Printer FAQ .us



Printer Frequently Asked Questions (MICR Printer Edition)

Last Updated February 13, 2006

For help with the actual Source Technologies driver installation and settings configuration, please refer to the “How to Install the MICR Food Instrument Printer” document found in the DOC subdirectory of the distribution.

Table of Questions

What are the steps for setting up the Source Technologies MICR printer? 2

Which driver should I use for the Source Technologies printers? 2

The Source Technologies printer driver seems to be giving me trouble. Are there other compatible drivers I may use? 2

How do I manually install the driver on a computer? 3

I am using a network print queue. Where can I find the correct printer name for TWIST? 3

Why do other documents occasionally print on my FIs for no apparent reason? 4

Do I need to give my printers the exact same name on all my Windows workstations? 4

Which printer should I set to be the default on my workstation? 5

What is the “System Identifier”? 5

I just relocated my clinic and the printer stopped working 5

I cannot figure out why the printer is not being found. What can I do? 5

Why can’t I type in the full System Identifier? 6

The Test Print button is not printing to the printer I have highlighted 6

FI Alignment seems to be off. How can I fix that? 7

What are the buttons on each printer? 10

How do I print a printer-level test page? 11

Document History 11

What are the steps for setting up the Source Technologies MICR printer?

A: On the print server, if any:

1. Install the printer driver and configure the DPI and Raster settings (see install doc).

On each computer that will either print FIs or place them on the Queue:

1. Install the printer driver (see install doc).

For each user’s profile on each computer that will either print FIs or place them on the Queue:

1. Configure the DPI and Raster settings (see install doc). Please remember this is needed for each user that will print FIs. It is technically not required if they only place FIs on the Queue, but it may be good to set them up properly just in case. The DPI and Raster settings prevent the additional “smiley face” page from printing after each print job.

One time in FamilyNet:

1. Configure the printer name and System Identifier so TWIST can find it.

Which driver should I use for the Source Technologies printers?

A: A driver disc should have come with each printer. We have learned that any driver for the three Source Technologies printers (9410, 9420, and 9340) should work interchangeably for any of the three printers. We have the most experience with the 9410 driver.

The Source Technologies printer driver seems to be giving me trouble. Are there other compatible drivers I may use?

A: Yes, according to Source Technologies, these are compatible printer drivers that may be used. I am not sure if these are interchangeable among models.

Source Technologies ST-9410 --> Lexmark E332

Source Technologies ST-9420 --> Lexmark T430

Source Technologies ST-9340 --> Lexmark T632

 

These drivers are not built into Windows 2000's driver library. They are available on in the 'Drivers and Downloads' section for 'Monochrome Laser' printers.

Additionally, it may be possible to use a PCL-5 level driver like that for a HP LaserJet 4. The difficulty may be getting the Raster and DPI 600 settings into that driver.

How do I manually install the driver on a computer?

A: This is the driver file available from the familynet-app.hr.state.or.us web site under the link called “Download the ST9410 Printer driver”.

Here are the steps:

1. Unzip the file to a directory by itself, such as C:\DRIVER.

2. Open the Printers folder (in Windows 2000, click Start, Settings, Printers).

3. Double-click the Add Printer icon.

4. In the Add Printer wizard, respond to the prompts for the local versus network printer settings according to your configuration.

5. When you reach the Manufacturer/Model screen, press the Have Disk button and browse to the directory where you unzipped the files in step 1.

6. Choose “Source Technologies (PCL)” from the Manufacturer and “Source Technologies ST-9410” should appear on the right. Select it and click Next.

7. Complete the selections in the Add Printer wizard.

I am using a network print queue. Where can I find the correct printer name for TWIST?

A: There are three options, of which the final one is best for people using Citrix to run FamilyNet.

Check the port on the Ports tab of the Printer’s properties. This will reveal the full System Identifier path. Please note that the column may need to be resized to see the full path.

The AnalyzeFIOutput.exe program which is copied to your local FamilyNet directory. This is not normally available from within Citrix. When you run the program and click List/Refresh, it will show the printers in exactly the right syntax. Here we see that “Source Technologies ST-9410” is the way this computer sees the MICR printer.

Printer list updated 10:27:36

From "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PrinterPorts"

and "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Devices"

PDF995 --> winspool,Ne00:

Source Technologies ST-9410 --> winspool,Ne01:

* HP LaserJet 4050 --> winspool,Ne02:

\\DHR-TREE\psob2-ns2-1160-q90 --> winspool,Ne03:

Hold down the Control and Alt keys as you print test FIs and a special debugging window will come up. See the later question describing this feature.

In all cases, the trailing device information such as “,WINSPOOL,NE01:” is optional. In addition, you may specify more than one name to support a printer shared from a workstation that has both a network printer name and a local printer name. Separate the names with semi-colons. (Continued on next page…)

Within Citrix, printer names get reformatted with a prefix showing the string “Client\machine_name#\” and then the name of the printer. You will not need to enter this prefix portion.

Why do other documents occasionally print on my FIs for no apparent reason?

A: The main reason that other documents print on FI stock is because the default printer on someone’s workstation is set to the MICR printer. The default printer should never be the FI printer; otherwise all sorts of documents will print to the FI printer (for example, if a user presses the Print toolbar button in MS Word it will print that document to the default printer.)

The user or network technician logs in and sets the default printer to the LaserJet for a given login, but as soon as someone else logs in it’s incorrectly set to the MICR printer again. Under certain network configurations, the printer default needs to be set for each login on each workstation. When a new user logs in to a workstation, it’s a good idea to verify that the default printer is set to something other than the MICR printer.

If you want to verify the default printer in Windows 2000:

1. Open the Printers folder by going to the Start menu, going to Settings, and selecting Printers

2. The printer with the black (mark is the current default printer. If this is incorrectly set to the MICR printer, then right-click the LaserJet and select “Set As Default Printer”

Do I need to give my printers the exact same name on all my Windows workstations?

A: The TWIST software needs to know the name of the printer the user is using to print FIs. More than one name may be entered into the System Identifier field by separating them with semicolons, and this is especially useful for printers shared from a workstation. For example, the System Identifier might be:

Source Technologies ST-9410;\\COUNTY12\Source Technologies ST-9410

TWIST cycles through all of the printers defined on this workstation looking for the name in the System Identifier. It uses the first match it finds. To avoid entering a bunch of printer names, it is best to standardize on the fewest number of variations.

The printers are defined in the Food Instruments module ( Tables ( Food Instruments ( Food Instrument Printers window.

Which printer should I set to be the default on my workstation?

A: The LaserJet should be set to the default, not the MICR printer. Reports and certain other kinds of print jobs will print to the default printer (imagine a report printing on FIs!).

What is the “System Identifier”?

A: The System Identifier is a fancy name for the printer name as it appears in the Printers folder. Occasionally, it can also refer to a network print queue name (see other questions relating to choosing the workstation print queue versus the network print queue).

You may specify more than one System Identifier by separating them with semicolons. This supports a local printer name and a network printer name when one workstation in a set acts as the printer server by having the printer connected to it and sharing.

In TWIST, this is set from the Food Instruments module ( Tables ( Food Instruments ( Food Instrument Printers menu choices.

I just relocated my clinic and the printer stopped working

A: Please refer to the section “What to consider when relocating a clinic,” part of the “How to install TWIST” document found in the distribution’s DOC subdirectory. It may be caused by a change in the System Identifier for the printer.

I cannot figure out why the printer is not being found. What can I do?

A: FamilyNet includes an interactive debugging screen for troubleshooting FI printer problems as the printing occurs.

When you do the final step to print the FIs in TWIST, hold down the Control and Shift keys. A special runtime information screen will appear. This shows the system looking through all of the defined printers on the system for a match against the System Identifier list in TWIST. It may show a slight misspelling that prevents it from matching. When this window appears, the contents of it are also on the clipboard, making it possible to paste it into Notepad and pull out the printer name to save typing.

This happens to be an example for the old Lexmark printers, but the same thing applies to the MICR printers. The important thing is whether the Source Technologies printer in section 4 is properly spelled in section 1, which represents what is entered into the MICR FI printer table of TWIST.

(Image on next page…)

[pic]

Why can’t I type in the full System Identifier?

A: This is a known problem. The System Identifier is currently limited to the space you see on the screen. You may try typing the text in lowercase to fit more in or call us and we can set the value needed in the table directly where we can put in as much text as needed.

The Test Print button is not printing to the printer I have highlighted

A: This window currently behaves like the rest of the system, which can be confusing at first. The FamilyNet default printer is set once each session when you first try to print to the FI Printer. If only one printer is defined, the system will choose that one without asking.

For test printing, this means you will only be asked to choose the printer the first time, regardless of which one is highlighted at the time.

To change the default after it has been set, use the Food Instrument module’s FI Printing ( Set Default Printer menu choice.

FI Alignment seems to be off. How can I fix that?

A: If you send a Test FI to the State WIC Office, it can be checked against a template. Please write something on the test page to identify the printer, such as the agency and System Identifier.

The alignment of the text on the page is referred to as printer registration.

There are ways to see if the FIs are aligned properly without sending a sample to the State. The position of the third FI on the page may vary, but the first two vouchers on the page should pass these visual tests:

1. The words for the fields “First Day to Use” and “Last Day to Use” should be lined up perfectly with the top of the white box on the form (the text is just inside the box). These are not the dates themselves, but the words above the dates that should be flush with the top of the white box so that the top line of the “F” is right on the line.

2. The labels “FI Type” and “Pay to the order of” should appear exactly halfway into their corresponding white boxes vertically, such that the top half of “FI Type” is blue and the bottom half is white.

3. Each row of foods (the long string of X characters) should be snug against the white “Pay to the order of” and signature boxes.

Work to get the top voucher aligned by using the Top margin settings first. Then, work to get the second one aligned by adjusting the Bottom margin setting, which will stretch or shrink the overall image to achieve alignment. By working to adjust each separately, you avoid problems where changing both values can cause so much change it is hard to track.

Here is a close-up picture showing the detail of one Food Instrument:

[pic]

Follow these steps to adjust the printer, depending on the model.

ST-9410

This involves sending a PCL (Printer Control Language) command file directly to the printer to initiate a test page and then other files to adjust the alignment. We have a program called registration.exe that is used to simplify this task. We need a program for the ST-9410 because it does not have a display on the printer.

The program registration.exe is copied to your local FamilyNet3 directory in distributions after the initial February 6, 2006 release. If you find you do not have the program in your local FamilyNet3 directory, it can be downloaded from the familynet-app.hr.state.or.us web site using the “Registration Utility” link. Copy it to your local FamilyNet3 directory and run it to get the following screen:

[pic]

This utility may work for the other printer models (ST-9420 and ST-9340), but it has not been tested. The nice thing about this method is that it does not require powering the printer off to get into the mode to change the margins.

1. If the correct printer is not shown in the “Current Printer” area of the window, click the drop-down and select it. The ST-9410 printer needs to be attached to the computer and powered on for this program to work. If the printer does not show, the driver is not loaded on this computer.

2. Press the Print Only button to print a test page. This will show the current margin values in the “Margin Settings” portion of the printout. The current margin settings do not automatically fill into the window, so you must enter those as a starting point using the information on the test print.

There are dotted triangles on each of the four sides of the page. At the very tip of the triangle is a short line. Our experience has shown that if all lines are on the very edge of the page, the rest of the FIs will line up. Please note that the third FI may have some variations, but #1 and #2 on the page should be in the same position.

3. Enter numbers or use the spinners (up and down arrows next to each value) to set the margins.

T: is for the Top Margin, bigger moves text down the page

B: is for the Bottom Margin, bigger stretches text down the page

L: is for the Left Margin, bigger moves text to the right

R: is for the Right Margin, bigger moves stretches text to the left of the page

Each number change in either direction will either show or hide an additional notch of the dotted triangle. It is easiest to set the top and left margins and then adjust the bottom and right margins in another round because the Top and Left settings affect the Bottom and Right alignment.

For example, the top triangle is missing two dots. Increase T by 2.

Or, the left triangle is two notches into the page. Decrease L by 2.

Or, the bottom triangle is off the page by three notches. Decrease B by 3.

4. Press the Set and Print button to save the settings. This will also print another test page for comparing the triangles. Wait for the test page to finish printing.

5. If you need more adjustments, return to step 3.

6. Do another FamilyNet Test Print to check alignment.

7. Repeat these steps as needed.

ST-9420 and ST-9340

1. Make sure the printer is turned off.

2. Hold down the GO and RETURN buttons and turn the printer on. Hold those buttons until the word “REGISTRATION” appears in the display.

3. Press the SELECT button to pull up a screen on the display showing four values.

4. Press the GO button to print a test page. This will show the current margin values in the “Margin Settings” portion of the printout.

There are dotted triangles on each of the four sides of the page. At the very tip of the triangle is a short line. Our experience has shown that if all four lines are on the very edge of the page, the rest of the FIs will line up. Please note that the third FI may have some variations, but #1 and #2 on the page should be the same positioning.

5. Press SELECT to cycle through the choices until you get to the ones you want to change.

T: is for the Top Margin, bigger moves text down the page

B: is for the Bottom Margin, bigger stretches text down the page

L: is for the Left Margin, bigger moves text to the right

R: is for the Right Margin, bigger moves stretches text to the left of the page

6. Use the Left and Right arrow buttons on the panel to change the number. Each time you change a number by one in either direction and reprint, it will either show or hide an additional notch of the dotted triangle. It is easiest to set the top and left margins and then adjust the bottom and right margins in another round because the Top and Left settings affect the Bottom and Right alignment.

For example, the top triangle is missing two dots. Increase T by 2.

Or, the left triangle is two notches into the page. Decrease L by 2.

Or, the bottom triangle is off the page by three notches. Decrease B by 3.

7. Press the GO button to save the settings. This will also print another test page for comparing the triangles. Wait for the test page to finish printing.

8. If you need more adjustments, return to step 5.

9. Press the RETURN button to pull up the menu, showing “REGISTRATION”.

10. Press the LEFT ARROW and an “EXIT DIAGNOSTICS” choice should appear.

11. Press the SELECT button again and a message should appear that it is “RESETTING PRINTER”.

12. Do another FamilyNet Test Print to check alignment. We have found that after the printer is powered off the first time, your computer may not print the FamilyNet test page until you exit the FamilyNet application.

13. Repeat these steps as needed.

14. After the alignment is set, reboot the workstations to resume normal printing without the need for exiting the application to get the page to print.

What are the buttons on each printer?

A: ST-9410 ST-9420 and ST-9340

|[pic] |[pic] |

How do I print a printer-level test page?

A: ST-9410

Press the CONTINUE ([pic]) button and release it. Holding it down will cancel the test page.

ST-9420 and ST-9340

Press the RIGHT ARROW button three times to get to the Utilities menu and press the SELECT ([pic]) button. Make sure the window reads, Print Menus and press the SELECT ([pic]) button. Make sure the display reads, and press the SELECT ([pic]) button. A test page will print and return to Ready.

The test print page shows a variety of printer settings.

Document History

|Date |Changes |

|January 27, 2006 |Took out dot-matrix portions no longer needed. |

|February 3, 2006 |Added alignment (registration) information. It was added after the distribution was put together today. |

|February 7, 2006 |Updated alignment steps and added panel pictures. |

|February 8, 2006 |Added information about using the new Registration.exe program. |

|February 13, 2006 |Corrected information about how to get a test page from the 9340 and 9420. |

-----------------------

3. Xs line up flush with box

1. Labels at very top of box

2. Top line halfway into box

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download