ActivePrinter not working in macro.

We've got an application that invokes Word, executes a macro, does a merge
with data pulled from a text file extracted from a database, etc, and then
prints the merged document to a specific printer. For years we've been having
to manually set the Windows default printer on the workstations to use the
specific printer that's needed because even though the macro has the command:

ActivePrinter = "SPECPRINT"

this printer never gets used unless it is the default for the user session
upon the workstation before the macro ever gets run.

The SPECPRINT printer is defined upon each workstation and is an LPR network
printer which prints to a special print queue hostsed on a unix system which
"broadcasts" the print jobs out to about half a dozen HP laserjet printers
scattered about our network.

We'd like to get away from having to make the SPECPRINT printer be the
default printer on all the workstations becuase the users are continually
forgetting to manually pick another printer whenever they print ordinary
print jobs, and inadvertantly broadcast out those jobs to all the special
broadcast printers and waste a lot of paper.

The problem is that the "ActivePrinter" setting in the macro is getting
ignored and it doesn't seem to matter what value it's set to... the print
output just always goes to whatever the default printer is set to.

Is this a common issue with ActivePrinter? Is there a better way to
programatically direct the output to a specific print queue?

Graham
Mon May 09 13:59:35 CDT 2005

The simple code to print to an alternative printer is detailed at
http://www.gmayor.com/fax_from_word.htm however as it uses the activeprinter
call, there must be something amiss with your implementation of it. Simplest
plan is to use the macro recorder to record the process of printing to this
driver and paste the code produced into your macro.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>



W2K3Newbie wrote:
> We've got an application that invokes Word, executes a macro, does a
> merge with data pulled from a text file extracted from a database,
> etc, and then prints the merged document to a specific printer. For
> years we've been having to manually set the Windows default printer
> on the workstations to use the specific printer that's needed because
> even though the macro has the command:
>
> ActivePrinter = "SPECPRINT"
>
> this printer never gets used unless it is the default for the user
> session upon the workstation before the macro ever gets run.
>
> The SPECPRINT printer is defined upon each workstation and is an LPR
> network printer which prints to a special print queue hostsed on a
> unix system which "broadcasts" the print jobs out to about half a
> dozen HP laserjet printers scattered about our network.
>
> We'd like to get away from having to make the SPECPRINT printer be the
> default printer on all the workstations becuase the users are
> continually forgetting to manually pick another printer whenever they
> print ordinary print jobs, and inadvertantly broadcast out those jobs
> to all the special broadcast printers and waste a lot of paper.
>
> The problem is that the "ActivePrinter" setting in the macro is
> getting ignored and it doesn't seem to matter what value it's set
> to... the print output just always goes to whatever the default
> printer is set to.
>
> Is this a common issue with ActivePrinter? Is there a better way to
> programatically direct the output to a specific print queue?