PPT2000: Print Spooling Operation Is Slow When You Print from PowerPoint (198207)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2000
This article was previously published under Q198207

SYMPTOMS

When you print from PowerPoint, the print spooling operation may be slow.

NOTE: Print spooling is the process of sending a print job to disk or memory until the printer is ready to receive the job.

CAUSE

Slow print spooling can be caused by two different conditions.

Cause 1

The background printing option is turned on in PowerPoint.

Cause 2

The printer settings are not set correctly.

RESOLUTION

Cause 1

To resolve this behavior, follow these steps:
  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
  2. Click the Print tab.
  3. Click to clear the Background Printing check box.

Cause 2

Some of the printer settings, in the printer's property sheet, are incorrect. These settings may include the following:
  • Spool settings
  • Timeout settings
  • Network settings or sharing permissions
  • Printer port selected
  • Other advanced settings for delaying or prioritizing print jobs
  • Device settings such as memory, mailbox options, and so on
You may need to adjust one or more of these settings.

MORE INFORMATION

Background printing is turned on by default in PowerPoint. There are two modes of printing: background and foreground. When you print with background printing turned on, you can resume work on your presentation very quickly. The print job is sent to the printer in the background. However, it takes longer to print a file in the background, and PowerPoint performs more slowly while background printing is taking place.

When you print with background printing turned off, you cannot resume work on your presentation until the entire printing job is completed. However, the print job is sent much faster by using this setting.

While you are printing in the background, a printer icon appears on the status bar. To cancel the printing job, double-click this icon. You can send several PowerPoint print jobs to one or more printers. When a print job is in progress, a printer icon appears on the Windows taskbar. Double-click the icon to open that printer's queue.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:3/8/2001
Keywords:kbprb KB198207
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