Failure of PrintPanel()

[HBLT]

When using PrintPanel(), sometimes my application locks up before displaying the print dialog box. I have a strip chart control on that panel. If I scroll the data on the panel, sometimes it will print. I am printing to a shared printer (Epson 900) on another system. I have confirmed the printer is working and accesible from my system.

[RobertoBozzolo]

Which version of CVI are you using?

I've encountered similar problems with some applications of mone and some printer drivers for Epson C20 and C42 printers with CVI 5.5.

NI technicians explained me that some drivers developed for low level inkjet printers doesn't meet completely GDI specifications (which CVI uses for printing) and that produces the system hang.

Proposed solution: change the printer (!) or update to CVI6. In the meanwhile, I have founded an old printer driver that worked correctly with my application event if the OS had some problems in detecting the printer attached to the system.

The problem disappeared updating to CVI6: it has been enough to update the Run-time engine without need to recompile the project with the new version o
f CVI.

Hope this helps
Roberto

[HBLT]

Thank you for your response. However, I am currently developing on CVI Version 6 and still have the problem. Also, I am developing software for sale into a highly technical user community. I don't beleive they or Epson would appreciate me deciding which printer they are to use. If this were an in-house only application, I would consider that solution.

I am not convinced that it is the printer driver. As my original messages says: If scan back and forth on the strip chart control, the panel prints correctly. There is some other "unseen hand" at work here.

[Robert M]

Hello HBLT,

Almost all of the problems we have had with such situations are due to the newer printer drivers not being GDI compatible. However, it is possible that this is not the problem in your case. Let�s do some digging and testing to find out what the real problem is.

This discussion and related links provide some great information on this issue. Please read through these and see if anything helps or is applicable.

Additional Link

Next, lets try printing from your application to a different printer. D
oes your system still lock up?

If none of these suggestions help, or if I�m not correctly understanding your issue, please post the software and versions you are using, the applicable portions of your code, and any other information that may help, and I�ll be happy to look further into it.

Have a nice day!

Robert M
Applications Engineer
National Instruments