Modifying Advanced Printer Settings in Word 6.0 for Windows

ID: Q111884

6.00 6.00a 6.00c WINDOWS

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
Microsoft Windows 3.1

SUMMARY

This article describes how you can modify individual printer behavior in Word for Windows using three settings in your WINWORD6.INI file: Flags, FixWhiteText, and FixDrawShowThru. In most cases, Word has already preset these settings for your printer, but sometimes you need to modify the behavior of a specific printer to meet your printing needs. In the MACRO60.DOT file, located in the MACROS subdirectory, Word supplies a SetPrintFlags macro that you can use to modify these WINWORD6.INI printer settings.

MORE INFORMATION

In WINWORD6.INI, Word stores printer settings in a section with the same name as your printer (use the printer name as it appears in the File Print dialog box). For example, the WINWORD6.INI section heading for an HP IIIsi is [HP LaserJet IIIsi].

You should use the SetPrintFlags macro to modify these settings instead of editing WINWORD6.INI by hand. The macro ensures the correct syntax of the settings. Furthermore, you can choose the macro's Default button to restore the default settings for your printer driver.

The following sections describe the specific use of each WINWORD6.INI printer setting.

FLAGS SETTING

The Flags setting uses several bitfields to affect specific printer behaviors (one bit per behavior). The table below describes each Flags setting, including its bitfield value and those printers for which Word hard codes the setting.


                                                       Printers
Description                             Value          Hard-Coded in Word
-----------                             -----          ------------------
Use Word 2.0 for Windows bitmapped       +1
patterns to draw shading.

Send mixed pages as multiple             +2
print jobs.

   Note: Word uses the ResetDC printer command in the middle of a print job
   to reset paper size and bin settings. When you set the +2 Flag, Word
   sends each different paper size or paper source as a separate print job
   instead of using the ResetDC command.

Simulate smart quotes and                +4            HPPCL5A.DRV
nonbreaking hyphens in
non-scaled fonts.

   Note: For fonts that do not contain the necessary characters
   for various publishing characters, Word simulates these characters.

Request only standard paper              +8            Linotronic
sizes from driver.

   Note: For printer drivers that do not support custom paper sizes,
   this setting limits Word to default paper sizes.

Use low resolution bitmap               +16
patterns for hatched shading.

Disable paper size and tray handling.   +32            Toshiba

   Note: This setting disables the ExtDeviceCapabilities call, which
   determines the paper tray and size capabilities of the printer driver.
   With some printer drivers, ExtDeviceCapabilities causes random problems
   (such as incorrect print-out or GP fault), so you need to disable it.

Disable background printing.            +64            DESKJETC.DRV
                                                       HPPCL5C.DRV

Notes About Flags Setting

To add a Flags setting to those that are hard coded in Word (see the list in the "Printers Hard Coded in Word" column of the preceding table), type a plus sign (+) in front of the value. For example, to disable background printing for the HPPCL5A printer driver and leave the hard-coded Flags setting intact, use the following WINWORD6.INI entry:


      [HP LaserJet IIISi]
      Flags= +64

To override the Flags settings that are hard coded in Word and replace them with new settings, omit the plus sign (+) in front of the value. For example, to cancel the "Simulate Smart Quotes and Nonbreaking Hyphens" setting (+4) and replace it with the Disable Background Printing setting, use the following WINWORD6.INI entry:


      [HP LaserJet IIISi]
      Flags= 64

To set more than one Flags setting, add the two values. For example, to set both "Disable Background Printing" (+64) and "Disable Paper Size and Tray Handling" (+32) for the HPPCL5A driver, use the following WINWORD6.INI entry:


      [HP LaserJet IIISi]
      Flags= +96

Note: This sets the two desired flags (32 + 64 = 96) and leaves all the hard-coded settings intact (because of the plus sign).

WHITE TEXT AND SOLID OBJECTS SETTING

Some printers do not print white text on a dark background or they do not support the partial clipping of text characters by opaque objects. For these printers, Word turns on the Print TrueType as Graphics option in the printer driver itself, and Word draws the images instead of the printer driver. Two flags control this behavior: FixWhiteText and FixDrawShowThru. The following table describes each setting and its values and lists the printers for which Word hard codes the setting:


Setting, Values        Description, Printers Hard Coded in Word
---------------        ----------------------------------------
FixWhiteText           Print TrueType as graphics if page
                       contains white text on a shaded background.

   1 = on              HPPCL, PCL4, LBPII, OKILED.
   0 = off

FixDrawShowThru        Print TrueType as graphics if page
                       contains text that is being clipped by
                       drawing objects.

   1 = on              HPPCL# (all drivers in the HPPCL family
   0 = off             require this setting), LBPII, OKILED.

UPDATED OR NEW PRINTER DRIVERS

Many of these hard-coded WINWORD6.INI settings work around problems in a specific version of a printer driver. In some cases, Word overrides the hard-coded, built-in WINWORD6.INI flags if it detects an updated version of the printer driver that is known to fix a certain problem. If Word overrides these flags for a printer driver that does not fix the problem, however, you may need to reset the flag. Similarly, for recent releases of printer drivers that fix a problem after Word was released, Word does not override the built-in setting, so you may need to add or change a WINWORD6.INI printer setting to accommodate the updated printer driver. Contact Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) for updated information on the status of your printer driver if you are not sure which printer settings to set.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbprint
Version : WINDOWS:3.1,6.0,6.0a,6.0c
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type :