of text on the same pages with the form image,
PrintForm was changed to use the DC of the Printer object. Thus, now you can
change printer settings and your call to PrintForm uses them. However, when
attempting this under Windows 95 or Windows 98, or when this is done multiple
times within a print job under Windows NT or Windows 2000, the errors listed in
the Symptoms section can occur. You can get around this problem by replacing
PrintForm with WIN32 API code (see References below) or by using the EndDoc
method, which ends the print job and allows a new job to start. Also, under
Windows 95 and Windows 98, you can use the printer Common Dialog instead of
direct assignments to Printer.Orientation. While using EndDoc allows you to
print text in the same code that uses PrintForm, you still cannot put the form
image and text on the same page. However, you can print text and your form image
on the same page using API calls.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior
---------------------------

1. Create a new Standard EXE project. Form1 is created by default.

2. Add the following to the module of Form1:

  Private Sub Form_Click()
      Printer.Orientation = vbPRORPortrait
      PrintForm
      Printer.Orientation = vbPRORLandscape
      PrintForm
  End Sub

3. Run the project and click on the form. The error(s) occur. If you are running
  under Windows 95 or Windows 98, this occurs on the first PrintForm call. The
  errors occur on the second call when you are running Windows NT or Windows
  2000.

WorkArounds
-----------

WINDOWS NT AND WINDOWS 2000

1. Continue with the project created in the preceding steps and add calls to the
  EndDoc method after each call to PrintForm, so that your code appears as
  follows:

  Private Sub Form_Click()
      Printer.Orientation = vbPRORPortrait
      PrintForm
      Printer.EndDoc
      Printer.Orientation = vbPRORLandscape
      PrintForm
  End Sub

2. Run the project and click on the form. Your form should print on two pages,
  once in portrait and once in landscape.

WINDOWS 95, WINDOWS 98, OR WINDOWS ME

- Continue with the original project created previously and add calls to the
  EndDoc method before each call to PrintForm, so that your code appears as
  follows:

  Private Sub Form_Click()
      Printer.Orientation = vbPRORPortrait
      Printer.EndDoc
      PrintForm
      Printer.Orientation = vbPRORLandscape
      Printer.EndDoc
      PrintForm
  End Sub

  Run the project and click on the form. Your form should print on two pages,
  but each time it just uses the default orientation for the current printer.

  -or-

- Continue with the original project created above and add calls to the Common
  Dialog control to change page settings instead of using direct assignments,
  so that your code appears as follows:

  Private Sub Form_Click()
      CommonDialog1.ShowPrinter ' set to Landscape
      PrintForm
      CommonDialog1.ShowPrinter ' set to Portrait
      PrintForm
  End Sub

  1. From the Project menu, choose Components and then select Microsoft Common
     Dialog Control 6.0. Click OK.

  2. Add a CommonDialog control to Form1.

  3. Run the project and click on the form. You are prompted twice with a
     printer dialog. Select a different orientation each time. Your form should
     print on two pages, once in landscape and once in portrait.

REFERENCES
==========

For additional information on WIN32 API alternatives to using PrintForm, click
the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q161299 HOWTO: Capture and Print the Screen, a Form, or any Window

  Q178076 HOWTO: Use a PictureBox to Control Orientation Printing a Form

  Q230502 HOWTO: Print a Form That is Too Large for the Screen or Page

For additional information on using the Printer Common Dialog, click the article
number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q198712 PRB: CommonDialog Changes System Wide Printer Properties

For additional information on an alternative way to change Orientation when using
PrintForm, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:

  Q198901 Sample: PageSet.exe Programmatically Changes Default Printer

Additional query words: sp4

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbprint kbCmnDlgPage kbCmnDlgPrint kbPrinting kbVBp kbVBp600bug kbOSWin95 kbOSWin98 kbGrpDSVB kbDSupport kbVS600sp4fix kbOSWinME kbVS600sp5fix 
Technology        : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword6 kbZNotKeyword2 kbVB600Search kbVB600
Version           : :6.0
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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