Printer assignment. Is there a better way? (Access2003+)

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I have an application in which when the user scans a barcode on a Work Order, a label is always printed on a label printer (which is the Default printer) and on occasion a Bill of Lading is printed on a LaserJet.

I have a set-up program which sets the Printer and Paper (Legal size) of the Bill-of-Lading report. Because you can’t change the printer once the report is opened to Preview/Print, it does this by opening the report in design view (hidden), changes the settings, then saves and closes (it does this once, when scan form is loaded).

This works fine in this situation, but I would also like the ability to control printer/paper selection when I use a .mde database or when user has Access runtime. In these situations, I can’t open the report in design mode. I have seen an alternative in which you must continually reset the current printer, but I understand that sometimes there are timing issues when one report is printing directly after another.

Is there another way to control the printer assignment.

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Can’t you set the printer for the Bill of Lading report in File | Page Setup? The setting is stored with the report.
You can also display the Page Setup and Print dialogs using code, so that the user can select a printer: RunCommand acCmdPageSetup and RunCommand acCmdPrint.
You can set Application.Printer in the On Open event of the report, and restore the original printer in the On Close event.

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The PC is located on the shop floor. The users aren’t expected to know how to use a computer other than how to click on the icon on the desktop to start it. If I send them a program update, the printer setup routine I mentioned handles everything for them.

LIke I said, it works fine, but I had to use a .mdb file and a full version of Access. So I just wanted to know if there was any other way of changing a report’s printer other than opening the report first in design mode. I understand I can change the current printer, but I is this the only alternative (as I understand there are sometimes timing issues involved with quickly moving between printers)?

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I don’t know of other methods for changing the printer.

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I have a similar situation where I send periodic updates to a client. Also using .MDB and full version of Access. She manually opens the specific reports and changes the printer settings to the required printer. Then she distributes the modified frontend to other users on her LAN; they get the advantage of her tweaking the report. Although we don’t use .MDE and runtime, I suppose it is possible in this situation she could have MDB/full Access and other users on the LAN could have MDE/runtime. Perhaps this setup would work for you?

PS – I was planning to post a message inquiring whether anybody has a more elegant solution. Hans has already responded “no” which I will take as a definitive answer!

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