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[allikat33]

I just loaded Publisher 2007 and cannot seem to get anything but grayscale
when previewing my work. Is there a setting I have overlooked?

 

[Ed Bennett]

I just loaded Publisher 2007 and cannot seem to get anything but grayscale
when previewing my work. Is there a setting I have overlooked?

If you have a colour HP printer, then no, this is a bug.

 

[allikat33]

I do have an HP color printer at home...but at work I have a Xerox color
printer and it is only showing grayscale there too. I am going to asume they
know of this bug and are working on it? Does this occur in other versions of
Publisher? I had 2003 and I can't recall having this issue.
Thank you for your quick response.

 

[Ed Bennett]

I do have an HP color printer at home...but at work I have a Xerox color
printer and it is only showing grayscale there too.

Interesting. The bug is in Microsoft's bug database at
https://connect.microsoft.com/feedback/default.aspx?SiteID=227 (but only
for HP printers, but that's only because it hadn't been encountered on
Xerox printers), but hasn't been commented on by the Publisher team. I'm
not currently sure as to whether the Connect database is being actively
monitored (as it purports to be for Publisher Beta, and Publisher is now
out of Beta for a while).

I am going to asume they
know of this bug and are working on it? Does this occur in other versions of
Publisher? I had 2003 and I can't recall having this issue.

This did not occur in Publisher 2003.

 

[JoAnn Paules [MVP]]

I reported it a couple of weeks ago. I too have an HP printer and can only
see grayscale when that printer is set. It's fine with my .pdf drivers tho.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

~~~~~
How to ask a question
http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375

 

[allikat33]

Thank you, I will just change my printer from the computer with HP
printer...but what to do about the Xerox one...guess I could try the same
thing.
You were very helpful, maybe with some luck the programmers will be able to
get that bug fixed soon.
Thanks again to everyone that helped.

 

[tari]

Mine is doing the same thing and its not my printer settings. I DO know that
it will print in color, but for some reason the preview is in black and
white. I am hoping it is only like that in the trial version. Anyone with
the full version with this problem? Not only is it in black and white, but
the contrast and quality is crappy.

I reported it a couple of weeks ago. I too have an HP printer and can only
see grayscale when that printer is set. It's fine with my .pdf drivers tho.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

~~~~~
How to ask a question
http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375

I just loaded Publisher 2007 and cannot seem to get anything but grayscale
when previewing my work. Is there a setting I have overlooked?

 

[JoAnn Paules [MVP]]

It's a known bug and I've reported it. It does still exist in the released
version. It seems to depend on the printer you are using. Please remember
than when bugs are found and reported, it takes time for them to duplicate
the efforts and figure out what they can do to resolve the issue. Like I
said, it happens for me. As long as it prints in color, I can live with a
grayscale preview. If I "really" want to see it in color, I switch it to
another printer driver (usually PrimoPDF), look at it, switch the driver
back and then print it. It only takes a few keystrokes.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

~~~~~
How to ask a question
http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375

Mine is doing the same thing and its not my printer settings. I DO know
that
it will print in color, but for some reason the preview is in black and
white. I am hoping it is only like that in the trial version. Anyone
with
the full version with this problem? Not only is it in black and white,
but
the contrast and quality is crappy.

I reported it a couple of weeks ago. I too have an HP printer and can
only
see grayscale when that printer is set. It's fine with my .pdf drivers
tho.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

~~~~~
How to ask a question
http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375

I just loaded Publisher 2007 and cannot seem to get anything but
grayscale
when previewing my work. Is there a setting I have overlooked?

 

[Mike Williams]

Mine is doing the same thing and its not my printer settings. I DO
know that it will print in color, but for some reason the preview is
in black and white. I am hoping it is only like that in the trial
version.

I've come into this thread halfway through and I'm not sure if it is
Publisher 2007 you are talking about, but I'm running the full retail
version using a HP PhotoSmart 2575 printer and the print preview shows up in
colour. I've never actually used any of the beta version of Publisher 2007,
so I don't know whether the problem is specific to them or not, or whether
my own 2575 just does not have the problem. Anyway, whether you find a
solution to this specific problem or not, if you're using a HP printer (with
any application) I think you should be thinking about throwing it into the
nearest rubbish skip and buying something else!

HP have shown themselves to be totally incompetent in the "printer driver"
area. They can't write drivers for toffee! The problems you can have with
full bleed printing on HP printers, for example, are horrendous and totally
insurmountable with the current drivers! There are various "work arounds"
that force the printer to come halfway to the table for you, but none of
them work really effectively. Even writing your own applications in one of
the many available programming languages cannot help you. Having total
control over the Windows operating system does not give you total control of
the HP printer, because the HP drivers "lie to the operating system" and are
in any case incapable of performing certain specific tasks, at least when
using their current drivers. From a programming point of view I'm afraid it
is "HP = bin" !!!

As far as inkjet printers are concerned you have a very limited choice at
the moment. HP printers, as I've already explained, are load of rubbish and
are fit only for the rubbish skip. Epsons are better than HPs in many
respects, but they have this horrendous problem of repeatedly blocking their
nozzles and requiring you to waste half a tank of ink unblocking them, if
you don't use them regularly, and sometimes even if you do. And often the
blockage is very serious and extremely difficult (and occasionally
impossible) to fix. In fact, owning an Epson is a bit like owning a cat.
When you go away on holiday you need to arrange for a friend or a neighbour
to feed it! And Lexmark (yikes! what a nasty word), well, Lexmark printers
are basically "all glitz and no substance"! I mean, who wants a printer that
talks to you and that uses ink as though it was going out of fashion!
Luckily (at least in my own experience) Canon can come to your rescue.
(What's that advert of theirs, "Canon Can" or something like that. Well, I'd
have to agree with them there). The last Canon printer I had was brilliant
(an MP370 scanner, printer, copier). It did everything I wanted of it, and
it did it well. A really nice job. And it handled borderless printing, on
all sorts of different paper sizes, with no trouble at all. It had some
limitations of course, as all printers do, but generally it was great. For
borderless printing the Canon simply reduced the "unprintable borders" to
zero when you wanted borderless printing, and it did it extremely
effectively, reporting its borders extremely accurately to Windows.
Everything you printed was in exactly the position you expected it to be,
whether you were printing borderless or not (not like HP printers, which are
a load of crap in that area!). Sadly (but I expect you can't have
everything) the Canon did not take too kindly to my spilling a cup of hot
coffee over it! I would have thought it might have liked a cup of coffee,
but apparently not! I can live with that, though. Drink the coffee yourself
and leave the printer to drink ink! Actually, the Canon was quite
respectable in the "ink drinking" area as well. So, its Canon for me in
future. I just wish that I had not allowed that PC World salesman to dump
this horrible HP printer on me by telling me nice things and by reducing the
price to "an offer I couldn't refuse". It won't happen again, that's for
sure! Give me a Canon any day

Mike

 

[JoAnn Paules [MVP]]

Whoa! Take a deep breath, Mike.

I am using an HP 5150 and have this issue. I cannot expect HP to develop a
driver for a product that did not exist when I purchased this printer. I am
hoping that Microsoft releases a patch that corrects this glitch but even if
they don't, it's not going to prevent me from using the program.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

~~~~~
How to ask a question
http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375

 

[Mike Williams]

Whoa! Take a deep breath, Mike. I am using an HP 5150 and
have this issue. I cannot expect HP to develop a driver for a
product that did not exist when I purchased this printer.

How about expecting them to develop a driver for a product that has been in
existence for five years or more (WinXP)? And a product that was in
existence three or four years before you bought the printer? And a product
that was printed in glossy ink on the printer's packaging as the recommended
operating system? Do you think they should be able to develop a driver for
that?

In your specific case, and for your specific problem, I would agree with
you. But I bought my HP printer to use with Windows XP and I bought it many
years after XP had been the standard Windows operating system. It even said
"XP" in nice shiny letters on the HP printer box! In fact, according to the
crap that was printed on the box, XP was the recommended operating system!

However, it does not work with XP! It is in fact a total load of HP rubbish.
It works (in a sort of "almost works kind of way") when used in its standard
"big useless unprintable margins" mode, but it misreports the size of its
"unprintable margins" to Windows when run in its "minimize margins" mode (a
mode which in any case still forces an unprintable margin all around the
page). And in its "full bleed" setting it is effectively totally useless,
unless you are printing a single object on the page and you don't
particularly care where that single object is printed! Place more than one
object on the page and you might as well just rip up the sheet of paper
before it is printed!

So, what's your own experience with HP printers in the "full bleed" mode? I
certainly hope it is better than mine. And I'm not just "waffling" here,
JoAnn. I do know what I am talking about. In fact I've had this running
conversation with the HP technical department (much of which is situated in
India, although some parts of it are in the UK or in America) for many
months and I've sent them full and extremely detailed explanations of the
problem. I've even sent them code (both compiled .exe files and the source
code files, so that they will have no need to worry about running raw exe
files). The code and the source files I sent them demonstrate the problem
exactly, and are full of useful comments. Couldn't be easier. A child could
understand it. But so far I've had no joy whatsoever. I just keep on being
shuttled from one department to another, and so far I have not talked to any
department that has someone who actually knows what they are talking about.
As far as I am concerned, HP are not worth a carrot!

Mike

 

[allikat33]

Wow, this is more than I have ever wanted to know about printers. I have an
HP printer and have very very pleased with the print and with the ink issue.
I do not believe there is another printer out there that could beat HP in any
area. I am however, looking forward to a patch or a driver that will address
the print preview problem. Thank you all for your help and assistance.

 

[Mike Williams]

I have an HP printer and have very very pleased with
the print and with the ink issue.

What ink issue? I never mentioned an ink issue with HP printers. As far as I
am concerned HPs are fine in that respect. In fact I quite like the fact
that you get a brand new set of nozzles every time you fit a new ink
cartridge, and I am more than willing to pay HP's premium for that. And the
black ink is particularly nice.

I do not believe there is another printer out there that
could beat HP in any area.

Well that's either because you are lucky enough to have one of the few HP
models that actually work or, more likely, that you have never had the need
to print documents which contain elements that extend right up to, or very
close to, the edges of the paper or that if you have had such a requirement
then your page contained only one element and you were not particularly
bothered where it was positioned on the page. I can tell you now that Canon
printers (at least the Canon models I have owned) beat HP printers hands
down in that area! That's not a belief. It is a fact!

One of my own requirements is to print a document that "fills in" the boxes
on a pre-printed form (a page of cheques, for example, or some kind of
application form) and I want my printing to extend much closer to the bottom
edge of an A4 page than the 0.58 inch default bottom unprintable margin on
my HP. I therefore need to use the HP printer's "minimize margins" setting
(because the alternative full bleed setting is dreadfully implemented by
HP's driver in such a way as to make it almost totally useless). However,
the "minimize margins" setting still forces an unwanted (although much
smaller) margin on me. I could live with that though because it is just
about within my own requirements, but I cannot live with the fact that under
the "minimize margins" setting the HP printer misreports the size of its
unprintable top margin to Windows, thereby resulting in everything on the
page being incorrectly positioned, whatever application you are using. The
incorrect positioning is quite small (about one twentieth of an inch) but it
is enough to totally ruin the placement of items on many kinds of
pre-printed form. I could of course simply account for the error in my code
(or in my Publisher document or whatever I am using) but then I would have
to live with the fact that the document would then print incorrectly for
users who had something other than a HP printer, and even on my own system
if HP ever got around to fixing the problem (which, incidentally, from my
own experience with them, I very much doubt!).

And it's not just the fact that HP have produced a faulty driver that is the
problem. Heaven knows, computers are quite complex these days and "teething
troubles" in almost any program or application are to be expected. The thing
that really gets up my nose is the fact that HP have known about the problem
for a long time and they continue to pretend that it does not actually
exist. Each time you talk to one of their so called technical
representatives in Islamabad or Delhi or wherever they are (and very
occasionally in the UK or USA) you get the same old crap which tells you
that they do not know what they are talking about! I've even sent them a
working executable and the full source code for it that clearly demonstrates
the problem, and I've had emails back confirming that they have received my
code. Yet nobody ever does anything about it. HP must know that every single
one of the thousands of printers they have sold (at least the model that I
purchased) have exactly the same fault (because it is a driver fault) and
yet so far they have failed to update the driver. It is this total lack of
committment to their customers that concerns me most, and that has taught me
never to buy anything from them again.

Mike Williams
Microsoft MVP (Visual Basic)

 

[JoAnn Paules [MVP]]

I'm also a long-time HP printer fan. Isn't it nice that there are different
brands so that people who don't agree with us can find a printer that they
are pleased with?

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

~~~~~
How to ask a question
http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375