Why Use This Procedure?
In this window you register MONITOR printers with Printer number, Name and Drivers / Windows printer. You must first make sure you have installed your printers in Windows, which is done in the Control Panel under Printers and fax. For further information about printers, please see your Windows Help or manuals.
MONITOR Printers and Windows Printers
One purpose of creating MONITOR printers is that you can specify your own default settings that will override the corresponding settings for the Windows printers. For example, you can select to print with another margin, paper source etc. It is also possible to e.g. have several MONITOR printers connected to the same Windows printer. This may be useful in order to direct printouts to be made from different paper sources, etc.
Another purpose with the MONITOR printers regards special printouts as for example labels and shipping documents on Zebra-printers. In that case you need to register the Zebra-printer here and then select it as default printer for this type of printouts. This is done in the Users procedure for those users that will be working with that type of printouts.
In the Window menu under Settings | Customize... under the Printouts tab, each user can determine if Monitor's or Microsoft's printer dialog should be used during printout. (The option Sybase is also available but is only used in very specific cases.) In the Monitor printer dialog you will see the MONITOR printer and the Windows printer in separate section, with the user's default printers marked for the printout type in question.
Things to Remember when Registering MONITOR Printers in the Network
The printers (drivers) installed in Windows for the computer in question are listed in this table under Drivers / Windows printer, using the name that the printer has in Windows. Windows printers can be both local printers and network printers.
If the same Windows printer is used for all computers in a network it is sufficient to register the MONITOR printer from one of the computers. It is also possible to register MONITOR printers for Windows printers that have not been installed on the computer in question. Then it is important that the file path and the name of the driver are correctly entered in the Drivers / Windows printer column, otherwise the MONITOR printer will not work for the computer that has the Windows printer installed.
A MONITOR printer that has been registered here can later be connected to different types of printouts in MONITOR, this is individual for each user. You link printers using the Users procedure. If a user will be using several computers in a network, you must install the same Windows printers on each of those computers.
If a user does not have a connected printer for a certain type of printout he/she will receive an error message when attempting such a printout. However, it is possible to go on from the error message and still select a printer that will perform the printout.
Another case when you will receive an error message is when the user has a MONITOR printer connected to a certain printout type and that MONITOR printer does not have the corresponding Windows printer installed on the computer from where the printout then will be made. Then the standard printer in Windows will be suggested for use instead.
Window Functions
Read more about the Window functions under Window Functions in the MONITOR Basics.