Printing is unglamorous and troublesome. Invoices and delivery notes that will not print stop business directly, so Basis gets called.
Two stages
| Stage | What it is | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Spool request | The output stored in the system | Displayable in SP01 |
| Output request | Sending the spool to a printer | Status in SP01 |
Output devices (SPAD)
| Method | Content | Note |
|---|---|---|
| L | Local printing via the server | From the SAP host to an OS printer |
| C | Direct local printing | Windows shared printers |
| U | Berkeley protocol, remote | Via LPD; common on UNIX |
| S | SAP protocol, remote | Via SAPLPD; legacy |
| F | Front-end printing | To the user own PC printer |
| G | HTTP printing | Via a web server |
Device types
Managing spool
Diagnosing by symptom
| Symptom | Where to look |
|---|---|
| No spool is created | Program output settings, user default printer |
| Spool exists but nothing prints | Device configuration, network, printer |
| Characters are garbled | Device type and fonts |
| Layout is wrong | Format and form definition |
| Only some users affected | User master defaults, authorisations |