FILE MENU Print

This option will print your currently active map. It's that easy! If you want to make changes in the way that the map is printed, you'll need to use Print Setup, listed below. Print sends an exact copy of the screen image to the printer, so if the printouts are too dark, you will need to change your map settings in Preferences and regenerate new maps (preferably with white backgrounds), then print those. Also keep in mind that many PostScript printer drivers will allow you to set the printer to produce negative printouts.

If the maps are too dark, you should avoid using solid colors. Regenerate your maps without topography or ocean fills. Topography is designed mainly for screen viewing. If you absolutely must have dark maps on-screen and can't force your printer to produce acceptable output (either through File, Print Setup or through the printer's own setup menus), you will need to export the map and then use a photo-editing type graphics program (such as Photo Shop or Paint Shop Pro) to make a negative image or enhancements that allow for better printouts.

If the printer shows memory errors, this means that the graphic you are sending to the printer is too large to fit into the printer's memory. The easiest way to remedy this is to go to File, Print Setup and choose a portrait printout rather than a landscape printout. Another solution is to regenerate your charts without using any color fills or topography (i.e. totally composed of line graphics). The third method of solving a memory problem is to use a lower resolution (i.e. choose 600 dpi rather than 1200 dpi, or 300 dpi rather than 600 dpi in your printer setup). The final and best solution is to increase the amount of RAM in your printer by installing a SIMM memory module. Your printer will require a total minimum amount of 2 MB of RAM, but will work best with 4 MB or more.

Some users report problems printing to HP LaserJet and a couple of other printers (such as getting blank pages). This is usually a problem with the Windows PCL 5 print driver and is beyond the control of Digital Atmosphere. Solutions for this that have been documented are changing the resolution from 600 to 300 dpi or change the print mode from "vector" to "raster". If your printer is equipped with a PostScript option, always use the PostScript mode for 600-dpi printing. Overall, this printing problem is not specific to Digital Atmosphere and may occur with other applications that make extensive use of the PCL driver.

HP Laserjet 4si / HP Laserjet 4000 / HP Laserjet 4+.

Windows 95. Landscape mode tends to generate blank pages, and portrait tends to print garbled maps when using PCL5. PCL 6 tends to fix the problem.

Windows 98. No problems.

Canon BJC-240.

Windows 95. Problems with Canon BJC-240, with latest driver, with maps coming out extremely garbled in both landscape and portrait modes.

Windows 98. No problems.

Windows 98. Prints blank pages.