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Printing Tips
Quick Contents
- Introduction
- Standard Port vs. ECP Port
- Print Spool Settings
- Deskjet or Inkjet Printers
- Install PCL Print Driver
- Change Your DPI
- Change Your Font
Introduction
The tips on this page have helped many PC Access users improve their print speed or solve various printing related problems. We hope the tips on this page will assist you too.
Standard Port vs. ECP Port
If your computer's parallel port is using an ECP parallel port you may experience Communication Errors. To reduce the risk of Communication Errors you can change your computer's parallel port from an ECP port to the Standard/EPP port. If you experience Communication Errors you should:- Determine what parallel port your computer is using. That is, either an Standard/EPP or ECP port.
- If your parallel port is an ECP port, change it to a Standard/EPP port.
- If your parallel port is not an ECP port, and you experience Communication Errors, see: Fixing Communication Errors in PC Access for Windows.
- Note: Some printer manufacturers recommend that you use your computer's ECP parallel port. However, despite this recommendation various programs could have problems printing when you use the ECP parallel port.
Related Information
- What is a Standard/EPP Parallel Port?
- What is a ECP Parallel Port?
- What is BIOS?
- Fixing Communication Errors in PC Access for Windows
- Printing Speed in PC Access for Windows
Print Spool Settings
If you find that your system resources are depleting while you print, you can change your printer's Spool Settings to Print directly to the printer. When you change your Spool Settings to Print directly to the printer, you help keep your system resources at an adequate level when you print. Use the instructions below to change your spool settings:- Click Start | Settings | Printers.
- Find the printer you use in PC Access. Right-click its icon. Click Properties from the popup menu.
- Click the Details tab.
- Click the Spool Settings button.
- Select Print directly to the printer.
- Click the OK button on the Spool Settings dialog box. Click Apply on the Properties dialog box, then click OK.
Related Information
Deskjet or Inkjet Printers
If you use a Deskjet or an Inkjet printer and you want to decrease your printer's response time, you should unselect Spool MS-DOS print jobs and Check port state before printing. Use the instructions below to unselect these options.- Click Start | Settings | Printers.
- Find the printer you use in PC Access. Right-click its icon. Click Properties from the popup menu.
- Click the Details tab.
- Click the Port Settings button.
- Un-select Spool MS-DOS print jobs and Check port state before printing.
- Click the OK button on the Port Settings dialog box. Click Apply on the Properties dialog box, then click OK.
Related Information
Install PCL Printer Driver
If you use an HP Laserjet (or compatible) printer, use the PCL printer driver instead of the host-based printer driver. If you use a host-based printer driver, you may experience Communication Errors and/or printer errors in PC Access.Your printer's manual will help you determine if your printer driver is PCL or host-based. If your printer manual indicates you are using a host-based printer driver, you may want to check your printer manufacturer's web site for a PCL driver.
Related Information
- What is PCL?
- What is Host-Based?
- What is a Host-Based Printer?
- Fixing Communication Errors in PC Access for Windows
- Printing Speed in PC Access for Windows
Change Your DPI to 300
You can increase your printer's speed by changing your printer's resolution to 300 DPI. The location of this setting varies by printer driver. Follow the instructions below to access your printer driver.- Click Start | Settings | Printers.
- Right-click on the printer's icon you use in PC Access. Click Properties from the popup window.
- Look for the DPI or Resolution setting in one of the tabs in your Properties.
Related Information
Change Your Font
Your printer will print faster if you tell PC Access to use a printer compatible font instead of a TrueType (TT) font. To select a printer compatible font in PC Access:- From your PC Access Main Menu, click Setup Menu | Advanced | Printers.
- Highlight the printer you use in PC Access and click Edit.
- On the Edit Printer window, in the Choose Fonts box, click Normal.
- In the Font window, select a printer compatible font.
- Note: A printer compatible font has a small printer glyph next to the font name. A TrueType font shows TT next to the font name.
- To keep your columns aligned on your PC Access printouts, be sure to select a fixed-pitch font, like Courier.
Related Information
- What is a font?
- What is a fixed-pitch font?
- Edit Printer window
- Edit Printer: Choose Fonts window
- Printing Speed in PC Access for Windows