We have tried to summarise, some of the best FAQ's and will endeavour to keep these pages updated on a regular basis. If you would like to submit a query (which may well feature on these pages) support@avdcs.com.

We will endeavour to post more info in the near future.

Windows v3.x General Postscript	Printers in General
Troubleshooting / Print problems	Adding Memory to ColorPoint Printers
Poor Quality Graphics in Dye Sublimation (CH-8XX)

 
It has recently been observed that the use of Bi-Directional (ECP/EPP) Parallel ports can cause problems with printers, particularly under Windows 95. This would appear to be related to the Internal cabling of the Computer and it is difficult to be more specific, some computers work, others seemingly identical dont. AVD therefore recommends that at least for testing purposes the supposed ECP/EPP capability of you computer is turned off. This will probably involve you going into the BIOS set up, so dig out that old manual.

If you are using Windows 95 (WHY?) then the Parallel Port mode can be seen under the Hardware Manager settings.

Poor Quality Graphics (Pictures) in Dye Sublimation mode (CH-800 series)

The most common cause of very pale bitty pictures when in Dye Sublimation mode, other than use of the wrong sort of paper is the BITS/PIXEL setting in the setup of the printer.

To access the SetUp menu

1. Press the MENU button
2. Press the + button to choose the menu PRINT SETUP
3. Press the MENU button to access the items under the menu PRINT SETUP
4. Press the + button until the display shows BITS/PIXEL. This should display one of BITS/PIXEL=AUTO which is the desired setting, 1BIT (for Thermal Transfer), 4BITS, or 8BITS (for Dye Sublimation).
5. To change this setting press the MENU button, then press + to scroll through the choices. Choose AUTO then press the ENTER button to save this choice. The Display will now show BITS/PIXEL=AUTO* to denote the setting.
6. Press the CANCEL/RESET button or ONLINE to exit the menu

Check the settings within your software and/or Print Driver, unless you have loaded a Monochrome Ink sheet, it is likely that the settings have not been set to colour.

White Spots or streaks accross the Print / Poor Colour registration

The two main causes for this are

1. The Ink sheet is wrinkled. Check the Ink sheet and smooth out
2. Thermal Head or printer rollers are dirty. Clean the rollers and Ink sheet sensor using a lint-free cloth lightly moistened with isopropyl alcohol. Clean the Printhead itself with the pen shaped head cleaner which came with your printer. Additional head cleaners (p/no TH-2000) can be ordered from AVD Computer Services. For further information on caring for and cleaning your printer check the Owner manual.

Printer does not Print

1. Is the printer OFFLINE. If so turn it ONLINE
2. Check the Interface connection
3. Interface cable is of incorrect specification. Check the Owner manual for the specifications for the cable connections
4. The Controller board is not properly seated in the Printer. Ensure the board is firmly seated
5. The application on the Computer does not support Colour Postscript. Use a different application
6. Incorrect Serial port settings. Verify under the SETUP menu that the correct baud rate, parity and protocol are correct and match those on the computer and that the computer is capable of these settings. You may want to try a lower baud rate at least for testing purposes.
7. Incorrect Print Driver (or no Print Driver selected). Install or select the correct driver.
8. Printer displays WAITING after completing a print. The file you are printing does not have a Control D (show) at the end. Add a Control D to the file or send the file CNTRLD which is included in the PC Utilities diskette (Use the DOS command COPY).

aotes About ColorPoint PostScript Printers

This section contains information specific to PostScript printers and has been cribbed from the Printer.WRI file in Windows v3.x.

Installing a ColorPoint PostScript Printer

If you are using a PostScript printer that is not listed in the List Of Printers box in the Printers dialog box, you need to install a Windows Driver as supplied to you with the printer or from our ColourPoint Drivers area To do this, use the Printers option in Control Panel or the Printer Setup command in Print Manager and select Install Unlisted Or Updated Printer in the List Of Printers box.

Windows version 3.1 requires an OEMSETUP.INF file to install the WPD file. Insert the Windows disk that contains this file into drive A, and then follow the instructions for setting up a printer. For more information about installing a printer, see the Microsoft Windows User's Guide. If you have a WPD file created for Windows version 3.0, you do not need an OEMSETUP.INF file.

Printing a PostScript Print File in UNIX

The PostScript printer driver inserts a CTRL+D key combination at the beginning of every print job to reset the printer. Because UNIX systems recognize CTRL+D as an end-of-file character, any print files you create by using the PostScript printer driver do not print in UNIX. You can correct this problem by removing the CTRL+D key combination from the print job. To do this, add the following setting to the [ModelName,Port] section in the WIN.INI file (where ModelName is the name of your PostScript printer model):

CtrlD=0

For more information about editing the WIN.INI file, see the WININI.WRI online document.

Printing TrueType Fonts in Place of Other Fonts on a PostScript Printer

In most cases, the PostScript printer driver can evaluate the fonts in your document and determine whether to use the Windows TrueType fonts, the fonts built into your printer, or downloaded soft fonts.

In some cases, the printer driver can use either the Windows TrueType fonts or the printer fonts, as in the following examples:

+ You are using a True Image printer that includes built-in TrueType fonts that have the same name as the Windows TrueType fonts, such as Times New Roman.

+ You want to print a document in Windows version 3.1 that was created by using Windows version 3.0, and the document contains a font that is no longer supported, such as Tms Rmn. In this case, the closest matching printer font is Times, and the closest matching Windows font is Times New Roman, and both are acceptable for printing.

If the driver can use either the Windows TrueType fonts or the printer fonts, it uses the printer fonts by default. If you want the driver to use the Windows TrueType fonts instead, add the following setting to the [ModelName,Port] section in the WIN.INI file (where ModelName is the name of your PostScript printer model):

ttfavor=<1>

To use the printer fonts again, set this value to 0.

For more information about editing the WIN.INI file, see the WININI.WRI online document.

Controlling TrueType Font Downloading on PostScript Printers

When setting printer options for a PostScript printer, you can specify that TrueType fonts be downloaded as Adobe Type 1 fonts. You do this by using the Send To Printer As option in the Advanced Options dialog box for the PostScript printer driver. This setting causes smaller TrueType fonts to be printed as bitmaps and larger TrueType fonts to be printed as outline fonts.

By using theMinOutlineEppem setting in the WIN.INI file, you can specify (in the number of points per em) exactly when TrueType fonts should be printed as bitmaps and when they should be printed as outline fonts. To do this, add the following setting to the [ModelName,Port] section in the WIN.INI file (where ModelName is the name of your PostScript printer model):

minoutlineeppem=<number>

The default value for number of points per em is 101. Fonts whose points per em are fewer than the number you specify are downloaded as bitmaps. Fonts whose points per em are greater are downloaded as outline fonts. To conserve printer memory, decrease the value. To produce high-quality printed fonts at larger point sizes, increase the value. Increasing the value also speeds up printing time but requires more memory.

For more information about editing the WIN.INI file, see the WININI.WRI online document.

Setting the Timeout for PostScript Printers

The ColorPoint PostScript printers require a high timeout value in order to print complex documents. If you selected the Print PostScript Error Information check box in the Advanced Options dialog box when you configured your printer and your printer is printing timeout messages, try increasing the printer's timeout value. To specify the timeout value for your printer, add the following setting to the [ModelName,Port] section in the WIN.INI file (where ModelName is the name of your PostScript printer model):

timeout=<number-of-seconds>

For example, if you want to set the printer timeout to 10 minutes on a SII ColorPoint connected to LPT1, you would add the following setting to the [ColorPoint,LPT1] section of the WIN.INI file:

timeout=600

Note: The timeout setting and the Timeouts options in the Printer Connect dialog box are unrelated. The timeout setting specifies the timeout value for your printer, whereas the Timeouts options in the Printer Connect dialog box specify the timeouts for Windows.

For more information about configuring your printer and setting Timeouts options for Windows, see the Microsoft Windows User's Guide. For more information about editing the WIN.INI file, see the WININI.WRI online document.

Rotating EPS Files When Printing in Landscape Mode

If the placement or orientation of imported images (such as EPS files) is incorrect when printing in landscape mode from an application that supports imported files, try adding the following setting to the [ModelName,Port] section of the WIN.INI file (where ModelName is the name of your PostScript printer model):

LandScapeOrient=270

For more information about editing the WIN.INI file, see the WININI.WRI online document.

Using Pheonix PostScript-Compatible Printers or Cartridges

If you are using a Phoenix-compatible PostScript printer or cartridge you may encounter problems when printing TrueType fonts. For example, random characters may print in your documents. To correct this problem, select Bitmap (Type 3) for the Send To Printer As option in the Advanced Options dialog box for the PostScript printer driver. For more information about setting printing options, see the Microsoft Windows User's Guide.
 
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