R*KOM SOFTWARE PRINTER PROBLEMS

If your printer will not print from our program(s) in windows, first, to determine if your printer will even work, restart your computer in D.O.S.. This can be done by turning on your computer or rebooting your computer and pressing F8 before the computer starts loading Windows. You will get a menu. Select the command prompt. Run the R*KOM program from the D.O.S. prompt and use the printer function. If printing directly from DOS is successful, it will mean that there is a conflict between the DOS application and something in Windows. The solution will be to either run the program strictly from DOS or to determine what Windows software is interfering when shelling out to the DOS application. Try Windows HELP on troubleshooting printer problems or contact the printer manufacturer. If the program won't print properly then most likely it is not compatible. Check your manual to see if the printer will emulate any other printers.

Some printers may require a DOS program running in Windows to run in a Window in order to print correctly. You can switch back and forth between a Window and a full screen by holding down the Alt key and pressing Enter.

If your program did print all right at one time (or even with our demo), be sure to tell the printer support people that there was no problem originally. Logically this tells you that there is no compatability problem with the software and that operating system or printer options have changed.

If your printer was working and now is acting strange, turn it off and after a few seconds, turn it back on. Sometimes other programs leave the printer in a state other than the normal startup state. Sometimes you may have to reboot the computer. Don't just turn it off. Make sure you have closed all applications and used the SHUT DOWN option under START.

Sometimes installation of new Windows programs will alter your printer properties. If you begin having printing problems right after installing new software, try reinstalling the printer with its default settings (most printers come with a floppy disk or CD-Rom with a driver installation program). It makes good sense to record all the printer properties when the printer is working well. Check out the manufacturers internet site to see if you have the latest drivers.

If your printer worked originally and doesn't now or is intermittent, the first thing to try, is removing and reconnecting the printer cable. The contacts are Tin which tends to corrode easily. Reconnecting breaks thru the oxide (which is like ice on mud) and reestablishes a good connection. If this doesn't work and you have another printer cable available, try it. Sometimes connections in the cable itself break or become intermittant.

Please note that a lot of printers emulate the HP and Epson printers that our programs use. So try both printer options in the setup options of our programs. If one doesn't work, then turn the printer off - wait several seconds and turn it back on and try the other. Turning the printer off and then back on will reset the printer to it's defaults.

If you have an Epson inkjet printer that doesn't print from our programs, then try installing an Epson LQ 850 printer and make it the default to print from our program(s) using the Epson/IBM dot matrix setting in programs setup options. To install a printer, click on start, click on settings, click on printers. Click on the "add printer" icon. If it doesn't work, you can delete the printer by right clicking on the printer icon.

If you switch to an HP compatible printer and cannot get it to print right, check our setup options. If there is no printer selection option, you may have an older version of our software that was written before the laser/inkjet printers became popular. You will need to download or purchase an upgrade if you wish to use the printer with our software. For FREE upgrades go to http://www.rkom.com/upgrades.htm.

If your program printed okay originally and then started having problems, then it is obvious the problem is not the software. If you exhaust all other possibilities and still want to blame the software, then reload the program from your original disk. A remote, highly unlikely possibility is that something happened to the program on your hard drive.

Windows 95/98 print manager can slow down printing or even stop printing before finished. If you are familiar with trouble shooting the print manager, you might try having Windows 95/98 print directly to the printer. Click on "START", Click on "SETTINGS", Click on your printer, Click on "FILE", Click on "PROPERTIES", Click on "DETAILS", Click on "SPOOL SETTINGS", record your present settings (in case this doesn't help). Then, Click on "Print directly to printer" and OK.

- Click on the graphic to go to eBay! They have lots of used printers

PRINTING ON A NETWORK

This information can be found in Windows 95/98 by clicking on start and then on help.

The following instructions will allow you to print from your computer (computer 1) to a printer attached to another computer (computer 2) on your network (using Windows 95/98).

	1) On (computer 2) click on "START", click on "SETTINGS", click on
	"PRINTERS". Right click on the "PRINTER", click on "SHARING",
	select "SHARED AS", name the printer, click on "APPLY", click on 
	"OK".

	2) On (computer 1), click on "START", click on "SETTINGS", click 
	on "PRINTER", double click on "ADD PRINTER". The "Add printer 
	wizard" will come up. Select network printer. Using "BROWSE", 
	select the printer you named in step 1 (you will have to click on 
	the other computer to select the printer) and then click on "OK".  
	Select "YES" to "Do you print from MS-DOS based programs?", Click 
	on "OK", click on "capture printer port", select LPT1 and the 
	other computer. You may be queried about drivers (your situation). 
	Click on "NEXT" and assign a name to the printer. Select "YES" 
	that you want your DOS programs to use this printer as the 
	default printer" (this option does not appear on all versions 
	of Windows 95/98). Select "print a test page" and then click on 
	"FINISH". If you still have problems use Windows 95/98 HELP to 
	resolve the problem. Our Windows 95/98 network was set up according 
	to the above instructions using Windows 95/98 HELP (actually we have 
	Windows 95 on one computer and Windows 98 on the other.

	To change back to the printer on your computer, click on "START", 
	click on "SETTINGS", right click on the network printer 
	(computer 2), click on "PROPERTIES, click on "DETAILS" and select 
	print to LPT1.

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If you wish to share a printer solution, email us the details.

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