Printing

When working with NiceLabel you may come across some unexpected troubles or error messages. Please check the FAQ sections below to see if your problem has already been solved.

When I print to TEC printers, labels are not positioned correctly.

When printing to TEC printers, an error may occur with automatic positioning of labels. Due to the wrong recognition of a gap between the labels, they are shifted vertically, or the next label covers the previous one.
Solution: In advanced printer setup set the Label Gap to actual vertical gap between two neighbouring labels. Keep the sensor activated in the Sensor Type.

Applies to: all versions, all editions
Last revision: December 2002

I have troubles printing to Eltron thermal transfer printer. Serial number stops printing after several labels and then appears again.

Elements on the label are printing successfully but sometimes some of them disappear and after a few labels come back again. This behaviour then continues to cycle. This is caused by overflowing the internal printer's memory buffer.

Solution 1: Set the printer's internal memory to lower value as default. Open the printer setup for your Eltron printer. To do that double click printer's name in the lower status bar in NiceLabel. Click Memory button and reduce the size of internal memory.

Solution 2: Please refer to the FAQ topic "I have troubles printing to Eltron thermal transfer printer. Not all elements of the label are printed."

Applies to: all versions, all editions
Last revision: December 2002

I have troubles printing to Eltron thermal transfer printer. Not all elements of the label are printed.

Difficulties can occur when using label with dimensions greater than 10×12 cm (approx. 4×4.7 inch). NiceDriver is superior to original Eltron driver because of its optimization of data streams sent to printer. It sends as much data as possible in the form of internal printer commands and elements. By default NiceDrivers utilize printing optimizations and send only the part of the label that was changed from previously sent label data.

Original driver on the other hand sends the whole label as one big bitmap picture. This approach uses up more memory and time to download. In spite of optimization NiceDrivers can experience drop outs of some element and graphics, not all elements are printed. This is particulary noted on older printers with less internal memory available.

Solution: New type of label printing, so-called direct print, sends every label as a separate data stream. This approach ensures proper printing of every label. The printout might not be as fast as when using download mode, but every label will be successfully printed even on printers with less internal memory.

To enable direct print mode first make sure that you are using NiceDrivers for Eltron printers from version 3.2.14 onward that have enabled direct print functionality. Then go to printer properties and select Advanced Settings tab. There just tick direct print and you are set.

Applies to: all versions, all editions, NiceDrivers before 3.2.14
Last revision: December 2002

When printing to Datamax thermal transfer printer, graphic elements are missing from the label after a large quantity of labels. Fixed elements are continuing to print.

When you are printing large quantities of labels, graphic elements stop printing. Only the fixed elements (text in internal fonts, boxes, lines...) remain on the labels. The problem appears whenever massive quantity of labels is printed. The actual number of error-free labels depends entirely on size of graphics elements and on total number of them used simultaneously on the label. The problem is caused by Nice printer driver not knowing the real amount of internal printer memory remaining and therefore not flushing it in time. The memory eventually runs out. New graphic elements cannot be stored anymore and the final result is label without graphics elements.

Workaround: Open printer properties dialog box and click Memory button in Options tab. Set the quantity of internal memory to a lower level your printer actually has built in.

Solution: upgrade to latest version of NiceDriver for Datamax.

Applies to: all versions
Last revision: December 2002

How should I speed up printing to network shared printer?

When printing to a printer that is connected to a remote computer in your LAN delayed printing can occur. It can take a very long time from starting print job on your computer to label actually leaving printer on the other side of the network. The network infrastructure (cabling and network equipment) is usually not the problem here. You should change the approach you are using when connecting to network shared printers.

There are two methods used in using network shared printers. The first one is to use the printer driver directly from the computer that is sharing its printer. This method is the most intuitive one as Windows automatically installs the drivers from remote computer, when you double-click the network shared printer. Unfortunately it is also the slowest one.

Solution: What you should do to speed up your network printing is to install the printer driver for network shared printer on your own computer. Act as the printer is connected to your computer on parallel port LPT1 and install the driver locally; open Printers from Settings on Start Menu and select Add Printes. When printer driver is successfully installed open the Properties page in the printer driver and go to Details tab. Here you should change the port the printer is using from LPT1: to local port. Click Add Port button, select Local port and and type in the network path to the printer (i.e. \\server_name\shared_printer_name).

The same procedure can be used for real network printers, connected directly to your LAN, that are not shared on a remote computer, but have their own network interface.

Applies to: all versions, all editions
Last revision: December 2001

When I try to install NiceDriver for my thermal transfer printer a dialog box tells me that it has not passed Windows Logo testing. What should I do? Is it safe to install NiceDriver anyway?

When you are installing NiceDriver manually from Printers dialog box in Control Panel, Windows XP will prompt you with the following message:

The software you are installing for this hardware:
Printers - has not passed Windows logo testing to verify its compatibility with Windows XP.

Continuing your installation of this software may impair or destabilite the correct operation on your system either immediately or in the future. Microsoft strongly recommends that you stop this installation now and contact the hardware vendor for software that has passed Windows Logo testing.

This is a standard Windows warning message that appears always, when you try to install a device driver that is not digitally signed by Microsoft. It does not appear only with NiceDrivers, but also with drivers from other manufacturers and other equipment.

NiceDrivers are Windows compliant software and can be used with any 32-bit Windows operating system, including latest Windows XP. It is safe to continue with the installation of NiceDrivers in spite of the fact they do not have Windows Logo.

The best solution to disable appearance of this warning message is to use Printer Installation Wizard that is shipped with NiceDrivers. It is used when you install NiceDriver from NiceLabel CD-ROM and also when you download NiceDriver installation from website.

For more information about the installation of printer drivers please refer to the topic How to install NiceDrivers for thermal printers.

Applies to: all versions of NiceDrivers
Last revision: December 2002

Excel crashes when I try to change label layout (margins, size).

When using NiceDrivers with your thermal transfer printer with MS Excel and try to change the layout of the label (margins, paper size) the MS Excel crashes in most cases. Microsoft confirmed this is a problem in MS Excel, please refer to Microsoft's knowledge base article Q211464 for more information. MS Excel is not capable of handling drivers that do not have any paper format defined other than custom size. NiceDrivers have only custom size available by default, but you can manually define other label formats (stocks) at any time.

Workaround: Create one additional paper format in NiceDriver (stock) and MS Excel will work fine even if this additional format is not selected. To do that open Start.Settings. Printers, select your printer, right click its icon and select Properties. Go to Stocks tab and define a new stock.

Solution: Upgrade to the latest NiceDrivers.

Applies to: all versions
Last revision: March 27, 2001

When I remove NiceDrivers for particular printer from my Windows 2000 system and install the original driver of the manufacturer, dialog boxes from NiceDriver are still present. Or new version of NiceDrivers did not overwrite the previous one.

A problem can occur when installing printer drivers from different manufacturers on the same computer. It can manifestate itself when printer drivers from different developers have the same printer names.

The problem originates in the way Windows 2000 uses the registry to install printers. It checks the registry for any references of previous printer driver install and compares it to the printer driver you want to install. If the printer names are the same then the wizard will ask wheather the driver should be replaced or you want to use already installed driver. If you choose to replace the driver, Windows only replaces the driver files but does not change the possibly incorrect references for these files in the system registry.

What this means is that you can end up with a driver that supposedly uses the new files when in fact it will use the old driver files.

Solution 1: (recommended)

You did not properly remove the old printer drivers. It is not enough simply to select the printer in Printers dialog box and then press Delete key. This is especially true if printer drivers were in use minutes before you decided to remove the driver. To truly remove printer drivers follow these steps:

  1. Open Printers dialog box from Control Panel.
  2. Delete the printer driver from the list of installed printers.
  3. Select Server Properties from File menu.
  4. Go to Drivers tab and select the printer driver you want to remove.
  5. Click Remove button.
  6. If the printer driver is in use, Windows will not be able to remove it. In this case restart your computer and try again.
  7. You can use the same utility to update the existing version of NiceDrivers to the newer version. Click Update button, then point to the location of new NiceDrivers.

Solution 2:

If you delete the printer driver from one manufacturer (for example, Euro Plus) and then try to install a driver from another manufacturer (for example, Zebra original driver) that has the same name, a certain procedure needs to be followed. Otherwise the "new" installed printer driver will be using the driver files from the old "deleted" driver.

After each driver installation a key with the name of the printer and it's settings (including which drivers to use) remains in the registry.

If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. Follow these steps to solve the problem:

  1. Find a registry key that includes the printer name, you want to install. Look in the registry branches mentioned above:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\ Environments\WindowsNT x86\Drivers\Version-1\

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\ Environments\WindowsNT x86\Drivers\Version-2\

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\ Environments\WindowsNT x86\Drivers\Version-3\

    The key here is taken from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\ In some cases the same keys can be found in ControlSet002 AND CurrentControlSet. All three need to be regarded as having the same effect on the driver installation.

    The last key (Version-n) is the most important. For example, if previous driver was referenced in Version-3 key (usermode driver) than all subsequent kernel mode driver instalations will use files from previous usermode driver installations (tested with Seagull usermode and EuroPlus kernel mode drivers).

    In this key all printers ever previously installed on this computer remain referenced even if the printer driver was deleted. The "printer" key is the same as the name of the printer in the information file (*.INF) when the driver was installed.

  2. Remove the key from all these registry branches.
  3. Restart the machine to be sure Windows update registry settings.
  4. Install the original printer driver. You will now be able to install original printer driver without any problem. Correct driver files will be used.

Applies to: all versions of NiceDrivers
Last revision: December 2002

When I try to use NiceDrivers to print bar codes using bar code fonts from different applications on Asian Windows platforms (Japanese, Chinese) the bar codes are not printed. The bar code contents is instead printed as plain text.

The problem seems to originate in Windows operating system itself. By default the proper code page is not selected and this causes wrong bar code printout. You have to manually choose the appropriate code page when printing labels.

This is easy to achieve in WordPad (simplified version of MS Word that is part of Windows installation). After selecting the proper NiceDriver (so that internal bar codes become available to the WordPad), marking the bar code data and setting it into proper bar code font, you have to select the proper setting for code page. This property can be set in a combo box just next to the combo box for selecting font size.

If NiceDriver is selected, then this combo box has an empty value by default. You have to set some value to this box. It should not be empty. Choose the appropriate value from the list.

The same problem applies to MS Word. There seems not to be any functionality to change the code page in Word. But there is a workaround to print the bar code properly.

  1. Create a new Word document and connect it with TSC printer, so internal printer fonts become available.
  2. Type in the bar code data and set it to proper internal bar code font.
  3. Save the document.
  4. This step is vital. Close this document and also close Word application.
  5. Start Word once again and load the previously created document.
  6. The internal bar code should now be printed as requested. When Word re-starts it will refresh driver-related information and enable printing of internal bar code fonts.

Applies to: all versions of NiceDrivers
Last revision: December 2002

Why is my printer not accessible from NiceLabel software? It is listed in Printers dialog box in Control Panel.

NiceLabel software queries all installed printer drivers at start-up. Based on the printer response the printer can either be used in NiceLabel or banned and put on the "black list". Printer checking technique has been introduced in version 3.1 and renders faulty printer drivers unavailable.

The black list contains all affected printer drivers on your system that are not Windows compliant drivers, not properly installed, unavailable (possible case with disconnected network printers) etc. If the driver is not accessible or not behaving properly, NiceLabel Pro will ignore it and refuse to use it. This action prevents program errors originating in the faulty printer drivers. Previously, when errors because of such drivers would appear, NiceLabel software was the cause of the error from user's point of view.

All affected printer drivers are stored in a XPRINT.INF file on your computer in NiceLabel's Bin\System folder. The default location is C:\Program Files\EuroPlus\NiceLabel\Bin\System.

If you believe that your printer driver was mistakenly put on the black list, you can remove it from the list. Open Preferences dialog box from Options menu and go to Startup tab. Then select the printer driver and click the Remove button.

If you want to disable the validation process, disable Check Printers on Startup option. If you want NiceLabel Pro to to re-run its driver tests, enable this option, then remove all drivers currently in the black list, close the application then run it again. NiceLabel Pro will check all installed printer drivers from the beginning.

The most common sources of false alarms are:

  • Improper or unfinished installation of the printer driver. Remove the printer driver from the system, reboot the computer and then reinstall the driver.
  • Unavailable network printer If you are using print shared on some network computer and the computer is off; the printer driver will not be available. The solution would be to install the local printer driver for this printer and then change its port from LPT1 to Local port in the form \\SERVER\SHARE. For more information refer to the FAQ topic How should I speed up printing to network shared printer?

Applies to: all versions from 3.1, all editions
Last revision: June 26, 2002

Why is the internal font CGTimes not printed correctly on my Datamax printer? I have defined it properly, but the printout is nothing like the print preview in NiceLabel software.

Even if you have set the internal printer font CGTimes to the text element, the print-out is not correct. Instead of the CGTimes font there is some entirely different typeface printer in very small font size.

The NiceDriver produces a valid printer command file for your Datamax printer, but the commands are not properly interpreted in the printer.

The reason for such behaviour is in lack of support for CGTimes typeface in the firmware of the printer. By default, the Datamax printer are not supplied with this internal typeface. The CG Times font is an option that should be ordered when purchasing the printer. This font has a royalty associated with it and this is why it has to be enabled separately.

Solution: If you need to print labels with this particular typeface, you will need to order it directly from Datamax Corporation. The typeface can be enabled remotely on your pritner and you do not need to send it to repair/upgrade. Please contact Datamax Technical Support for more information.

Applies to: all versions of NiceDrivers for Datamax
Last revision: December 2002

I have upgraded to NiceLabel version 3.5 and printer's built-in cutter does not cut any more.

NiceLabel software 3.5 handles cutter control differently than the older versions. In NiceLabel previous to 3.5 the cutter was controlled in the properties of the NiceDriver. The cutter could be enabled after the whole stream of labels printed or after some specified quantity of labels. Now the cutter control has been moved directly into NiceLabel software. It is accessible in Cutter Settings tab of Label Setup dialog box and offers more control over cutter functionality.

There is a whole new concept of "batch printing". You can control in detail what "batch of labels" represents in your case and you have more versatility while defining the batch.

The batch can be:

- a whole print job (the same functionality as in pre-3.5 versions),
- can contain a fixed pre-defined number of labels (same as pre-3.5 versions),
- can be based on a change of some variable (or database value),
- can be based on variable quantity and
- at the same time can comply to the additional condition.

Each batch can be accompanied with an action that is executed when the batch is identified. One of the available actions is cutter control. This is the place where the cutter properties can be set.

The NiceDriver still contains the cutter controls, but they become obsolete when printing from NiceLabel software. NiceLabel Pro now controls the driver directly. The cutter controls from the NiceDriver should be used only when printing label from non-NiceLabel software.

Backward compatibility has been taken care of. When you open the label, created in pre-3.5 versions, NiceLabel will correctly adjust the settings in the Batch printing tab.

The batch functionality in NiceLabel version 3.5 demands the NiceDrivers version 3.6.13 or greater to be used.

Applies to: all versions from 3.5, all editions, NiceDrivers from 3.6.13
Last revision: May 21, 2003

The images print corrupted or TrueType fonts print blurred. What can I do?

Sometimes you can see your labels printed corrupted:
- The images can print without sharp edges, the filled areas are not consistent with black color.
- Blurring or small dots can occur around the edges of truetype fonts.

Solution (for images): Thermal printers can print images in black and white (B&W) mode. If you use color or grayscale images on your label, NiceLabel will convert them in B&W before they can be printed. The process is called dithering. During the dithering process all colors and shades of grey in the picture are converted to black and white dots, creating the illusion of new colors and shades by varying the pattern of dots.

The default dithering mode might not be the correct one for your images. You can select among different dithering modes or disable it completely. To change the dithering mode, do the following:

  1. Open your label.
  2. Select Printer Settings from the File menu.
    The window with the printer settings will open.
  3. Go to the Dithering tab.
  4. Change the Dithering type option to suit your needs. Look at the preview on the right side how you can expect the selected type to be applied on the label.
    Disabling the dithering usually yields the best results.

Another option you have is to originally use B&W images, not color or grayscale images. The color format of the images can be easily changed with graphic software like Microsoft Paint and similar.

Solution (for TrueType fonts): When you design a label with text objects formatted in the TrueType fonts, NiceLabel converts such objects as images. TrueType fonts are not available internally in the printer, so they are printed as images. The conversion process to images relies also on the Windows graphic settings.

Recent Windows operating systems include support for smoothing of screen font edges. In some cases enabling this option can have impact on the quality of label printing. If you observe unsharp edges of printed truetype fonts or dots printed next to the font outline, the font-smoothing feature might affect you.

To disable the font smoothing, do the following:

  1. Open Display from Control Panel.
  2. Go to Appearance tab.
  3. Click on the Effects button.
  4. Disable the option Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts.

Applies to: all versions, all editions
Last revision: September 1, 2005

More users will use NiceDriver on the same computer. When I change the default settings of the printer driver for one user, they are not applied to other users. Is there a solution to define default settings for all users on the PC?

The same PC is used for different operators and they should have the same printer settings when printing from their software package. You define default settings in the printer driver for one user on the computer. When you switch from one user to the other on the same PC, the applied settings are not the one you have set up.

Windows printer drivers store the settings for users individually. Normally you would change the printer settings following this procedure:

  • Open Start > Settings > Printers & Faxes.
  • Right click printer, select Printing Preferences.
  • Change the settings.

However, using this approach will change the default printer settings for the current user only.

Solution 1: To change the default settings for all users, do the following:

  • Open Start > Settings > Printers & Faxes.
  • Right click printer, select Properties.
  • Go to Advanced tab.
  • Click Printing Defaults button.
  • Change the settings.

Solution 2 : When printing labels from NiceLabel software, each label stores the default printer settings. You do not have to define the default printer settings in the driver, because they are already set in the label.

For more information please refer to the following FAQ: What is the difference if I change printer settings from NiceLabel or if I change the default printer properites in Control Panel?

Applies to: all versions, all editions
Last revision: April 4, 2006

Print jobs are stuck in the spooler, or there is an error message regarding memory allocation problem when printing labels on Windows 2003 Server with SP2

When a large number of labels is printed the NiceLabel software can stop responding and display an error regarding memory allocation problem. When you closely monitor the system you can detect a raise in the memory consumption rates, and eventually system resources are depleted and the system will hang.

You can also experience the print jobs stucking in the Windows Spooler when you print the labels from your applications using API calls (ActiveX, .NET) to the NiceLabel print engine.

According to Microsoft: "This problem occurs because the Win32k.sys driver incorrectly manages GDI object handles. A GDI object handle is not released during the print process."

Solution: The solution will be available with the next Windows 2003 service pack. However, if you need a solution now, you can download the hotfix from Microsoft's support Web site.

Applies to: version 5.X, all editions
Last revision: February 12, 2008

I cannot open the form created with NiceForm v5 in my NiceForm v4, the error message is "Element does not contain a single text node."

NiceForm v4 will open the forms created in NiceForm v5 until you use some v5 features that are not available in v4. However, the problem might appear with simple forms that do not include any advanced features from v5. You might still see the error problem "Element does not contain a single text node."

NiceForm v4 and v5 use a different XML parser to work with the form data (the .XFF file contains a structure of the form formatted in XML). Some definitions encoded by v5 are not understood by v4.

Solution: Open your form file (.XFF file) in the text editor and manually delete the 'and' character (&) from the button definition. This character determines the shortcut letter for the button. You will find the character encoded as &, just delete it.

Applies to: version 4.X, all editions
Last revision: April 7, 2008

If you have any additional questions, suggestions, bug report or need more information please contact the technical support at tvqqpsuAojdfmbcfm/dpn