SAP Basis: Printing Problems and Solutions

Below is a list of some questions/problems and solutions when trying to print.

Question/Problem	Solution
Double-byte characters show up on the screen, but not when printed.	Create a new spool request, but don't print it. Check the output using the DISPLAY function in SP01. Do the characters show up properly? If they do, it may be a problem with SAPLPD or the device format. If not, SAPWIN or whatever device you are using may be misconfigured to the wrong code page, or it could be a problem in the SAPScript.
How do I change the codepage on a device?	Copy your DEVICE to ZDEVICE. Under the three listings for codepages, set the new codepage in listing 1. Leave the other two codepages as 1134 or whatever the codepage settings were for the original DEVICE.
How do I copy a device plus its other settings (like print controls)?	Go to SPAD->Device Print Control->Utilities->Copy Device Type. Don't use the copy utility in SPAD->Output Devices, because it only copies basic info.
I used SPAD->Device Print Control->Utilities->Copy Device Type to copy a device, now how do I delete it?	Go to SPAD->Device Print Control->Utilities->Delete. Don't use SPAD->Output Devices, because it can't delete the device if it has related data like print controls.
What do device formats (SPAD->Device Format) do?	They contain comands that are used to set features like font, font size, character set, orientation, margins, and vertical/horizontal spacing. If you are using SAPWIN, some common commands are: \e%SAPWIN%: change to SAPWIN command set \eWxxx;: change to character set xxx \eFFONTNAME;: set to font FONTNAME \ePP;: set to orientation P (Portrait) \eSxxxX: set fontsize to zzz (where 200 = 10.0 pt, 240 = 12.0 pt) \elx;: set vertical spacing to x lines per inch \ecxx.y;: set horizontal spacing to xx.y (e.g. 12.0) chars per inch \eMTxxx;: set top margin to xxx (where 567 = 1.0cm) \eMLxxx;: set left margin to xxx (where 567 = 1.0cm)
I want to dial-in to an SAP system and print from my computer. How do I do it?	If you are using MS Windows, you need to remove ALL network devices except the Dial-Up Adapter. Make sure that you can dial-in and log into the SAP system first. The server must be able to know your machine's IP address by its NAME. The easiest way to do this is to assign a static IP to the dial-up connection, and make sure that an entry is added to the application server's HOSTS file with that IP address bound to a host name (less than 8 characters long). After you have connected, start up SAPLPD. Make SURE that the IP address listed in the SAPLPD window is the same address as your dial-up adapter (from Win95/98, run winipcfg to see your dial-up adapter settings). If possible, after you have dialed in to the network, ask the administrator to execute a ping <hostname> where <hostname> is the name of your computer AS DEFINED IN THE AFOREMENTIONED HOSTS FILE, and make sure that the app server can ping your dial-in machine successfully. Configure a print device to use your computer as the SAPLPD host. The easiest way to do this is to find a device that works on some other computer running SAPLPD (on the LAN with the SAP server), copy all of its settings to a new device (SPAD->Printing Devices->Change), and change only the name of the host computer to the hostname defined in the aforementioned hosts file.
I have other problems that are not listed here	Read the SAP R/3 Handbook. Check the SAP Notes database. Write to SAP. Write me at khari_it@yahoo.co.in.