Printing on WINDOWS NT4, 2000 and XP Network Printers!

Printing - PIPE-PRO requires that the printer emulate or be compatible with PCL printer control language. Most office printer are PCL compatible. However, most "photo" printers are not. PIPE-PRO can print on network printers, USB printers, parallel port printers or com port printers that are PCL compatible.

Windows NT4, 2000 and XP must have a "redirect" command in order to print to the network printer. Printing from a stand-alone computer to a USB or wireless printer connected directly to the computer requires a different procedure. Click the following link if the computer is NOT connected to a network.

Printing on Windows 2000 and XP to a USB or Wireless Printer!

Printing to a network printer

This redirect command is placed as the first line in the batch file which launches the program as follows:

1. Use the WordPad program in Windows to modify the PIPEPRO.BAT file in the English version and the MPIPEPRO.BAT file in the Metric version..

2. Add the following as the first line to the batch file:

NET  USE  LPT1:  \\MYSERVER\PRINTER  /PERSISTENT:NO

Where: MYSERVER is changed to the name of your server and
Where: PRINTER is changed to the name of your printer.
Where: /PERSISTENT:NO tells Windows to end the redirect command after a restart.

Important: The printer must be capable of printing in HP PCL printer language. Some new, low cost printers that are only capable of printing in postscript mode will not work.

3. The "Share Name" for the printer must be no more than 8 characters for all MS-DOS programs. Do not use spaces, punctuation, or special characters. It must be a combination of any numbers and/or letter, upper or lower case.

The computer or server to which the printer is attached must also be set to the 8 character limit. Go to Start - Control Panel - Printers and Faxes. Right click on the printer and select "Properties." Click the "Share" tab. Select "Share this printer." Enter the 8 character printer name in the "Share Name" box. Click OK.

On the local computer you must do the same including the entire path to the printer. "Share Name" is \\MYSERVER\PRINTER.

4. To check the status you must press ALT-ENTER at the same time while PIPE-PRO is full screen to minimize and use Windows. Open a Command Prompt by going to Start - Programs - Accessories. Another method is to go to Start - Run - CMD - OK and type NET USE. Press Enter. You should see something like this:

OK  LPT1  \\MYSERVER\PRINTER  Microsoft Windows Network
The command completed successfully.

If you have any questions or problems, please contact your company network administrator or technician. Inform the network technician that you want the software to use the Windows NT4, 2000 or XP "redirect" command (NET USE) to send the printing from LTP1 to the network printer.

Canceling the NET USE redirect command

You can restart the computer to cancel the NET USE redirect command or create a batch file with a desktop shortcut to easily cancel the redirect. Make the new cancel batch file as follows.

Confirm cancellation of the NET USE redirect command

Printing Problems of Page Orientation or Fancy Print Command

The PIPE-PRO "Setup String" can be changed to resolve some of the printer problems. Correcting other problems may require changes to the printer "default" settings.

PIPE-PRO Setup String:

The Setup String sends commands to the printer before the print job is started.

Step No. 1 - The Setup String can be changes by going to the Main Menu and selecting Commands - Worksheet - Global - Default - Printer - Setup. Change the Setup String and press enter. The common example settings are:

\027 This is the default setting. This uses a zero, not an "O".

\027\027(10U This setting add the extended character set for printing in "Fancy Mode."

Step No. 2 - Press Enter after changing the Setup String. Then press ESC to back out until the Main Menu appears.

Step No. 3 - Select Print - 1 Page - Fancy Text to test the printer.

Step No. 4 - If the printed page looks like those in the manual the Setup String is correct and must be saved as a new default setting. Select File - Save from the Main Menu. Save any file or the default data file. If the default data file appears press Enter and Replace to save the Setup String changes.

Step No. 5 - Each of the programs in both the English and Metric versions must be changed individually and the corresponding data files saved. Do this step to each of the programs to prevent printer problems in the future.

Step No. 6 - Record the Setup String that works properly and place a note in the manual.

Printer Page Orientation:

The PIPE-PRO program should print in portrait mode on standard size paper. Some printers will print in the landscape mode instead or print from the wrong paper tray. These conditions must be changed in the printer default settings, not in PIPE-PRO. Review the manual for your printer and change the default setting to print from the standard paper tray in portrait mode.

Please call our office for further assistance at (303) 927-6937.

users technical support answers.

Running PIPE-PRO on Computers with the Windows 7, Window Vista, 32-bit CPU, 64-bit, CPU, Macintosh, and Linux Operating Systems.

Setup Details for Running PIPE-PRO on Windows 7, 64-bit CPU, and Other Operating Systems.

Printing PIPE-PRO Reports to an Adobe Acrobat PDF File!

Printing on a local printer attached to the computer!

Printing on Windows 2000 and XP to a USB or Wireless Printer!

Printing on WINDOWS NT, 2000 and XP Network Printers!

Printing PIPE-PRO Graphs!

Professional Designers & Engineers, Inc.

Kent R. Rieske, President
5086 Cottonwood Drive
Boulder, CO 80301 USA

Tel: 303 - 927 - 6937
Fax: 303 - 953 - 9725

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