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SOLUTIONS TO PRINT PROBLEMS

Click Here - If you have a USB or Network Printer and are having trouble printing.

Click Here - If you use one of our programs and it will not load and/or lists an error such as "Printer not found" or when you try and print you get an error message and get dumped out of the program.

Note: Most of the information below is based on Windows XP and 2000, but Windows 95/98/Me steps will be similar.

Also note that we highly recommend "Fineprint" which we have found solves almost all printing issues.  Our programs love to print through Fineprint.  Visit www.fineprint.com to download and try Fineprint.  It is a very affordable utility program and it makes the Windows print manager what it should be.  The first time you print through fineprint, select "bypass" and make sure your printer is the listed printer.

USB OR NETWORK PRINTER SOLUTION

In Windows
1) Close all programs
2) Click on "Start"
3a) "If Windows XP" Choose "Printers"
3b) "If Windows 2000" choose "Settings" then "Printers"
All of your printers should now be listed.
4) Do a "right mouse" click on your printers name
5) Choose "Properties" from the popup menu
6) Click on the "Ports" tab at the top
7) Write down the name of your USB port name
8) Click on the "Enable Printer Pooling" checkbox
Note: This should put a checkmark in that box.
9) Now scroll up or down through all of your listed ports
and click on the "LPT1" port to place a checkmark in it.
Note: You should now have 2 ports selected - USB & LPT1
10) Click on "Apply" and "Ok".
11) Restart your program and try printing.

In MapleSoft program
1) Startup program such as DayCare 2008
2) Go into "Company Setup"
3) Choose "More Settings"
4a) Make sure there is a "Y" in the Windows 2000/XP box
4b) Optionally - Make sure there is a "Y" in the "Prompt for printer"
Note: If 4a does not work, try adding the (4b) step
5) Click on the "Save button".
6) Close the program all the way down
7) Startup the program again and try printing.

Optional methods of resolving USB printer errors.

Assign the LPT1 port to your USB port
1) Close all programs
2) Click on the "Windows" - "Start" button
3) Choose "Run"
4) Type in "CMD" and press enter
Note: You should now be at what's called the "DOS" prompt,
which is a black and white screen.
Note: You will need to know the name of your USB port. Follow steps 1 through 7 above "In Windows" to get the USB port name. Your USB port name will be similiar to USB01PORT.  Step 5 below uses the example USB01PORT name. You will need to substitute your actual USB port name.
5) Type in: NET USE USB01PORT LPT1
6) Press the enter key.
7) Close the "CMD" window.
8) Try printing again.

Share printer method
PART 1
We need to determine the name of your computer
1) Click on "Start"
2) Click on "Control Panel"
3) Double Click on "System"
4) Click on the "Computer Name" tab
5) Write down your "Full Computer Name" that is listed in the middle of the screen.
6) Close the "System Properties" window.
PART 2
Share your printer and then add a new printer using the shared printer.
1) Close all programs
2) Click on "Start"
3a) "If Windows XP" Choose "Printers"
3b) "If Windows 2000" choose "Settings" then "Printers"
All of your printers should now be listed.
4) Do a "right mouse" click on your printers name
5) Choose "Sharing" from the popup menu
Note: You may need to click on the link "If you understand the security risks but want to share printers without running the wizard, click here"  to open the sharing dialog window. You would then need to click on "Just enable printer sharing" and then the "Ok" button.
6) Click on the "Share this printer" radio button
7) Type in the word "printer" for the share name
8) Click on "Apply" and "Ok"
Note: You should still have "Printers and Faxes" listed on screen. If not follow steps 1 through 3 again to list your printers.
9) Double click on "Add Printer"
10) Click on "Next"
11) Click on "A network printer, or a printer attached to another computer".
12) Click on "next"
13) Click on the "Connect to this printer (or to browse for a printer, select this options and click next): radio button. Note: Don't click "next" yet.
14) Now in the name field type in \\TheNameOfYourComputer\printer
Note: Replace the words "TheNameOfYourComputer" with the actual name of your computer. Leave the \\ and \ characters.
15) Now click on "Next"
Note:  If you receive an error message - check the spelling of your computer name and printer name.  Remember we gave your printer the shared name of "printer", the "name field" should have something like \\mycomputer\printer
16) Next you'll be asked if this should be your default printer - answer "Yes", unless your have Fineprint installed.
17) Click on "Next"
18) Click on "Finish".
19) When the Add printer dialog has finished - try printing again. Note if you are using "Fineprint" then you probably will want Fineprint to be your default printer, but make sure in Fineprint that you select your newly added printer as the desired printer.

Notes for network and computer administrators.
Try: Net Use LPT1: \\YourComputerName\PrinterShareName
Or: Net Use LPT1: \\YourComputerName\PrinterShareName /PERSISTENT:YES
 

PROGRAM WILL NOT LOAD OR CAUSES YOU TO BE DUMPED WHEN TRYING TO PRINT.

Click Here for Windows 98/98/Me to use alternative driver

Windows XP Steps to use alternative driver
1) Close everything
2) Click on the Windows "Start" button
3) Click on "Printers & Faxes"
Note: You may need to choose "switch to Classic"
Continue to step (4) below.

Windows 2000 Steps to use alternative driver
1) Click on the Windows "Start" button
2) Click on "Settings"
3) Click on "Printers"
Continue to step (4) below.

Steps Continue here for Windows XP and 2000
4) Double Click on "Add a printer"
5) Click on "Next" to the "Welcome printer wizard" screen.
6) Choose "Local Printer" and make sure that "automatically detect" 
is unchecked.
7) Click on "Next"
8) For the port, choose "LPT1" if your printer is hooked up with 
a parallel printer cable.  If your printer is hooked up using a 
"USB" port, then scroll down through the list of ports and choose 
the USB port listed for your current printer.  This assumes you 
already have your printer installed.
9) Click "Next".  
Note if you receive a message to use the "existing driver", then 
you want to choose "NO" - Instead continue on.
10) On the left side scroll down and locate your printer's 
manufacturer such as HP or Epson and click on it.
11) On the right side (under printers) scroll down and click on the 
model name/number of your printer such as HP Deskjet 980C or Epson 
Stylus 800.  Special Note:  Your exact printer model may not be 
listed.  That's ok - most of the time you can choose a fairly close 
model number for that printer serious and it will still work 
perfectly fine.  For example - if your printer is an Epson Stylus 
Color 900, you can choose the Epson Stylus 850 printer driver.  Or 
if your printer is an HP Deskjet 982, then you can choose the HP 
Deskjet 980 and it will still work fine.  This is because the 
drivers may actually be the same printer driver for a "serious of 
printers in that model range". If you can not find a close match, 
use the closest one that you can.  For example if you have an HP 
Deskjet 3845, you can try HP Deskjet or the HP Deskjet Color.  
Now of course not all drivers will work with all printers.  
Sometimes it is a guess.  "See additional notes below for picking 
drivers".
12) After you select your printer driver or the closest one, click 
on "Next".
13) Now enter a meaningful printer name such "HP DeskJet Compatible" 
and make sure it is checked for this new printer to be the default 
printer.
14) Click on "Next"
15) Sharing the printer is up to you - for this purpose you don't 
need to share the printer, so just click on "next".
16) When it ask to print a test page, answer "Yes" and click on 
"Next".
17) Click on "Finish".

"Picking Printer Driver Notes:" Sometimes it takes a little bit of 
experimenting by trying several different printer drivers until you 
get the right one.  If you choose the wrong driver and try to print, 
it most likely will print garbage characters out of your printer.  
If this happens, cancel your print job.  Take the paper out of the 
printer temporarily and turn it off  for about 10 seconds and turn 
it back on.  If it still continues to print out garbage, then you 
still need to cancel your print job or restart your computer to 
force the job to cancel.  Then try another printer driver until 
you get the right one. 

Windows 95/98/ME Steps to use alternative driver
1) Click on the Windows "Start" button
2) Click on "Settings"
3) Click on "Printers"
4) Double click on "Add Printer"
5) Click "Next"
6) Choose "Local Printer"
7) Click "Next"
8) On the left side scroll down and locate your printer's 
manufacturer such as HP or Epson and click on it.
9) On the right side (under printers) scroll down and click on 
the model name/number of your printer such as HP Deskjet 980C or 
Epson Stylus 800.  
Special Note:  Your exact printer model may not be listed.  
That's ok - most of the time you can choose a fairly close model 
number for that printer serious and it will still work perfectly 
fine.  For example - if your printer is an Epson Stylus Color 900, 
you can choose the Epson Stylus 850 printer driver.  Or if your 
printer is an HP Deskjet 982, then you can choose the HP Deskjet 
980 and it will still work fine.  This is because the drivers may 
actually be the same printer driver for a "serious of printers in 
that model range". If you can not find a close match, use the 
closest one that you can.  For example if you have an HP Deskjet 
3845, you can try HP Deskjet or the HP Deskjet Color.  Now of course 
not all drivers will work with all printers.  Sometimes it is a 
guess.  "See additional notes above for picking drivers".
10) After you select your printer driver or the closest one, click 
on "Next".
11) For the port, choose "LPT1" if your printer is hooked up with a 
parallel printer cable.  If your printer is hooked up using a "USB" 
port, then scroll down through the list of ports and choose the USB 
port listed for your current printer.  This assumes you already have 
your printer installed.
12) Click "Next".  
13) Now enter a meaningful printer name such "HP DeskJet Compatible" 
and make sure it is checked for this new printer to be the default 
printer.
14) Click "Next".
15) When it ask to print a test page, answer "Yes" and click on 
"Finish".
Note: these steps are based on Windows 98.  Windows 95 and Windows 
ME will be very similar.

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