Printer driver problem

[Bengt]

I have big problems printing with VPE on a TEC B472 label printer. I have tried different drivers and all seems to behave differently. With the driver on Seagull homepage: TEC TPCL Driver Version:7.1.4, the printout is approximately 2 mm too long. I print 25 mm high label, but as each printed label become 27 mm, the labels are displaced. It is so despite
I use the transmissive sensor so the printer should adjust each label automatically. If I print directely to the printer port using internal control codes of the printer, it work.

I have also tried other dirvers where labels where printed OK with VPE, but then there were other problems instead. One driver worked as expected when printing to LPT1:, but not when printing to COM1:. There are a lot of TEC B472 printers in use only equipped with a com1-port and my program should preferably also work with these printers.

What can be done?

Bengt

[IDEAL Software Support]

We have made our own experience with label printers and their drivers.

The short story is: most of them are defective. The printer driver programmers didn't do their homework, especially regarding page size handling.

The situation is even more worse than for normal laser and ink-jet printers 12 years ago. Whilst those drivers have become much better in our days - especially regarding their basic functionality - the drivers for label printers seem to be programmed without good knowledge of the Windows API.

VPE v4.0 R2, which will be released in about 1 - 2 weeks, will have implemented some workarounds to try to cure the problem, but this is no guarantee that a particular label printer driver will work correctly.

I recommend you search this forum also for the terms "label printer" (check "Search for all terms") in order to find related information.

Regards
Thorsten Radde
IDEAL Software GmbH