TrueType Font Printing Issues in Windows

< Back
You are here:
Print

TrueType Font Printing Issues in Windows

The procedures below address the following issues with Barcode, MICR and OCR Fonts:

  • TrueType fonts are not installing correctly
  • The TrueType font is installed but is not printing properly
  • Cannot see the font selection after it is installed

Solution(s):

Installation or printing problems may occur in Windows because of the variety of print drivers available and the several different versions of Windows in use today. The following procedure usually corrects font problems in Windows:

  1. Starting the print process in an application prior to installing True Type Fonts causes the fonts not to work properly. It will be necessary to reboot Windows to initialize the True Type Fonts before they work properly in all applications. If not, the application will substitute a text font instead of the IDAutomation font. This is a known issue with Crystal Reports, Crystal Application Servers and Microsoft Office Applications.
  2. The demo and sample fonts provided by IDAutomation are missing characters. Make sure all demo and sample fonts are removed before installing the fully functional versions. The sample and demo fonts include the letter “S” in the font name.
  3. Installing both True Type and PostScript versions of same fonts on the same PC may cause a conflict since both types of fonts use the same font names. The fonts should all be True Type after installation. If the PostScript fonts are installed, do not use the same version as the True Type fonts.
  4. Make sure the printer installed is capable of printing graphics, as TrueType fonts usually will not work correctly without a default graphics printer.
  5. If the fonts are installed and Windows does not shut down properly, the fonts may need to be installed again as in step 8 below.
  6. Windows 95, 98 and ME can have problems with fonts when there are more than 700 or so fonts installed. No more then 500 fonts should be installed on these operating systems.
  7. If the font was installed by copying it to the Windows/Fonts folder, the font should then be “registered” as a font in the registry by opening the font in the Control Panel – Fonts. Also, confirm the font is an IDAutomation font.
    1. Choose Start – Settings – Control Panel – Fonts.
    2. Double click on the font and make sure it appears. A sample of the font should be visible with a copyright notice from IDAutomation.com. If the sample and copyright notice is not there, remove the font and reinstall as in step 8 below. If the font is there, it will now be correctly registered and should work normally.
  8. Sometimes the fonts have to be removed and re-installed before they will “register” and work correctly in Windows.To reinstall TrueType fonts that are having problems:
    1. Choose Start – Settings – Control Panel – Fonts
    2. Remove the fonts that are not working correctly
    3. Reboot
    4. Choose Start – Settings – Control Panel – Fonts
    5. Choose File – Install New Fonts
    6. After the fonts are installed, Reboot again
    7. Choose Start – Settings – Control Panel – Fonts
    8. Double click on the font and make sure it appears
  9. To properly print the font on some printers, the PC may need to be setup to print TrueType fonts as graphics. To do this, click Start – Settings – Printers. Select the correct printer being used, choose Printer – Properties, and choose Options to make sure “Print True Type as graphics” is selected; look in the Font or Graphics folders for these settings. The print mode may need to be changed to “raster.” If these options are not present in the Printer-Properties, check a few of the other settings such as “download True Type as bitmap soft fonts”.
  10. Try choosing a different “Print Processor”. This option usually appears in the advanced section of the printer setup. Usually, good results can be obtained when selecting “WinPrint” as the print processor and “Raw” as the “Default Data Type”. If this is a networked printer, make this change to the machine the printer is connected to.
  11. A poorly installed print driver, a bug in the print driver or a corrupt print driver can cause problems. Reinstall the print driver or obtain a new print driver from the printer vendor if it is available and do the following:
    1. Choose Start – Settings – Printers. Delete the printer.
    2. Restart the computer.
    3. Choose Start – Settings – Printers. Add the printer or follow instructions provided by the printer vendor.
    4. Restart the computer.
    5. Try printing again.
  12. If the steps above do not resolve the problem, try using an older compatible print driver: Some print drivers such as the Windows 95 driver for the HP LaserJet 5 SI will cause font problems; however, the printer will print properly if the HP LaserJet III driver is installed on the port connected to the default printer.
  13. If it appears the font may be truncated, increase the height and width of the field the font is displayed in so there is extra white space before and after the font.
  14. If all of the above do not solve the problem, then something in Windows is most likely corrupt such as the registry or a system file. Try installing the fonts on another Windows computer to determine if the original computer is having font problems. If problems persist on the original computer, it may be necessary to reinstall Windows on that computer.