XL97: Errors Printing Filled AutoShapes to PostScript Printer (165102)

SYMPTOMS

When you print a worksheet in Microsoft Excel 97, you may receive the following error message:

This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

If you click Details, you receive an error message similar to the following:

   EXCEL caused an invalid page fault in module MSO97.DLL at
   014f:307f3206.

In addition, you may receive additional error messages similar to the following:

   EXCEL caused an invalid page fault in module KERNEL32.DLL at
   014f:bff9a3c0.

   -or-

   MPREXE caused an invalid page fault in module MPRSERV.DLL at
   014f:7fc012ae.

   -or-

   MPREXE caused an invalid page fault in module KERNEL32.DLL at
   0137:bff78053.

CAUSE

This problem may occur when the following conditions are true:

You print to a PostScript printer. -and-
The worksheet contains one or more drawing objects or AutoShapes. -and-
You use a Windows Metafile (WMF) graphic to fill one of the drawing objects or AutoShapes. -and-
The WMF graphic you use contains one or more gradient fills or a large number of colors.

NOTE: This problem does not occur when you view the worksheet in print preview or when you print using a non-Postscript printer.

WORKAROUND

To prevent this problem from occurring in Microsoft Excel 97, do not print drawing objects and AutoShapes that are filled with complex WMF graphics to a PostScript printer.

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods:

Method 1

If a non-Postscript printer is available, print to it.

Method 2

Format the drawing object and/or AutoShape so that they are not printed when you print the worksheet. To do this, use the following steps:

Click to select the drawing object or AutoShape.
On the Format menu, click the first menu item (for example, AutoShape). Then, click the Properties tab.
Click to clear the Print Object check box. Then, click OK. Repeat these steps for each drawing object or AutoShape that is filled with a complex WMF graphic.

Method 3

Edit all WMF graphics so that they do not contain multiple gradient fills or a large number of colors. To do this, you must edit the graphic in a program that is capable of editing and saving .wmf files.

Method 4

Convert the graphics into a different format (for example, JPG or GIF), and then fill the drawing objects and AutoShapes with the converted graphics.

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Excel 97, you can fill drawing objects and AutoShapes with a variety of backgrounds, including solid colors, patterns, gradient fills, textures, and pictures.

When you fill a drawing object or AutoShape with a picture, you can use any graphic file format that is supported by Microsoft Excel 97: BMP, JPG, GIF, WMF, and so on.