WD2000: Setting ActivePrinter Changes System Default Printer

ID: Q209722

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you specify the active printer using the Visual Basic for Applications ActivePrinter property, the command resets the system-level default printer.

NOTE: This behavior does not occur when you change printers using the Print command on the File menu.


RESOLUTION

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http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/refguide/

To resolve this problem, use a variable to store the current printer name, and then reset the active printer to the stored value after using the ActivePrinter property.

For example:

Sub ChangePrinter()
   Dim sCurPrinter As String
   With Application
      sCurPrinter = .ActivePrinter       ' Store current printer.
      .ActivePrinter = "HP LaserJet 4SI" ' Change Printers.
      ActiveDocument.PrintOut            ' Print the active document.
      .ActivePrinter = sCurPrinter       ' Set printer back to current.
   End With
End Sub


STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.


REFERENCES

For more information about getting help with Visual Basic for Applications, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q226118 OFF2000: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for Applications

Additional query words: vba 


Keywords          : kbdta kbwordvba wd2000 
Version           : WINDOWS:2000
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbbug

Last Reviewed: June 15, 1999