CutePDF Printing

Discussions around using and interfacing with the Church MLS program.
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ffrsqpilot
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CutePDF Printing

#1

Post by ffrsqpilot »

With the release of MLS 3.1 we are trying to get ahead of the game in respect to the upcoming audit cycle. Since the forms are different and there are added procedures the Stake Audit Chairman and myself thought we would print out a copy of the new audit forms for Ward and Stake so that we could perhaps get copies to our auditors who are spread out within the stake. When I tried to print them as a PDF file via CutePDF they simply will not print. Any custom reports or fill-in type files such as sustaining lists will print to CutePDF but the audit forms will not.

Is there a reason for this or are we not doing something right? As mentioned above - the CutePDF works just fine on other reports and forms but not the audit forms.
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aebrown
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#2

Post by aebrown »

Pilotfly wrote:With the release of MLS 3.1 we are trying to get ahead of the game in respect to the upcoming audit cycle. Since the forms are different and there are added procedures the Stake Audit Chairman and myself thought we would print out a copy of the new audit forms for Ward and Stake so that we could perhaps get copies to our auditors who are spread out within the stake. When I tried to print them as a PDF file via CutePDF they simply will not print. Any custom reports or fill-in type files such as sustaining lists will print to CutePDF but the audit forms will not.

Is there a reason for this or are we not doing something right? As mentioned above - the CutePDF works just fine on other reports and forms but not the audit forms.
What do you mean by "simply will not print"? I assume the Print dialog comes up when you press the Print button and that the CutePDF printer is an option. What happens when you click OK from the Print dialog? If you watch the job list for the CutePDF Writer printer, do you see a job appear on that list?

I had no difficulty printing the audit forms to CutePDF Writer.

By the way, if you use a utility such as 7-Zip on the C:\Program Files\LDS Church\MLS\mods\modaudit.jar, you can extract the actual PDF files, which are smaller and crisper than anything CutePDF writer generates.
jdlessley
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#3

Post by jdlessley »

Pilotfly wrote:When I tried to print them as a PDF file via CutePDF they simply will not print.
I just printed the audit checklist using CutePDF and had no problems. Your problem is most likely your local installation of MLS. If it was a patch download, then a complete install should correct the problem.
JD Lessley
Have you tried finding your answer on the ChurchofJesusChrist.org Help Center or Tech Wiki?
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ffrsqpilot
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#4

Post by ffrsqpilot »

When I tried printing the two audit files to CutePDF I did the following:
1. Insured that CutePDF was selected as printer
2. Selected Drive A was destination
3. Clicked okay

Here is what I noticed:
1. Printer symbol in the lower tray displayed
2. Light on Disk drive A lit for a couple of seconds and then went out
3. Checked MyComputer - Drive A and no file was shown (file not printed to drive A.

I then tried printing a custom list (Unit X High Priests) to CutePDF. I went through the same exact steps as above and the file custom file showed as printed to Drive A (PDF file is shown on the disk).

So why would one MLS file print just fine while another would not - in this case the custom file prints to PDF whereas the audit files would not?

In answer to Alans' question - "If you watch the job list for the CutePDF Writer printer, do you see a job appear on that list?" - Not sure I understand where to look for "list" on the computer. Normally if I have a querry about a print job or need to cancel a print job I click on the print icon in the bottom tray and then see the normal print job status but not sure if that is what you have reference to. (Sorry, I'm not the most proficient computer savvy guy).

In answer to jdlessley statement - "Your problem is most likely your local installation of MLS. If it was a patch download, then a complete install should correct the problem." I tried printing the audit forms via the stake computer which as far as I know has only received upgrades via the connections direct from Salt lake - dialup originally and now via broadband connection. No other patches that I am aware of - and I still don't understand why one file will "print" to A drive while another will not.

Thanks for the help and if you have more insight I would appreciate it.

Jim
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ffrsqpilot
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#5

Post by ffrsqpilot »

Rather than edit my previous post I'll just add another to clarify.....

Alan, I did look at the print list that you mentioned. There was an error code but I don't remember off hand what it was. I need to stop by the stake center today and I will try again to print via CutePDF. I'll copy down the code and let you know.

Sorry, I was a bit dense about the "job list". Had to think about it and it finally dawned on me what you were referring to.
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#6

Post by lajackson »

Pilotfly wrote:When I tried printing the two audit files to CutePDF I did the following:
1. Insured that CutePDF was selected as printer
2. Selected Drive A was destination
3. Clicked okay

Would I be correct in assuming that your A drive is for a floppy diskette? If so, the diskette may not have been big enough to hold the printed audit form file. This may have been the error message you received.

You may have to print to a flash drive to get the file.

And if my assumption is not correct, then nevermind. [grin]

Printing has come a long ways since the early days of MLS. And it still has a ways to go, IMO.
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aebrown
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#7

Post by aebrown »

lajackson wrote:Would I be correct in assuming that your A drive is for a floppy diskette? If so, the diskette may not have been big enough to hold the printed audit form file. This may have been the error message you received.

You may have to print to a flash drive to get the file.

And if my assumption is not correct, then nevermind. [grin]

Printing has come a long ways since the early days of MLS. And it still has a ways to go, IMO.
Actually, I think you've hit the nail on the head. When I printed the audit form using the CutePDF printer, the result was a bit over 2MB, which of course exceeds the size of a 1.44MB floppy.

But if you extract the file from the .jar file as I described in an earlier post, it's much smaller than that and will easily fit on a floppy (in fact, all three forms together total less than 600KB).
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ffrsqpilot
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#8

Post by ffrsqpilot »

I'm a bit embarrassed, but I have to fess up that until I had an "ah hah" moment I hadn't even thought about file size thinking it was a printer problem. I went to the stake center and downloaded the two new forms as PDF files onto our MLS backup flash drive that I keep with me off site.

I got back and was going to post my discovery but ya'll beat me to it. Sorry for making you folks spend brain cells on solving my denseness!

Sometimes the trees do get in the way of seeing the forest.

Thanks all for the help and for the info about the other method posted earlier.

Jim :o
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