PRB: Printer's Default Paper Size Not Used by Common Dialog Box

• Microsoft Win32 Software Development Kit (SDK) on the following platforms:

  - Windows NT

  - Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you select a printer in a common Print dialog box, the paper size may not match the default setting for the selected printer. However, the system default printer seems to keep its default paper setting.

CAUSE

This occurs because the common Print dialog box maintains the current paper setting even when the printer selection is changed. In the case of dialog initialization, the current printer is either the system default printer or one specified by the application. In either case, the common Print dialog box is initialized with the printer’s default paper setting.

The common Print dialog box maintains the paper setting because it assumes that users will want to print to the same paper type when they switch to a different printer. This may be contradictory to an application developer’s assumption that a different selection in the common Print dialog box should be initialized with a specific printer’s default paper setting.

RESOLUTION

If you prefer that each new selection in the Print dialog box be initialized with the printer’s default paper setting, you need to implement your own Print dialog box so you can control the default settings.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Set one printer’s default paper setting to an esoteric paper type.

2. Set the default printer’s default paper setting to Letter.

3. Run WordPad.

4. On the File menu, click Print.

5. Select the printer used in step 1, and notice that the paper setting is Letter.

6. Select the paper setting chosen in step 1.

7. Select the default printer, and notice that the paper type does not change.

Keywords          : GdiPrn UsrCmnDlg PrintDlg kbprint
Platform          : NT Win95 WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbprb