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Resident Fonts On A Thermal Printer

Former Member
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I have bought Crystal 2008 and I am trying to design a report for a thermal printer which has resident fonts. This version seems only to detect TT fonts in the windows directory.

Am I missing soemthing?

In Crystal XI you could identify resident fonts?

How do I design a report for a thermal printer now?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Andy

Accepted Solutions (0)

Answers (8)

Answers (8)

Former Member
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Hi Don,

Thanks for all your help I eventually downloaded the drivers for an epson thermal printer and I was able to see the residents fonts in Crystal 2008 so the people who told me that this could nnot happen must have been misinformed.

I eventually spoke to the supplier regarding their drivers and after 2 weeks of work they have now changed their drivers.

The version is still the version that I had but obviously something has changed.

Once again thank you for you cooperation.

Cheers,

Andy

Former Member
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Hi Don,

It looks like it could be a windows 7 64 bit system issue I will come back to you.

Cheers,

Former Member
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Hi Don,

Thanks for the update.

I have been investigating this a little further so that I can ubderstand.

I have insatlled Crystal 10 on my computer and this detects the resident fonts in my thermal receipt printer.

I have made no changes to my system I can therefore only suggest that there has been a change in how crystal 2008 identifies these fonts.

Once again thank you inadvance for your help.

Andy

Former Member
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Hi Don,

I do appreciate all your work and I have done all that you said

When I do what you say I still do not see the fonts.

I have the latest version of the driver as I got this from the supplier.

I have noticed that Don you keep referring to a Zebra printer but my issue is not with a Zebra Direct Thermal Printer it is an Orient Thermal Receipt Printer for Retails stores.

Any further infomration wuld be greatly appreciated.

Once again thanks in advance.

Andy

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Hi Andy,

Sorry I assume most of these label printers work the same way.

I check with the developer and we use Windows .NET Printer API's to query the printer for the fonts so if Windows .NET Framework does not support the Printers on board fonts then CR can't see them either.

My references to Zebra is simply to show you when using a Printer supported in Windows Framework CR does get the fonts from the printer.

If setting that Printer as your Default Printer you still don't see the fonts in CR then it's a Printer issue or a Windows issue, nothing CR can do to get around that.

Post your question to the Printer Makers forum or Windows and ask them how to make this work. Mention the API in my last post to them so they can debug the problem.

Don

Former Member
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Hi Don,

Thanks for the update I will check with my supplier for the Orient Printer.

I am sure did tried before but I will give this another go.

Once again thanks

Andy

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Hi Andy,

I was talking to the Developer who looks after how Cr handles fonts and from the Windows API we use, it's called u201CEnumFontFamiliesExu201D, and looking at the description for this API I see how it all works now.

Make sure the print driver is installed on your local PC where you are designing the reports. Open your report and set the report to use that Printer in the Page Setup option. Now set the font for each field, when you browse the fonts listed you should see, if the printer driver is working properly, the on-board fonts for that printer.

I opened the Fonts in Control Panel and I do not see the Zebra fonts listed, so this indicates when I installed the Zebra printer it did not copy the fonts to my PC.

I verified how this works with my Zebra Printer. Setting a text field font info does not show the Zebra fonts unless I go into Page Setup and set the Zebra printer as the reports printer. Once I did that I now see the zebra fonts for any field.

So when designing your reports for specific printers you must:

1. have the printer driver installed

2. set it as the printer for each report in Page Setup

3. End user must also have the same printer driver installed

This also means you cannot check on the No Printer Option in the report, CR will not find the font and do substitution.

Thank you

Don

Former Member
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This is great information, Don. That is why we are voting to you as King... Seriously though is there some where to post this permanently?

Former Member
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My supplier gave me the latest driver for the orient printer.

Some people have said that 2008 removed resident printer fonts on printers and that 2008 only detects fonts in windows directory and they need to be TT

My OS is win7

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Hi Andy,

You may be correct about that. I noticed my Zebra printer did install the fonts to the OS. After testing this more Zebra does NOT install the fonts, CR queries the printer for the fonts. When I set the Zebra as the default printer then I see the on-board Zebra fonts.

I'll ping the Program Manager for CR Product line and ask him what the Official story is now.

Can you ask them if there is any way to extract the fonts to be installed on the Windows OS? They may not have to be TT...

Thanks

Don

Edited by: Don Williams on Sep 26, 2011 9:16 AM

Former Member
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Thanks for replying Don

The printer is a Thermal Printer for receipts at a shop

Model = BTP-R880NP(U) 1 - Manufacturer Orient

These fonts are fonta11 9.5, fontb11 8 etc

The supplier sent me the latest driver 1.03

Once again thanks in advance.

Andy

Former Member
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You might do a search and see if there is a more recent driver...

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Hi Andy,

I have a Zebra Printer and I see the Zebra fonts. Have you installed the latest Printer driver on your local PC?

What printer are you using and which driver?

Don