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Printer Troubleshooting Helps And Hints
DocumentID: 604605
Revision Date: 29-Feb-96 1:30:37 PM

The information in this document applies to:
WordPerfect® 5.1 for DOS

Problem

Solutions: The operators in Laser Printers are committed to help the customer in an efficient and timely manner. They also desire to help other operators accomplish the same thing. To help operators, the Laser Printer 3 team members have created a Basic Printer Troubleshooting list. Use of this list prior to operators calling the Laser Printer Resource lines will greatly help us provide efficient resource for you.

Which version of WP, what kind of printer is it and is it turned on?
Find out the exact make and model of the printer. Determine if it is a standard laser printer or if it is a PostScript printer. Find out if the customer has turned the power to the printer on and if the printer is on-line and ready to print.

Has it ever printed correctly?
If it has printed correctly in the past, determine what is being done different if anything. Added new text or codes to the document? New printer? Different printer cable? Changed ports? Network changes? Updated program or printer files? Added new software? Moved computer?

Has the proper printer been selected and set up correctly in WP?
Press Shift-F7, S, 6 to make sure the customer has selected the correct printer. Or are they using an emulation. Is the emulation compatible? Press 3 for edit from the Print: Select Printer screen to check if the printer port is set up correctly.

Are there any messages in Control Printer?
Press Shift-F7, 4 for any messages that would give a clue as to what the problem might be. If the message line reads "Printer Not Accepting Data," the printer may not be turned on or may not be on-line. The cable may not be connected to the printer or computer firmly or the cable could be bad, or the correct printer port may not be selected. If the message line reads "File Not Found -- *.*," a soft font has been marked and WP cannot find the associated font file in the directory specified in the path for downloadable fonts in order to download it to the printer during the print job or printer initialization. If the location and action line reads "Manual Feed, Insert Paper Press "G" To Continue," WP is using the All Others paper definition, or the customer's paper definition has the "Prompt To Load" set to Yes.

Have you turned off both the printer and computer?
By turning the power off to the printer and computer, and then back on again, it gives the printer a chance to start with clear buffers and the computer a chance to start with newly opened files. If the customer is using downloadable soft fonts, they will need to reinitialize their printer (Shift- F7, 7) once the printer has been turned back on.

Can the problem be duplicated from a blank screen?
Try using the same features on a blank document screen to determine if a feature has not been used correctly or if the problem is document specific. If the feature works properly from a blank screen, check for extra or misplaced codes in the problem document. Be sure to check Reveal Codes (Alt- F3), Initial Codes (Shift-F8, 3, 2), and the Setup Initial Codes (Shift-F1, 4, 5). You may also want to try duplicating the problem on your computer to make sure features are being used correctly or to make sure there are no extra or misplaced codes.

Can it print from another computer application or from the DOS prompt?
If it can print from another computer application, determine which printer is selected and what printer port is being used. From the DOS prompt, the key strokes listed below will tell you if the printer is connected to the computer properly.

Standard Laser or Dot-Matrix                  PostScript Laser Printer
copy con (port being used)             copy con (port being used)
this is a test from DOS             showpage
(Ctrl,L)                               (Ctrl,D)
F6                                     F6

If printing to a standard laser or dot-matrix printer, a message should come to the computer screen indicating one file has been copied, and a page should print from the printer with whatever you typed on the second line of the above command. If printing to a PostScript laser printer you should also get a message on the computer screen indicating one file has been copied, and a blank page should be printed through the printer. If you receive an error message or nothing printing through the printer, the wrong printer port has been selected or there is a hardware communication problem between the computer and printer.

How does the document look in View Document?
As a general rule, if the document views correctly it should print correctly. If the document does not view correctly, it is possible a WP feature is not being used correctly. If the document views correctly but does not print correctly, generally there may be a problem with the printer. There may also be extra or misplaced codes in the document, or there may be a problem in the WP software or printer driver.

What are the program and printer driver release dates?
The program release date is found at the top right of the WP help screen (F3). The printer driver release date is found at the top left of the printer Helps and Hints screen (Shift-F7, S, 6). Many problems are isolated to certain release dates, and can be verified through Software Change Notices. WP program Software Change Notices are located in Folio. Printer driver Software Change Notices are located in RUN PRHELP. If the problem is documented as being fixed on a later release date, update the customer free of charge by using the QOE database.

Have you checked Folio?
Use the Folio database with key words referring to the problem that will allow you to access memos that may refer to the problem your customer is having. There are answered STRs, InfoFeeder entries, and Software Change Notices in Folio to provide answers or workarounds to reported customer problems.

This list is not all inclusive of printer troubleshooting. The reason for providing this list is to help direct you in your printer troubleshooting with the customer.

Answer:

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