Printer driver problem

Knowledge exchange related to the VPE Report Engine and PDF Library

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Printer driver problem

Postby Bengt » Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:02 pm

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
Bengt
 
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Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:29 pm

Postby IDEAL Software Support » Sat Mar 08, 2008 6:29 pm

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
IDEAL Software Support
 
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