Reports Showing Extra Pages for Some Users Only

[MacroScope]

I have a large and established 2007 database, SQL, with about 20 users, 30k records or more, and reports have been up and running without issue for several years.

Some users are suddenly generating extra pages on reports which other users are having no issue at all with. On a landscape report, the extra page is to the right, while on another portrait report the extra pages are vertical.

On the landscape report, I expanded the margins and reduced the overall width of all page components so that there's probably a quarter of an inch overall spacing difference between margin and page content edges.

Remember, this is only for some users. Others have no problems at all with exactly the same reports.

A script runs on login, and everyone's local C: copy of Access is updated to the latest version, so all are running exactly the same version as well.

Another problems unrelated (or maybe not) to the report issue is an error message as certain forms open reading "Error loading DLL". There is no call anywhere for a DLL, and I can get rid of it if I close and reopen the database several times. All of a sudden it just goes in and operates as it always has, but it may take three or 4 tries to get it.

This is drivin' me nuts. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[dhookom]

I expect your report issue is caused by different printers/drivers. Try to reduce the width of your reports (increase the margins).

Duane
Hook'D on Access
MS Access MVP

 

[MacroScope]

I mentioned that I did that. There's probably a quarter inch of space between page elements and margin.

It's not a matter of printing, either. It's what's displayed on the screen before printing as well.

 

[MacroScope]

BTW, I at least found the problem with the DLL error message. There's coded references to open MSWord documents, and I checked Available References. Says Missing: Microsoft Word 14.0 Object Library. I know it's another topic, just wondering if anyone knows how to reinstall.

 

[dhookom]

I don't know what page elements are. It sounds like you are just leaving un-needed space between controls and edges of your report design. This is wrong. Move all "edges" in. At least tell us what your report width is.

Duane
Hook'D on Access
MS Access MVP

 

[MacroScope]

Sorry. I used the generic term page elements to avoid being specific. It's a commission report with a header, various columns of sales info, and a page footer that displays totals.

I had the page originally set up for 10.5 inches with .25 inch margins on each side, with the edges of controls, the edge a horizontal line for appearances, and the edge of a a box placed around the totals all pretty much up to the edge of the 10.5 inch layout. I reduced the margins to .2, and moved the controls, line, box, etc so that they were closer to 10.25 overall width. In other words, there's no "page element" that even remotely borders the edge of the page.

Remember that this is an issue for only some users. This is an established database and the reports are not new creations.

I did find something interesting today, though. One manager had been having this problem, and I used her computer but logged out of her username and logged in with that of one of the other employees. The problem disappeared! I went back into her username and password, and the problem came back.

I just have no clue what could cause this.

 

[dhookom]

Why reduce the margins to .2? If your controls are all contained within 10.25, set the left margin to .3 and the right to .45 (landscape). If portrait, set the top to .3 and the bottom to .45.

Duane
Hook'D on Access
MS Access MVP

 

[MacroScope]

All I did was to provide extra "padding" if you will, so that no "page element" (hope you're ok with that term now that I've described it) extended beyond the printable area.

The puzzling issue is that the second of these two reports has been heavily used daily without issue. The commission report is not widely accessed, but the second is a portrait oriented invoice which gets a lot more activity.

What I'm trying to stress is that these are not new reports, and it seems that it's related to user name, since I logged out at one station and logged in again using another name and the problem went away!

I'm really at a loss to figure out why.

 

[dhookom]

I'm ok with the term. It's a printer driver issue that I expect will go away if you simply set the margins as suggested. Did you try it or am I wasting my time suggesting it?

Duane
Hook'D on Access
MS Access MVP

 

[MacroScope]

Well, yes, I have tried it. I had the original page width at 10.5 with .25 inch margins on each side, and page elements all the way to the edge of allowable space.

After I became aware of the issue on some computers I put the extra padding in to try to eliminate that as a source of the problem.

The original configuration didn't cause problems except on one or two stations.

As I said, what I found fascinating was that if I logged out of the user name associated with the station having the problem and logged in with another user name on the same computer, the problem went away.

 

[dhookom]

Can you explain what you mean by "I put the extra padding in"?
Can you please try set different default printers?
Can you tell us exactly what you have set for all margins?
Can you try set the default printer to "Microsoft XPS Document Writer" to see if that makes a difference?

Some printers can print within .2 of the edge of a piece of paper while some printers (mostly inkjet) have a minimum margin at the bottom of the paper that must be .5 or greater. It doesn't make any difference if you have only 1 text box in the very middle of your report design. If you have margins set to small for your printer, you will get extra blank pages.

Make sure you have the most recent printer drivers installed and you set margins with the printer's printable area in mind.

Duane
Hook'D on Access
MS Access MVP

 

[MacroScope]

Thank you. I will definitely try those changes, but can't do it until next week. Can't provide the margins until then, either.

Would the default printer setting affect what is displayed in the screen?

By "extra padding" I simply mean extra space between the edge of the page elements and the page size.

 

[dhookom]

Extra padding" can only create issues. Convert the padding by reducing it and adding it to the report margins.

The print preview on the screen should consider the capabilities of the printer. It should be like a "promise" of how the report will actually render on the paper.

Duane
Hook'D on Access
MS Access MVP

 

[MacroScope]

I'm back at work and I solved the problem. Very strange, actually.

I had created the reports with margins as I described. No issues almost all users save one. I thought all those settings stayed with the report, but apparently they do not.

First, I logged into another computer with the username/password of the user that was having the problem, and the same issue of extra pages was evident. Then I started playing with the margins setting, and when you click the arrow under Margins (Access 2007) there are three options that come up. Wide, Normal, and Narrow.

I clicked Narrow and it all returned to normal!

I (obviously wrongly) assumed that all of the settings of a given report were automatically exported to all users. Turns out the fix was simple. I just had no idea that could be an issue.

Thanks for your help.

 

[MacroScope]

How do you mark the thread as solved?

 

[dhookom]

I expect the "Narrow" setting understood the default printer's print area and increased the appropriate margins.

I still think this was an issue of printers and drivers. You have never stated if all users have the same default printer and drivers or if you tried changing the default printer.

It also isn't clear whether or not you understand the effect of "extra padding" vs increasing the margins.

Duane
Hook'D on Access
MS Access MVP

 

[MacroScope]

I'm confused that the settings for every other user were not imported into this user name. I've never run into this before and I had no reason to suspect that one user could change their own settings and have it follow them.

Remember that each time they log in a script runs which updates each local C: copy to the latest version, so any change that this user may have made should have been overridden with each login.

I checked the default printer for the user, and it was Microsoft XPS Document Writer. I changed it to several other options (before I found out what the problem was) and it made no difference.

As far as the effects of the "extra padding", I've never noticed any requirement that I have any control or any other "page element" right up to the page limit. It should have had no effect as long as nothing was wider than the paper width - (LMargin + RMargin), but it was just a way of trying to eliminate any possibility that the problem might have originated there.