Question 1

Why is my check data printing as a graphic instead of readable text?

Accepted Answer

When Wycom receives check data as a graphic image rather than as text, it cannot read and position the check fields correctly. This is one of the most common issues in check printing setups and has several possible root causes. Work through the sections below to identify which applies to your environment.

First step — change the Graphics Mode setting in the printer driver:

This resolves the issue in many cases:
Go to Control Panel → Devices and Printers.
Right-click the Wycom printer and select Printer Properties.
Click the Advanced tab, then click Printing Defaults.
Click the Advanced tab in the Printing Defaults window.
Find the Graphics Mode dropdown and select Send Graphics as Raster.
Click Apply, then OK.
Back on Printer Properties, click the General tab, then click Preferences.
Click the Advanced tab again, find the Graphics Mode dropdown, and select Send Graphics as Raster.
Click Apply, then OK.

Also check: Default Data Type
Right-click the Wycom printer and go to Printer Properties → Advanced tab.
Click Print Processor.
Under Default Data Type on the right, select TEXT.

Other common root causes:

1. Font auto-resize is enabled in your software
 Some check templates automatically shrink fonts to force data to fit a field. This can cause the data to render as a graphic. Solution: use text wrap with a smaller fixed font size rather than allowing automatic resizing.

2. Crystal Reports
 Crystal Reports generates the print job targeted to a specific printer, which causes it to render as a graphic. Fix: in Crystal Reports, set the printer to No Printer — Optimize for Screen display.

3. Field box too small for the data
 If a field box on the check template is drawn smaller than the data it receives, the data is converted to a graphic to fit. The field needs to be resized in the check template.

4. Calculated fields
 Some software (including MAS90 and Crystal Reports) always renders calculated fields — such as check amounts derived from a formula — as graphics. The fix is to pass a separate, non-calculated numeric field for the dollar amount.

5. Terminal Server Easy Print driver
 If users are printing through Remote Desktop / Terminal Services, Windows may be routing the job through the "Easy Print" driver instead of the configured PCL 5 driver. Fix: configure the print job to use a redirected printer pointed to a printer on the user's local computer, bypassing Easy Print. Server-wide or per-user configuration is also possible. Contact Wycom Support for step-by-step instructions if you are in a Terminal Server environment.

6. Printing from a PDF
 Different PDF applications send print data differently — one program may send text while another renders the entire page as a graphic. If you recently switched PDF viewers (e.g., from Adobe Reader to another program), that may be the cause.
Try these steps:
Try a different PDF viewer. If one program sends graphics, another may send text.
Change how you print the PDF. Printing directly from the PDF viewer versus saving the PDF first and then printing it can produce different results.
Adjust print settings in the PDF application's print dialog: change the zoom level, disable "Fit to page," and disable "Auto rotate and center."
Also: standardize the version of Adobe Reader (or whichever PDF viewer you use) across all workstations and disable automatic updates. If the viewer updates, the check programming may need to be adjusted to match. Keep an installation file backed up on a shared server.

7. Accessing accounting software through a web browser
 If users access the accounting system through a web browser rather than a desktop application, different browsers may send the check data differently. One browser may send it as text while another renders it as a graphic. If the issue started after switching browsers, try printing from a different browser to see if the data comes through as text.

8. Printing from Linux (CUPS)
 Linux's CUPS print backend can render the entire job as a graphic even when using a PCL 5 driver. Alternatives:
Send the job via LPR as a plain text stream
Configure the software to print to a Dot Matrix printer type, which can produce the desired plain-text output

Question 2

Why do my checks sometimes pull from the wrong printer tray?

Accepted Answer

This is often a tray-linking issue at the printer level. When two trays are set to the same paper type, the printer treats them as interchangeable and may pull from either one.

Fix:
Set the two trays to different paper types in the printer's control panel:
Set Tray 1 Type = Plain and Tray 2 Type = Any (or any two distinct types).
Set the paper size on both trays to Letter. If either tray size is set to "Any," the printer will not reliably pull from the intended tray.

This change is made directly on the printer — not in Windows or Wycom — using the buttons and menu on the printer itself.

This issue can also be caused by using different printer makes, like HP vs Lexmark. If you are using a new printer manufacturer, please contact Wycom Support (support@wycomsystems.com) for troubleshooting.

Question 3

Nothing prints when I send a check — what should I check?

Accepted Answer

When checks are sent to the printer but nothing comes out, start with the basics and work through the list.

1. Reboot the Wycom unit and the printer.
 This resolves the issue more often than you'd expect. Power off the Wycom unit, then the printer. Turn the printer back on first, wait for it to be ready, then turn the Wycom unit back on.

2. Check for printer errors.
 Look at the printer's display panel for paper jams, toner warnings, or other error conditions.

3. Verify IP addresses haven't changed.
 If the network changed or equipment was moved, the Wycom unit, printer, or Windows printer port may be pointing to the wrong address.
Confirm the Windows printer port points to the Wycom unit's IP (not the printer's IP directly)
Confirm the Wycom unit's printer queue points to the correct printer IP
Try pinging both the Wycom unit and the printer from the workstation to verify network connectivity

4. Check the Windows printer port number.
 The port number in Windows must match the incoming port configured on the Wycom unit. If you recently reinstalled the printer in Windows, the port may have defaulted to 9100 when it should be a different number (e.g., 9101). Check the Wycom web portal under Printers to confirm the correct port.

5. Check for if SNMP is enabled.
 If SNMP Status Enabled is checked in the Windows port configuration, it can prevent jobs from being sent. Open the printer's port settings and make sure SNMP Status Enabled is unchecked.

If none of the above resolves the issue, contact Wycom Support (support@wycomsystems.com).

Question 4

Why are checks printing garbage or unreadable characters?

Accepted Answer

This almost always means the workstation is printing with a PCL 6 driver instead of a PCL 5 driver. PCL 6 (also called PCL XL) sends data in a format the Wycom unit cannot interpret, which results in garbage output.

How to fix it:

Open Control Panel → Devices and Printers.
Right-click the check printer and select Printer Properties.
Click the Advanced tab, then check the driver name.
If the driver says "PCL 6," "PCL XL," or "PostScript," it needs to be changed to a PCL 5 driver.
See How do I add the Wycom unit as a printer in Windows? for instructions on installing the correct driver.

Other possible causes:

Bidirectional support is enabled — in Printer Properties, click the Ports tab and unche#ck Enable bidirectional support
SNMP is enabled — in the port configuration, make sure SNMP Status Enabled is unchecked

Question 5

My checks are printing but not signing — what should I check?

Accepted Answer

When checks print but the Wycom unit is not adding signatures, form overlays, or MICR lines, the most common causes are a driver change or the print job not going through the Wycom unit at all.

1. Has the printer driver changed?
Wycom programming is built against a specific printer driver. If anything has changed — a new driver was installed, Windows was upgraded, a new workstation was set up, or Windows Update modified font rendering — the data stream may no longer match what the unit expects.
Check whether the same PCL 5 driver is installed on the workstation as on other working machines at the site
If the driver changed, switch back to the original driver and test again
If the original driver is no longer available, contact Wycom Support (support@wycomsystems.com) — reprogramming may be required

2. Is the print job actually going through the Wycom unit?
If the checks print normally but without any Wycom processing (no signatures, no overlay, no MICR line), the job may be going directly to the printer instead of through the Wycom unit.
Open Printer Properties for the check printer and click the Ports tab
Verify the IP address listed is the Wycom unit's IP, not the printer's IP
The Wycom unit receives the job first, processes it, and then forwards it to the printer

3. Is the Executive key in the correct position?
On Omni and Premier units, the Executive key must be in the Online position for the unit to process print jobs. If the key has been turned to Configure or Keyboard, the unit will not sign checks.

FAQ

Why is my check data printing as a graphic instead of readable text?

Why do my checks sometimes pull from the wrong printer tray?

Nothing prints when I send a check — what should I check?

Why are checks printing garbage or unreadable characters?

My checks are printing but not signing — what should I check?

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