Types of Counting Issues:
Here is a breakdown of each type of Counting Engine Issue, as a first step it's recommended to determine which type you have.
Page Count Issue
A print job records in Print Manager Plus as more or less pages than actually came out of the printer.
Example:
A 10 Page Job counts as only 1 page
A 5 page job counts as 92 pages
Color Detection Issue
PMP Reports show the printed document used color when it was black and white, or vice-versa
Example:
A job containing color printed to a color printer but records as black and white
A black and white print job that reports color ink being used
A job that was set to print in black and white in the printing options, but still records as color
Extra Page with Duplex
PMP adds an extra page when a job is printed duplex.
Example: A 9 page job, counts as 10 pages when printing in duplex
Page Size Issue
The page or sheet size is incorrect compared to what printed on a plotter or printer
Example:
A 24" x 30" plot records as 18" x 24" on a plotter
Duplex Issue (sheets)
My print job does not record the duplex options I am selecting correctly. This can affect a number of sheets.
Example:
My print job is duplex, but Print Manager Plus records it as Simplex
Applies To:
This article applies to Print Manager Plus 2010. Current version build at time of last article update: 8.0.137.209
REPORTING DEFINITIONS:
These help define each item you will see in the reports and how Print Manager Plus counts it. This may need to be referenced to help in troubleshooting such an issue.
Color: Yes/No Field
Indicates whether or not color ink usage has been detected.
*Black and white printers will report all jobs as No.
*If black & white, or grayscale driver option have been chosen, this will also be no.
*Some complex graphics, or specific printers will use color, unless black & white/grayscale mode is selected.
Page:
One printed page from a document. There may be multiple pages of your document printed on a single sheet of paper if duplex or N-up is selected.
Sheet:
One physical piece of paper. This may or may not include multiple “pages” if duplex printing is selected.
Duplex:Yes/No Field
Indicating if a print job that is printed on both sides of the same sheet of paper.
Copies:
This is the number of times a single document will be repeatedly printed as selected in the copies counter during the print dialogue.
Total Pages:
This is the total number of pages including copies that a document consists of prior to any breakdown into sheets because of duplex.
N-Up:
This is a printing option where multiple pages are printed on each side of the sheet of paper, for example, 4 pages fit onto a single page. Print Manager Plus will track the actual sides of paper used, not the total pages in the document.
Report Sample showing these fields:
Causes & Solutions:
1. The Job is actually being printed differently than was set when you printed
Print Manager Plus attempts to track what actually occurred, rather than what you may have set. Ensure that you are reviewing exactly what is coming out of the printer, and comparing it to the reported totals.
For Example: it’s only printing 1 copy when you told it to print 2, it’s B&W when you said print in color
Solution: Make sure the driver is capable of printing the job this way
Try using a different driver, for example a PCL driver instead of Postscript, or checking the print driver settings to make sure these options are enabled such as duplexing or color printing.
Solution: Make sure the Application is capable of printing the job this way
Try printing from a different application or making sure that the application you’re using itself has the option to print in the method specified such as color or page size indicated.
Solution: Contact the Manufacturer’s Support
If the driver and application seem capable of printing the job the way you want, then contact the printer manufacturer for further assistance with getting the printer to print the way you are setting it to.
2. Cause: Print Manager Plus needs to be updated to the latest counting-engine:
As support for various printers and applications is updated, Print Manager Plus is updated and newer releases will have all previous fixes and updates included which may fix the issue you are running into.
Solution: Update Print Manager to the latest release.
a. In Print Manager Plus, go to File>eUpdate
b. Under the Server Update section, make sure your server version is updated to the current release. Select your server and then click "Update Selected Servers". This requires you have a current maintenance agreement for your license.
c. If eUpdate is not available for some reason, please email worldwidesupport@printmanager.com with your company name and license key and we will provide you with a link to download the latest version so you may update your server.
3. (Uncommon): File Pooling is Enabled:
In certain windows installations, File Pooling can cause spool files to become locked and/or unreadable. This can result in incorrect page counts. This is evidenced by spool files starting with the letters FP such as FP002.spl and is documented on Microsoft’s Websitehttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/815913.
Solution: A:
Typically Print Manager Plus will disable file pooling for you, and this will take effect after rebooting. If you have not rebooted since installation, this should be done.
Solution B: (Server 2000 SP4 2003 2008 Vista 7) To Turn Off Spool File Pooling for all Queues:
a. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
b. Locate the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControlSet/Control/Print
c. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
d. In the New Value #1 box, type DisableServerFilePooling, and then press ENTER.
e. Right-click DisableServerFilePooling, and then click Modify.
f. In the Value data box, type 1 to turn off spool file pooling, and then click OK.
g. Quit Registry Editor.
h. Restart the Print Spooler service.
Solution C: (Windows XP) To Turn Off Spool File Pooling on a Per Printer Queue-Basis:
a. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
b. Locate the following registry subkey, where is the name of your printer: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion/Print/Printers
c. In the right pane of the registry, right-click SpoolDirectory, and then click Modify.
d. In the Value data box, type the location where you want the spool files to be stored. For example, type c:windowssystem32spoolprinters as the default location.
e. Quit Registry Editor.
f. Restart the Print Spooler service.
g. All new jobs will be of the form XXXXX.SPL and XXXXX.SHD and will be numbered consistently with their JobIDs.
Non-Resolution:
If none of the causes and solutions resolved your issue. Please follow the following steps to provide support with valuable information to assist in troubleshooting further.
To resolve issues with miscounting printers we need to receive spool files for both a mis-counting job and a job that tracks correctly so that we may analyze what is being incorrectly tracked. If your issue is with duplex jobs not being marked correctly, then in that case you would provide spool files for a duplex job, and the same job printed non-duplex. For a color or black and white issue, a document of the same type tracking as black and white and color should suffice.
1. Pause the Print queue on the server:
2. Send a print job that does not track correctly, and a print job that does track correctly (2 jobs)
3. Browse the spool folder on the server C:windowssystem32spoolprinters
4. send BOTH the SPL and SHD files from this folder. There are 2 files for each job printed, so if 2 jobs are printed there will be a total of 4 files.
5. Also send the Print Manager Plus log file from C:windowssystem32pqservice_(day of the week)_1.log
6. Please send the original document that was printed to create this issue
7. Please note the following information: the EXACT make and model of the printer used, that the application and version that was used to print (Word 2007, Acrobat 9 etc.)
8. Un-pause the print queue.
9. Include the type of issue you are experiencing from the list on the first page of this FAQ
10. Email the spool files, log files and the rest of the information to WorldwideSupport@printmanager.com
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