Some Windows Printer Drivers May Not Print the Euro Symbol Properly (309643)

SYMPTOMS

When you are using Point and Print between a Windows NT 4.0-based client and a Windows 2000 Print Server, there may be printer settings that are not correctly recognized and shared. Examples of these settings include paper tray settings or advanced printing options such as Print Text as Graphics. This can cause interoperability when a program or character requires specific settings to print correctly.

In particular, you may find that the euro symbol will print correctly for your Windows 2000-based clients but not for your Windows NT 4.0-based clients, even though both platforms can properly display the character on the screen.

CAUSE

Windows 2000 printer drivers run in User mode, unlike printer drivers in Windows NT 4.0, which run in Kernel mode. The User mode drivers are called Version 3 drivers, and the Kernel mode drivers are Version 2 drivers. In Windows 2000, Printer Control Language (PCL) printers are supported through the Microsoft Universal Printer Driver, UNIDRV. Due to changes in the internal structures between Version 2 and Version 3 drivers, some settings are incompatible, or unable to be shared between the client and the server. This can cause problems, particularly with PCL devices.

The euro symbol may not be able to be printed because the PCL5e device fonts Arial, Times New Roman, and so forth, do not support the euro symbol. Windows NT 4.0 RASDD prints TrueType fonts using these device fonts if a PCL printer has the same device font as a system TrueType font. Therefore, even though the system TrueType font can display the euro character on the system, the printer will use the device-equivalent font for the system TrueType. Because the device-equivalent font does not have support for the euro character, the printout will be incorrect.

To make the euro character print on a Windows NT 4.0-based client, it is necessary to enable the Print Text as Graphics option in the print properties of the printer. This causes the output to be sent as an image, instead of using the fonts stored in the device. This is one of the device mode structures that was changed in Windows 2000, and therefore is not recognized on a Windows NT 4.0-based client that is using the Version 2 driver.

Windows 2000 uses more advanced logic in UNIDRV to ensure that the euro is printed correctly even to devices that do not have native support for the symbol through device fonts.

RESOLUTION

To work around this behavior, use one of the following three methods:

Update Installed Device Fonts on PCL Printers and Obtain Updated RASDD Minidriver from Printer Manufacturer

It may be possible to update the installed device fonts on many PCL printers to support the euro character. By updating the device font and using a newer RASDD minidriver that is aware of the device support, the euro can be printed correctly.

Contact the printer manufacturer for more information about these types of updates.

Use PostScript Printer Drivers

If the device supports the PostScript printer language, Microsoft recommends using the latest PostScript driver on the Windows 2000 Server and the Windows NT 4.0-based clients. These drivers can be installed on the Windows 2000 Print Server and will be downloaded automatically to the client computers when they connect to the Print Server to print.

To install the latest PostScript Printer Drivers:

The Adobe PostScript 5.1 driver core is included in Windows 2000. Since the release of Windows 2000, Microsoft and Adobe have released an updated version, PostScript 5.2. This driver is available from Adobe's Web site for Windows 2000 (User mode) and Windows NT 4.0 (Kernel mode). This will create a printing environment in which the clients and the server are using the same version of the printing engine, resulting in better compatibility.

Use Version 2 Printer Drivers

Use the Version 2 drivers on both the Windows 2000 Print Server and the Windows NT 4.o clients. Windows 2000 supports the Version 2 drivers as a part of its backwards compatibility. Because the clients and the server will be using the same driver, there will be no problems between the printer settings.

To Force Load Version 2 (Windows 2000 or Windows NT.40) Drivers on Windows 2000

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Load the printer on the Windows 2000 server. The Version 3 driver is loaded by default.
In the properties of the Windows 2000 server, click Sharing, and then click Additional Driver.
Click to select the Windows 2000 or NT 4.0 drivers check box, and then click OK.
Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
Navigate to print key in the following location:
HKLM\System\CCS\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NTx86\Drivers\Version-3
Delete the folder for the printer driver that you just loaded to remove the reference to the Version 3 driver.
Quit Registry Editor.
Ensure that the change is successful: In the properties of the printer, click Sharing, click Additional Driver, and verify that only the Windows 2000 or NT 4.0 drivers check box is selected.
Stop and restart the print spooler service on that server.
On the client computers, delete and re-create the printers; no restart or file deletion is necessary.

MORE INFORMATION

Windows 2000-based clients do not experience this behavior.

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

135406 Steps to Manually Remove and Reinstall a Printer Driver

For additional information, refer to the following Hewlett-Packard Web site:

http://www.hp.com/cposupport/printers/support_doc/bpl07374.html#P570_19697

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