Cannot access print options. Use the Control Panel

[Navigating]

Hi,

I'm not sure if this is the right area to post this question but I wanted to find out why I received this message: "Cannot access print options. Use the Control Panel to set up an active printer."

History:

I was performing custom work for one of our clients and wanted to switch printers using File > Print Setup to adjust the layout to print properly with either a laser or inkjet. When I clicked on File > Print Setup, I then received the above message. I closed FileMaker and rebooted my pc. This task did not resolve the issue. I then created a test dbase to see if maybe something in the client files was corrupt. I received the same message.

I could change the printer by using File > Print and change the printer in the print dialog window. I noticed every time I did this that Winfax was appearing as the default printer in the print dialog window. I disabled Winfax but that didn't help. In the end I uninstalled FileMaker 6 Developer and reinstalled. This resolved the issue but am still curious as to why this happened in the first place. Any thoughts?

Thank you

[transpower]

Set up another default printer.

[DykstrL]

You have either a corrupt printer driver or a corrupt print spooler.

FileMaker uses the printer driver to display the screen, which causes a lot of printer problems show up in FileMaker more than in other programs.

If the default printer is a network printer, the print server may be distributing the corrupt printer driver (happens more than you think).

If it is a local printer, simply uninstalling and reinstalling the printer will not fix the problem - Windows will just use the corrupt driver. You will need to uninstall the printer and manually remove the driver(s) related to that printer - then reinstall it using good, known drivers.

To check for a corrupt print spooler, change the print option to print directly to the printer - if that fixes the problem, you have a corrupt spooler.

[Navigating]

Hi and thank you both for responding,

I was hoping that there was a setting I didn't know about to resolve this. I've never encountered this