Black backgrounds

[HazMatt]

Here are some old, but still relevant topics I found:

http://fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/30888/

http://fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/38815/

http://fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/30222/

I have tested this with two specific printers:

Kyocera-Mita KM-2550

HP LaserJet 5100

I upgraded one of our workstations from Mac OS X 10.4 to 10.5, and now my printouts are displaying black backgrounds around some fields and all of my images are nearly 100% blacked out. I fixed the black fields by setting the fill pattern to transparent (they were white before), but I am at a loss as to why the images are still misbehaving. Complicating this issue is the fact that copy 2 of a print job covers the entire printable area of the page in a nice, toner-wasting black (which, by the way, does not seem to happen on the KM; only the HP).

Based on BobWeaver's assertion that this has most to do with the respective print drivers, I fear there is little that I can do to solve this problem. I find that managing print drivers on the Mac is very difficult. Apple doesn't help by drastically changing the print architecture with each new OS release.

I've ruled out the idea of portals being the culprit by deleting them then attempting the same print; the same symptoms occur, with or without portals.

So, basically I'm posting this information for posterity unless some kind soul can help me sort out print drivers on the Mac.

[HazMatt]

Here's the attachment again; the original didn't work due to a database error of some sort.

[HazMatt]

Well, I'm not any closer to fixing this problem, but I've discovered that this black background behavior happens on several different print drivers on no less than three different printer brands:

HP LaserJet 5100

Kyocera-Mita KM-2550

Star TSP 600 (receipt printer)

What can I do???

[HazMatt]

I ended up rolling back to Mac OS 10.4 on the affected computers. I guess this could be considered a "fail", lol. At any rate, hopefully this thread can help someone else.

[HazMatt]

Just an update… this problem does not appear to have been fixed as of FileMaker 10.0v3. I just tested this in the trial version and am still getting blackness printed over everything.

[Vaughan]

Are these printers using PCL or PostScript? My guess is PCL. Try installing a PS driver.