WD6X: Printers and Printing Q & A

Last reviewed: February 26, 1998
Article ID: Q104603
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Word for Windows, version 6.0
  • Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.1

This article contains questions and answers about printers and printing in Word for Windows.

MORE INFORMATION

     1. Q. Why doesn't background printing work when I print from Word 6.0
           to my Hewlett-Packard(R) (HP(R)) DeskJet(R) printer?
   
        A. Word turns off the Background Printing option and makes the
           option unavailable under the Printing tab of the Tools Options
           dialog box when you use certain versions of the HP printer
           drivers for the HP DeskJet printer. Word does this for the
           following HP printer drivers because they sometimes fail to
           print small portions of text when the Background Printing
           option is turned on:
   
            - DJ500C.DRV versions 2.x for the DeskJet printer series
   
            - DESKJETC.DRV version 3.1 for the DeskJet printer series
   
           With background printing turned off in Word, these printer
           drivers print reliably and lose no text.
   
           You can turn on the Background Printing option for these
           printer drivers by setting a printer heuristic in the
           WINWORD6.INI file using the following procedure. However, keep
           in mind that some portions of text in your Word document may
           not print.
   
            1. From the File menu, choose Print.
   
            2. Choose the Printer button.
   
            3. From the Printers list, select your DeskJet printer, and
               then choose the Set As Default Printer button.
   
            4. In the Print Setup dialog box, choose the Close button. In
               the File Print dialog box, choose the Close button.
   
            5. Open the MACRO60.DOT file, supplied with Word. This file is
               located in the <WINWORD6>\TEMPLATE subdirectory (where
               <WINWORD6>is the name of your Word 6.0 directory).
   
            6. From the Tools menu, choose Macro.
   
            7. From the Macros Available In list, select Macro60.dot
               (Template).
   
            8. From the Macro Name list, select SetPrintFlags and then
               choose the Run button.
   
            9. In the Set Printer Flags dialog box, clear the Disable
               Background Printing, +64 option and then choose OK.
   
           10. When the following message appears, choose Yes:
   
                 Do you want to replace current settings with these
                 options?
                 This will change printing behavior!
   
     2. Q. How do I change the formatting for the envelopes I print in
           Word?
   
        A. When you use the Envelopes And Labels command on the Tools menu
           to create envelopes in Word 6.0, you can change the font
           formatting and address position by doing the following:
   
            1. From the Tools menu, choose Envelopes And Labels.
   
            2. Select the Envelopes tab and then choose the Options button.
   
            3. In the Envelope Options dialog box, select the Envelope
               Options tab.
   
            4. Modify the font and position settings for the delivery and
               return addresses and then choose OK.
   
                NOTE: If you want to change the default font settings,
                choose the Default button in the Envelope Return Address
                and Envelope Address dialog boxes.
   
            5. Print your envelope or add it to your document.
   
           For more information on the Envelopes And Labels command, see
           Chapter 23, "Printing," in the "Microsoft Word User's Guide" or
           search for "envelopes" using the Help menu.
   
     3. Q. Why doesn't my graphic print in Word?
   
        A. Graphics may not print for a variety of reasons, including the
           following:
   
            1. Your printer may not be able to print a graphic image that
               you scaled in Word. To print the graphic in Word, do one of
               the following:
   
                a. Scale the image in the original application.
   
                - or -
   
                b. Remove the scaling formatting from the graphic in Word
                   and then try printing again. To remove scaling, choose
                   Picture from the Format menu, choose the Reset button,
                   and then choose OK.
   
            2. You may have an old or incompatible version of your printer
               driver. You should always print using the latest version
               of the Windows driver for your printer. To determine your
               printer driver version, do the following:
   
                a. From the File menu, choose Print.
   
                b. Choose the Printer button, then choose the Options
                   button.
   
                c. Choose the About button. The version of your printer
                   driver should appear in the About dialog box. If there
                   is no About button in the Options dialog box, look for a
                   version number in the Options dialog box, near the OK
                   button.
   
            3. The Draft Output check box may be selected in the Print
               Options dialog box. To print graphics, clear this check box
               by doing the following:
   
                a. From the Tools menu, choose Options.
   
                b. Select the Print tab.
   
                c. Clear the Draft Output check box and then choose OK.
   
            4. The Drawing Objects check box may not be selected in the
               Print Options dialog box. To print drawing objects you
               created in Word, select this option using the following
               steps:
   
                a. From the File menu, choose Print.
   
                b. Choose the Options button.
   
                c. Select the Drawing Objects option and then choose OK.
   
            5. If your graphic is an encapsulated PostScript(R) (EPS) file,
               you must print it to a PostScript printer. If you do not
               have a PostScript printer, you cannot print an EPS graphic.
               If you have a PostScript printer, use the following steps to
               make sure you are using the PostScript printer driver:
   
                a. From the File menu, choose Print.
   
                b. Choose the Printer button.
   
                c. Select your PostScript printer in the Printers list and
                   then choose the Set As Default Printer button.
                   NOTE: If your PostScript printer does not appear in the
                   Printers list, you must install the printer driver using
                   the Printers icon in the Windows Control Panel.
   
     4. Q. How can I increase the printing speed of Word for Windows?
   
        A. Here are five things you can do to increase the printing speed
           of Word:
   
            1. Use a printer font instead of a downloadable font.
   
            2. Make sure there is a SET TEMP statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
               file and that it points to a valid directory with at least 2
               megabytes of free disk space.
   
            3. In Windows Print Manager, choose the High Priority setting
               to allocate more computer processor time to Print Manager.
               Your documents print faster, but you must wait longer for
               the hourglass to disappear in Word when you print.
   
            4. Make more conventional memory available by doing any or all
               of the following:
   
                a. Remove unnecessary device drivers and memory-resident
                   software, such as screen savers and virus-detection
                   software, from your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files.
   
                b. In Word, switch to draft view. To do this, choose
                   Options on the Tools menu, select the View tab, and
                   select the Draft Font option.
   
                c. Maximize both the Word application and all document
                   windows.
   
            5. From the Tools menu, choose Options, select the Printing
               tab, and clear the Background Printing check box. When this
               option is not selected, your documents print faster, but you
               must wait longer for the hourglass to disappear in Word when
               you print.
   
     5. Q. I am using a Hewlett-Packard (HP) LaserJet(R) IIP with Word and
           my envelope does not print or it prints incorrectly. What can I
           do?
   
        A. If you are running under Windows version 3.1, choose Print
           Setup from the File menu, and make sure the printer selected is
           the IIP, not the Series II. If the Series II is selected, the
           envelope address prints in the wrong position.
   
     6. Q. In Word 2.0, I use the Page Setup command on the Format menu to
           change the paper size, paper source, paper orientation, and
           margin settings. How do I change these settings in Word 6.0?
   
        A. In Word 6.0, you can change these settings by choosing Page
           Setup from the File menu. For more information, see Chapter 11
           in the "Microsoft Word User's Guide."
   
     7. Q. How do I change to a different printer in Word 6.0?
   
        A. When you switch to a different printer in Word, you also change
           the default printer setting for Windows. Use the following
           steps to switch to a different printer in Word 6.0:
   
            1. From the File menu, chose Print.
   
            2. Choose the Printers button.
   
            3. Select the printer you want to use and then choose the Set
               As Default Printer button.
   
               NOTE: If your printer does not appear in the Printers list,
               you must install its printer driver using the Printers icon
               in the Windows Control Panel.
   
     8. Q. How do I get my document to print from a different tray on my
           printer?
   
        A. Use the following steps to switch to a different paper tray:
   
            1. From the File menu, choose Page Setup.
   
            2. Select the Paper Source tab.
   
            3. Select the printer bin you want to use in the First Page and
               Other Pages boxes, then choose OK.
   
     9. Q. When I try to print, nothing happens. What should I do?
   
        A. First, use the steps in the "Troubleshooting" section of
           Chapter 23, "Printing," in the "Microsoft Word User's Guide."
           If you still can't print, use the following additional
           troubleshooting steps:
   
            1. Check the status of your print job in Windows Print Manager.
               If the print job is stalled, choose the Resume button.
   
            2. Try printing a file supplied with Word, such as README.DOC.
               If that file prints, the problem may be related to your
               document. To rule out this possibility, save your file in
               rich-text format (RTF) using the following steps:
   
                a. From the File menu, choose Save As.
   
                b. From the Save File As Type list, select Rich Text
                   Format.
   
                c. In the File Name box, type a new filename with an RTF
                   extension, and then choose OK.
   
                d. From the File menu, choose Open.
   
                e. In the List Files Of Type box, select Rich Text Format.
   
                f. Select the file you saved in step c above and then
                   choose OK. If Word prompts you to convert the file,
                   choose OK.
   
                g. Try printing the document.
   
            3. If you are printing over a network, make sure your network
               connection is intact. Check with your network administrator
               for assistance.
   
            4. If you still can't print, try to print a file from the
               Windows Write program. If you cannot print from Write, the
               problem is probably affecting all your Windows-based
               applications. Contact Microsoft Product Support Services for
               Windows at (425) 637-7098.
   
    10. Q. How can I get my table gridlines to print?
   
        A. Table gridlines do not print. Word uses table gridlines to
           display the table on the screen. To print lines between table
           cells, add borders to the table. You can use the Grid preset
           border in the Borders And Shading command to place a border
           around each cell in your table, as described in the following
           procedure:
   
            1. From the Table menu, choose Select Table to select the
               entire table.
   
            2. From the Format menu, choose Borders And Shading.
   
            3. Select the Borders tab.
   
            4. In the Presets box, select Grid and then choose OK.
   
    11. Q. What can I do if the text on my envelopes is printing in the
           wrong location?
   
        A. When the text on your envelopes prints in the wrong location,
           the settings in the Envelope Printing Options dialog box may
           not be correct for your printer. To change these settings, do
           the following:
   
            1. From the Tools menu, choose Envelopes And Labels.
   
            2. Choose the Options button.
   
            3. Select the Print Options tab.
   
            4. Select the Feed Method icon that matches the envelope
               feeding direction your printer uses. Change the other
               settings if necessary and then choose OK.
   
            5. Print your envelope or add it to your document.
   
    12. Q. How do I put an envelope button on my toolbar?
   
        A. You can use the Customize command on the Tools menu to add any
           command to a toolbar in Word. Use the procedure below to add an
           envelope button to your toolbar. See Chapter 31 in the
           "Microsoft Word for Windows User's Guide" for more information.
   
            1. From the Tools menu, choose Customize.
   
            2. Select the Toolbars tab.
   
            3. From the Categories list, select Tools.
   
            4. In the Buttons box, locate the Envelope button.
   
            5. Drag the Envelope button and drop it where you want it to
               appear on the desired toolbar.
   
            6. If you want the Envelope button to be available globally,
               select NORMAL.DOT from the Save Changes In box, then choose
               the Close button.


Additional query words: fast tips voice script msav q & a Q&A
Keywords : kbenvelope winword word6 kbprint kbdta
Version : WINDOWS:6.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo


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Last reviewed: February 26, 1998
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