SAP FAQs and Troubleshooting | Lexmark United Kingdom

SAP FAQs and Troubleshooting

Printing

Q. What print datastreams does SAP® use?
A. Mostly PCL, but SAP also includes device types for Postscript, thermal printers, and plain ASCII output.

Q. What printing methods are available on SAP?
A. There are 2 methods: interactive and batch printing. Interactive printing provides the user with a print "icon" on their SAP-GUI workspace, which will print their current screen. Batch printing may be setup by the user, but is usually done at specific scheduled times.

Q. What is SAP-GUI?
A. SAP R/3 is a client-server architecture, and SAP-GUI is a Windows program that is loaded on the user system. It connects to the SAP R/3 application server.

Q. How does a user print from SAP R/3?
A. Each user should have a printer Output Device assigned to the printer they are supposed to use. Their SAP-GUI print dialog should have one or more Output Devices available to them to use.

Q. What exactly IS an SAP Output Device?
A. It is a unique name assigned to these components, collected as a group together:

  • Device Type: the print datastream definition, usually PCL or Postscript. See below.
  • Output Method: a single letter defining how the print job is delivered
  • Host Address: an optional field that holds the logical or physical address of the printer itself, which may be a DNS name or IP address.

Q. What Print Methods are available?
A. This list is by no means comprehensive, and each method is represented by a single character:

  • L - local printing, which may be either parallel, USB, or direct network attached
  • F — Windows front end printing
  • S — LPR printing to a print server
  • U — LPR printing to a print server (Berkley)
  • E — X/OM interface printing through an intermediate process

These print methods are setup by the SAP BASIS administrator.

Q. What is Access Method G?
A. This is an advanced Windows Front-End Printing method, only available in R/3 versions 6.20 and higher.

Device Type

Q. Will a Lexmark-supplied device type work on my Windows, Unix, or AS/400 server?
A. Yes. The device type is a system-independeent transport method to install the device type into your SAP system.

Q. Can I just modify an existing device type file for my purposes?
A. NO. Device type files (usually .PRI extensions) are transport methods, and should never be directly modified.

Q. How do I install a Lexmark-supplied device type into my SAP system?
A. Follow these general instructions: readme_upload.txt.

Q. How do I modify a device type?
A. You should never modify an existing device type, but instead copy it and then modify it:

  • Launch the SPAD transaction
  • Chose the Full Administration button
  • Utilities -> For device types -> Copy device type (do not check reference box)
  • Define "Local Object"
  • After defining the new copied device type, restart the SAP SP0 spooler:
  • Got to transaction SP12, then enter ".cui"
  • In transaction SM50, restart the spooler (highlight SPO, Process -> Cancel without core)
  • In transaction SE38, execute program RSTXDELL: clients = *
  • Click the Execute button.

Language Support

Q. How can I print Asian, Thai, Arabic, Hebrew, or other characters from SAP all on the same printer?
A. Use the LEXUTF8 device type, and a Lexmark printer using the International Printing for mySAP Business Suite.

  • No special hardware needed, just add a Lexmark disk drive to the printer to hold the Unicode font.
  • CRequires purchase of 11K2990 Unicode CD per printer, containing Unicode Andale fonts.
  • Four different Andale fonts (one, many, or all) of them may be loaded onto the disk drive:
    • Japanese
    • Simplified Chinese
    • Traditional Chinese
    • Korean
  • Use of 2 or more fonts resolves the problem of Han Unification.
  • Requires LEXUTF8 Unicode device type (standard on R/3 systems for several years now).
  • Solves printing in other languages, such as Russian, India (various dialects), Thai, Hebrew or Arabic, etc

Q. Can I print Asian characters without using Unicode?
A. Yes, use a Lexmark Font Card for Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, or Korean, and the appropriate Asian device type.

Font DIMM or DLE card installed in the printer, containing only 1 of 4 possible languages:

  • Japanese
  • Simplified Chinese
  • Traditional Chinese
  • Korean

Requires language-specific device type per language (some require an additional code page):

  • JPLX522 for Japanese
  • CNLX522 for Simplified Chinese
  • TWLX522 + Codepage 9816 for Traditional Chinese
  • KPLX522 + Codepage 9516 for Korean

Mostly unable to use equipped language printer for other languages as desired.

Q. Does Lexmark support Latin 2 languages, such as Polish or Czech?
A. Not at this time. Please use the internal I2HP4 device type in your SAP system.

Q. Does Lexmark support Latin 5 languages, such as Russian or Greek?
A. Yes. Use the I5LEX device type.

Q. How do I print a bar code from within SAP?
A. Use the Lexmark Bar Code Card or Forms and Bar Code Card in your Lexmark printer.

Then add a SBPxx mnemonic to your desired device type, and use that mnemonic within your SAPscript form. This is added in the Controls section of your device type Don't forget to terminate the sequence with another SBSxx mnemonic.

If in doubt, install the ZOPTRA device type and copy the HEX sequences from it.

Also, install the Bar Code Unit Test Program, which will provide SAP Standard Text examples for the programr.

Print Output Management

Q. Does SAP provide confirmation of print, IE: does it let the user know when the print job is completed?
A. Not really. Your SAP print screen shows the progress of your print job, through the TempSe print spooler. Once the job leaves TempSe, it is completed. In many cases, the print stream output is delivered to the printer, but for many reasons does not print (paper jam, out of paper, etc). The solution for that situation is to employ third-party output management middleware, which will count the pages from the printer, and inform the SAP spooler of it's progress.

Q. Does Lexmark sell output management middleware?
A. No. This product is available from companies such as Plus Technologies, Macro4, and HP (Dazel).

Q. How does output management software interface with SAP?
A. Typically the OMS has a small SAP component that runs on the SAP server, and hooks into the SAP X-OM print interface. This interface allows the output management software server to "hold off" the SAP print system from immediately confirming the print job, as well as providing job status and intervention information to the SAP user that they otherwise would not receive.

Miscellaneous

Q. How do I obtain further help on my SAP printing problem?
A. Please read all the material on this SAP web site, and if necessary, contact 1-800-LEXMARK.

Q. How can I capture a print job on SAP?
A. There are several methods, but the most popular is either intercepting a Unix spool, or using the FILE output method in Windows.