Q: I hooked up my USB printer to a different USB port, and it installed the driver again. Now my prints dont print—how do I get my printer to work?
A: Any time you insert a USB printer into a USB port other than the one that it was originally installed on, the system thinks it is a new piece of hardware. To fix this, simply delete the old driver for the printer, and locate the newly installed driver and rename it to the name of the original driver. Restart the machine, and the prints will now print to that printer. It may also be necessary to check the Windows printer settings in the Printer Configuration to make sure that it is still pointing to the correct printer driver and that the appropriate APM products are setup to print to it.
Q: Can I use dye sub printers that are connected to another machine to print orders from the APM?
A: Yes, the printers will need to be shared on the machine they are connected to and the APM and the Print Server computer will need to be able to see each other across the network. The apmconfig_printstation.xml file will need to be modified; contact Support for assistance.
Q: Can I setup multiple printers of the same model and type to print an order and speed up the process?
A: Yes. However, the printers must be the same make and model number. You must also have version 3.0 or higher of the APM software installed. Please contact Support for more information.
Q: What is the best way to print multiple sizes with a dye sub printer?
A: Since the dye sub printers are using a Windows driver and most of the printers have different ribbon and paper types for different sizes, it is best to have a single printer dedicated for a single size. Otherwise, you will have to go in and change paper and ribbon in front of your customers.
Q: My printer ran out of paper during an order, what is the best way to put in new paper?
A: If you printer runs out of paper during an order, you will need to open the printer and replace the ribbon and/or roll while the printer is on. You do not need to close the APM software or shut down the computer. If you do, your printer may reprint the entire order. There may be a printer driver warning or error that appears on the screen. Do not click OK until you have changed out the paper and put the printer back online.
Q: My dye sub printer does not print my images, but the printer is on.
A: Make sure that the printer is online and properly connected. This can be done by making sure that there is a green light above the Online button. If not, then press the Online button.
Q: What driver should I use?
A: Use the latest windows drivers that the manufacturer has available. While the drivers on the supplied CD are sufficient, the latest ones posted on the manufacturer’s site may offer more functionality and improvements. To configure the software to print to this driver setup a generic windows printer driver in the Setup Wizard.
Q: There is a white border on one side of the print, what should I do?
A: The APM software drops the image on the printer driver; at that point the output is completely dependent on the printer. First, check to make sure that the latest driver and/or firmware is installed for the printer. If there is a white border on one side of the print, then that may indicate that the paper is loaded incorrectly. Check the printer, reload the paper, and make sure that the paper guides are not bent. If the issue persists, then there may be some other options such as adjusting the size to greater than 100% to account for the difference. Directions on how to do this will vary from printer to printer.
Q: How do I stop an order once it is sent to the express printer?
A: To cancel an order once it has been sent to the express printer, minimize the APM software from the admin screens to get to the Windows desktop. Find the icon for the APM Print Server in the taskbar near the clock. The icon will look like a printer covered with a red flag. Double-click on this icon and then click the Quit button in the bottom, right corner. Now go to C:\APM_TRANSFER\Orders\express. If there are any orders in here, cut and paste them into C:\APM_TRANSFER\Orders\printserver_backup. Once the Print Server is stopped and the express folder is empty, cancel any documents currently in the windows printer queue, then reboot the system.
Q: Can I adjust the color of the output?
A: The color output of the printer is done within the printer driver and not within the APM software. Go to the Printers and Faxes menu and right-click on the printer driver and select the Properties button. If the color can be adjusted, it will be in the Properties menu. More often than not, ICC profiles can also be used as well, but this will vary from printer to printer. Some printers have settings to allow the minilab software to apply color correction. Please reference the settings for your particular interface in the Appendix, or if a dye sub printer is used, please reference the manual that came with the printer to change the driver settings.
Q: I added more products to my APMs and/or added an APM to my kiosk lineup, why are they not printing?
A: If the orders are being sent to Lab 50, first make sure that the APM has been added to the incoming paths list in the Settings > Order Management > Import screen. Also make sure that the Lab 50 and APM machines can see each other across the network and that the necessary fulfillments are setup to send orders to Lab 50. Make sure that all products are setup for printing in Lab 50, and that the interfaces they are assigned to are configured properly as well.
**Note: For example, 8x10 Prints, 8x10 Greeting Cards and 8x10 Wall Art are considered to be 3 unique products by the APM software. Therefore, each will need to be assigned to the printer and configured in a printer interface, as necessary. Failing to account for an offered product will cause orders to fail.