LabVIEW 2009 Print function cuts off some of Front Panel

[dbaechtel]

When using LabVIEW 2009's Print function to document some VIs, I notice that it cuts off some of Front Panel so that some of the labels and controls can not bee seen. This does not produce very good documentation.

Why does the Print function not show ALL of the Fron Panel of VIs?

How do I get the Print function to ALWAYS show the entire Front Panel?

[altenbach]

What print function?

(print report? print subvVI at completion? print panel method? print manually from the file menu?)

[dbaechtel]

Print from the File menu.

[smercurio_fc]

Please provide specifics. When you select File -> Print you are presented with dialog boxes. What are you choosing? For instance, are you printing to HTML? Printer? Does this happen with all VIs, or just specific ones?

[dbaechtel]

OK. Steps to repeat:

1. Go to Project Explorer.
2. Right click PID_Loop.vi.
3. Select Print from Menu.
4. Select PID_LOOP.vi and Next.
5. Select Complete Front Panel and Next.
6. Select Destination Printer and Next.
7. Select Print button at bottom.
8. Select Printer and Print.

PDF of result attached. Notice cut off at top. Labels and top of Plot missing.

I get the same result if I select other options or Print from File menu..

I get the same result if I use a real Printer or PDF driver substitute.

I get similar results with some other VIs.

Print Complete Front Panel should Print Complete Front Panel. Nothing should be cut off.

Not good documentation if important parts are missing and cut off.

Print function should make sure that all parts of Front Panel are printed with a little margin to spare.

[RavensFan]

I'm not seeing this issue.  My printout does not appear cutoff.

[smercurio_fc]

I also do not see this behavior, and hence do not jump to the conclusion that the print function does not produce good documentation.

[dbaechtel]

Look at the PDF I have attached. Clearly some important information is cutoff by the LabVIEW Print function..

Some of my VIs that I have tried printing have this problem with LabVIEW 2009, and some that I have tried do not. Clearly a problem exists with some VIs.

I am not going to try and run down by observation what attributes of a VI might cause information to be cutoff.

It is suffcient that I have more than one example that exhibits this behaior. A single example should be sufficient for a NI developer to determine the source of the problem within LabVIEW 2009.

Any time that documentation omits information critical to understanding the application, makes it BAD (IMHO) documentation.

[RavensFan]

We're not saying it didn't happen to you.  We can see there is a problem in your .pdf.  It's just that we haven't been able to duplicate it.

I tried to follow your steps exactly, but I don't know where you are getting PID_Loop.vi in step 2.  Can you post that VI here?  I went and grabbed a couple other PID vi's out of the example finder, but none of them gave me a problem.

[altenbach]

I am not familiar with that VI is it a shipping example? Could you attach a simple VI that exhibits the problem for you?

A few things to check:

1. What is your exact OS and OS version? (XP, Vista, W7, Mac, linux, etc.)
2. Are you running 2009 or 2009 SP1?
3. What are the default font settings for the front panel?
4. Do you select "scale to fit" when you print?
5. What are your general print option settings (standard, postscript, PS level 2, bitmap, color/gray, etc.).