Printing based on paper types and not trays

[Guest]

I was wondering whether anybody has got some best practices or knows what is
the recommended method for printing in a Microsoft environment. Here's my
challenge

I've got a multifunction printer, a Xerox Workcenter Pro C3545 which
apparently is more or less based on paper types. When I fill the trays with
paper I have to say what paper types (format, type and colour) are inserted.
This is done on the printer panel. The printer driver is based on that a user
chooses the paper type he/she wants to use and everything works fine. The
user doesn't need to known what paper is in what tray. So far, so good.

Here's the problem:
When I use Microsoft Word 2003 or Office XP I can't choose paper types under
File-Page Setup-Paper. I can only choose trays. Of course, I can choose
automatic select and then specify the paper under File-Print-Properties., but
this must be done every time and these settings can't be saved in a word
document or template. When I used certain other printer drivers (some HP
LaserJet) I get a option called "NT Forms" in the driver settings. By using
this I get all paper types under "Page Setup - Paper" in Microsoft Word. So
apparently drivers with "NT forms" works for the scenario described above. I
have also managed to find out that the "NT forms" tab in the printer driver
settings is a Microsoft and not HP thing.

Why is printing so complicated? It shouldn't be rock science any more! We've
been doing it for years but the big guys (Microsoft, Hp, Xerox, Lexmark,
Canon etc..) haven’t done any impressive job through standardization.

Anybody know anything about NT Forms? Is this obsolete technology from NT4
and earlier?

Waiting for an answer to make my printing world perfect both for me and my
users We've got a lot of printers and many common documents/templates so
a one time workaround wouldn't satisfy our needs. We need a standardised
solution that is easy to administer.

Thanks

Kjell M.

 

[Ted]

If the printer driver is based on Microsoft Unidrv, then a custom
user-interface
dll can be provided that can present paper sizes, and which translates
into trays.

The printer needs to be able to receive commands to send the front-panel
data, the mappings of trays and paper-sizes, and a language-monitor driver
uses that to present a user-interface that shows paper-sizes instead of
trays, and converts paper-sizes into trays.

Contact Xerox for a new driver, or for the programming specs on the printer.

is needed to receive data from the printer, the mapping of
trays to paper-sizes as entered onto the panel.
KjellMagne wrote in message