Printing troubleshooting guidelines for CS Professional Suite

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How does printing work?

Printing is a multi-step process that translates virtual text and images generated from an application to a printed sheet of paper. Here is how printing works in regards to CS applications in a Windows operating system:

  1. CS application uses the current printer driver and Windows default printer driver to generate desired print output.
  2. CS application copies and sorts the generated pages into printable collations.
    • If the application is not printing to paper, the pages are converted to .pdf.
    • After this point, the CS application has completed its part and no longer plays a role in the print process.
  3. Print job is sent to Windows print spooler.
  4. Physical printer prints.

If an error occurs in any of the above steps, you may not receive the desired output from your printer. Printing issues can manifest in a number of different ways. Some examples include (but not limited to):

  • Unable to print from a CS application
  • Print job is offset or skewed 
  • Print job is a different or illegible font
  • Print job is missing pages

Through troubleshooting, you can narrow down exactly where the error occurs during the print process. Listed below are printing troubleshooting guidelines.

Troubleshooting Steps

Step 1: Duplicate the behavior

The first recommended step of printing troubleshooting is to attempt to duplicate the behavior from another source, which can help narrow down the root cause. When attempting to duplicate the behavior, it is important to only change one variable at a time, so it is easier to find the source of the issue.

Click the suggested scenario links below to learn more:

  • If you can duplicate the behavior from another application, then you can conclude that the behavior is not limited to CS applications. Please contact your qualified IT professional for further troubleshooting.
  • If you cannot duplicate the behavior from another application, then continue onto to the next scenario for further troubleshooting.

Select a different printer when you are in the print dialog of the CS application. If you do not have another physical printer, you may test using a PDF print driver.

  • If you can duplicate the behavior from another printer, then you can conclude that the behavior is not caused by the printer or print driver. Continue onto to the next scenario for further troubleshooting.
  • If you cannot duplicate the behavior from another printer, then you can conclude that the behavior is specific to the original printer or print driver. Please contact your qualified IT professional if you would like to further troubleshoot the original printer or print driver.

If possible, attempt to duplicate the behavior from another workstation or another Windows profile on the same workstation.

  • If you can duplicate the behavior from another workstation or profile, then you can conclude that the behavior is not specific to the workstation or user profile. If you have duplicated the behavior from another printer as well, then the behavior is likely application-specific.
  • If you cannot duplicate the behavior from another workstation or profile, then you can conclude that the behavior is workstation- or user-specific. Possible workstation- or user-specific causes include the Windows print spooler, Windows default print driver, or user-specific application files.

Step 2: Workstation or user profile troubleshooting

If you have attempted the three troubleshooting scenarios above and do not have a resolution, then the issue is likely specific to the workstation, user profile, or application. Listed below are workstation or user profile troubleshooting steps.

As part of your regular printer and scanner maintenance, it is vital to have the most up-to-date printer and scanner drivers installed on your workstation. This is especially important if you have recently updated the operating system on your workstation.

To see if your printer and scanner driver is up-to-date, please contact your printer and scanner manufacturer.

To disable advanced printing features:

  1. Run a search, enter devices and printers, and click Devices and Printers.
  2. Right-click the desired printer and choose Printer properties.
  3. Click the Advanced tab.
  4. Unmark the Enable advanced printing features checkbox.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Re-open the application and try to print.

The print process first sends the desired output to your Windows default print driver. A simple troubleshooting step is to change your default printer in your Windows operating system to an alternate printer. For instructions on changing your Windows default print driver, see the following Microsoft topics for your appropriate operating system:

  • Windows 10 External link (What's this?)
    This icon appears alongside links to resources that are not developed or maintained by Thomson Reuters. We provide access to these resources for your convenience, but we are not responsible for their accuracy. If you need additional assistance, please consult your qualified technician and/or the vendor who developed the resource.
  • Windows 8 External link

Note: If changing the default Windows print driver resolves the issue, you may try changing back to the default printer to see if the behavior persists.

Another workstation-specific troubleshooting step is to stop and restart your Windows Print Spooler, which is a Windows service that loads files for printing. To stop and restart the Print Spooler:

  1. Open Command Prompt.
    • In Windows 8, access the Apps screen. Click on the magnifying class icon to access Search and enter cmd. Right-click on Command Prompt in the result list and select Run as administrator.
    • In Windows 10, enter cmd in the search bar on the taskbar.  Right-click on Command Prompt in the result list and select Run as administrator.
  2. In Command Prompt, type net stop spooler
    • If successful, you should receive the message, "The Print Spooler service is stopping. The Print Spooler service was stopped successfully."
  3. To restart the Print Spooler in command prompt, type net start spooler.
    • If successful, you should receive the message, "The Print Spooler service is starting. The Print Spooler service was started successfully."
  4. Once the service is successfully started, close command prompt and attempt to print.

Clearing the local Temp directory may resolve user-specific print issues. This can be accomplished by:

  • Running the Windows utility called Disk Cleanup External link (What's this?)
    This icon appears alongside links to resources that are not developed or maintained by Thomson Reuters. We provide access to these resources for your convenience, but we are not responsible for their accuracy. If you need additional assistance, please consult your qualified technician and/or the vendor who developed the resource.
  • Deleting the files in the directories C:\Windows\Temp and C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Temp

If you have a network printer, modifying the settings on that printer may change the printer behavior with other applications or compromise the printer functionality. Instead of modifying the settings of a network printer, a less disruptive troubleshooting step is to add the network printer as a local printer for the particular workstation.

Step 3: Application troubleshooting

Some applications in the CS Professional Suite have product-specific troubleshooting steps for printing issues. Once you have determined that the printing issue is specific to the application, click on the links below to follow the troubleshoot guidelines for each CS application.

There are a number of options within UltraTax CS that affect printing.

Configuring print options

By default, print options for returns, reports, input screens, watermarks, and client documents can be configured for your office in the Setup > Office Configuration > Print Options tab

Renaming user control and print control files

Renaming user control and print control files is a valid troubleshooting step if you believe that the print issue is specific to that user in UltraTax CS. To rename the files:

  1. Close out of UltraTax CS.
  2. Navigate to X:\WinCSI\UTYYSys, where X represents the drive where UltraTax CS is installed and YY represents the version of UltraTax CS.
  3. Rename the following files (where y is a number that represents the version of UltraTax CS):
    • _yUSUMSC.[user]
    • _yUSSPLR.[user]
    • _yUSSPLP.[user]
    • _yUSSPLD.[user]
  4. Re-open UltraTax CS and attempt to print.

Changing printer driver interaction

The interaction of certain print drivers in certain operating systems can affect the printing of documents in UltraTax CS. You may attempt to mark one of the following checkboxes to resolve your print issue. Note these are global settings that affect all users of UltraTax CS.

  1. Choose Help > Repair > Misc tab.
  2. Mark one of the following checkboxes:
    • Minimize Printer Driver Interaction - Mark this checkbox if each page of a printed tax return, organizer, or other UltraTax CS document is being offset in a different direction during printing. This issue is caused by the interaction of certain printer drivers with certain operating systems.
    • Render Printed Images in Documents without Hardware Acceleration - Mark this checkbox if you experience errors while printing custom client documents containing bitmap graphics.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Attempt to print from UltraTax CS.
  5. If marking a checkbox does not resolve the issue, try marking the other checkbox or both at the same time.

If you've ever installed Fixed Assets CS or FileCabinet CS

These problems could be caused by either Fixed Assets CS or FileCabinet CS not being properly registered on a machine (and could happen across the network if either application was reinstalled, or moved to a new network location). 

  • Fixed Assets CS: Rerun Desktop Setup by choosing Start / Run, and typing X:\WinCSI\DSW\Desktop\Setup.exe.
  • FileCabinet CS
    1. Un-register FileCabinet CS by choosing Start / Run, and typing regsvr32 -u X:\WinCSI\Cabinet\cscabsv.dll.
    2. Re-register FileCabinet CS by choosing Start / Run, and typing regsvr32 X:\WinCSI\Cabinet\cscabsv.dll.

Note: Replace the "X" in the steps above with the local or network installation path for the relevant application.

FileCabinet CS is unique in that not only can you print documents from it, but it also comes with an optional print driver that can be installed in order to print documents to the application.  For assistance with issues printing to FileCabinet CS, see Troubleshooting printing to FileCabinet CS from non-CS Suite applications.

Workpapers CS comes with an optional print driver that can be installed to print documents to a client’s engagement binder on the Workpapers Dashboard. For assistance with issues printing to Workpapers CS, see Troubleshooting the Workpapers print driver.

Virtual Office and Software as a Service (SaaS)

For Virtual Office and SaaS users, printing involves an additional step, Citrix. CS applications on Virtual Office must send the print job through the Citrix client before completing the remaining steps to complete the printing process. 

On Virtual Office, Citrix will attempt to match your printer device with the exact printer driver if it is available in our Citrix environment. Otherwise, Citrix will connect your printer using the Citrix Universal Printer driver, which is compatible with devices from most major printer manufacturers.

Troubleshooting Printing via Citrix

The same general printing troubleshooting guidelines detailed above apply to VO and SaaS users. Listed below are a few additional troubleshooting steps for Virtual Office.

Logging off and re-connecting Citrix - One step that often resolves printing issues through Citrix is to log off and re-connect your Citrix session. For more information, see Citrix Receiver reset and cleanup.

Advanced Printing Features - In some cases, if Advanced Printing features are enabled for your local printer, it can create connection issues with the Citrix Universal Print Driver. This can cause print jobs to have missing pages, formatting issues, and sometimes fail altogether.

For more information on this issue and how to resolve this, see Disabling advanced printing features for applications running in Virtual Office CS, Software as a Service, or Virtual Client Office.

Uninstall/Reinstall Citrix - Sometimes a there is an issue that stems from the version of Citrix being used. Updating to the latest version of Citrix available for download in the Virtual Office or Software as a Service dashboard can often remedy printing issues.

For more information on uninstalling and installing Citrix, see Citrix Client Overview for Virtual Office CS and SaaS. Complete the steps in the Uninstalling Citrix section at the bottom and then proceed back to the top and complete the steps in the Downloading Citrix Receiver section.

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11/8/2019 - There is a known issue with some Kyocera printers that can cause forms to print with blacked-out fields. Advise users to contact Kyocera because they have a patch that can resolve this problem.