BarTender Print Portal relies on the BarTender Print Scheduler service to create thumbnails, generate print previews, and print a job. If Print Portal is unable to contact the service to use it, you may see an error like this one:

There are a number of reasons for this error including the service has been stopped via command line or in the services snap in, the account running the service has changed its password, or something has interfered with communications.

To get the service back up and running, please do the following:

1. Start the Services snap-in by searching for it in the Start Menu.
2. Scroll down to the BarTender Print Scheduler service.
3. If the service is stopped, right-click it and select Start. If the service is running, right-click and select Restart.

If you receive an error message about username or password being incorrect, see Setting BarTender Print Scheduler Service permissions

If you continue to have trouble, even after trying all these steps, check the compatibility between your operating system and BarTender version. If you are using an incompatible combination, the application and services may be having difficulty talking to each other. Please see the compatibility section for more information.

This error message is a sort of catch-all for file errors and generally refers to two things: permissions or missing linked files. Here is an example and how to break down this error message:

• Next to "Print Job Aborted" is the condition that created the error. In this example, it is a record set aka a linked database. So the label file is having problems opening the database.
• The second line says what cannot be opened. In this case, it is a csv database.
• The third line gives some brief details about what's wrong. In this case, it couldn't find this file or locate the folder that's been defined.

So this error message is saying that the file does not exist in the location specified in the label file or the Print Scheduler service does not have permissions to reach the directory, so it appears to be missing.

When you encounter errors like this, the first step is to open the label file.

• Do any error messages pop up?
• Can you browse the database in the data setup dialog or does the dialog say it cannot connect to the database?
• Do you have missing pictures with red Xs on them?
• Can you print the label from BarTender Designer or do error messages show up?

If any of these show up, you'll need to correct them before you can print this label.

If you find that the label is printing just fine, then you may have a permissions issue. If the Print Scheduler service is unable to obtain any of the linked resources like pictures and databases to properly print the job, you'll see this error as well. To correct this, please see the permissions section on how to correct the issue.

When you attempt to set permissions for folders in BarTender Print Portal, your dialog appears to be empty when you select Domain as your location such as in the screenshot below:

This means that BarTender Print Portal was unable to retrieve the Active Directory users and groups. It does not have permission to do so. To fix this, you will need to add an account on the IIS App Pool that has permissions to read the Active Directory list. Usually this just needs to be a domain account. Talk to your IT if you have any questions if your account can read the list.

To change the IIS App Pool account, please follow the instructions here.

Despite adding a domain account to the IIS App Pool, you may find that users and groups may be randomly missing from the list.

There was an issue where BarTender Print Portal was unable to pull a full list from a very large Active Directory with tens of thousands of records or more. Please update to BarTender 2021 R5 or later to fix this issue.

After configuring security for individual folders, when browsing Print Portal, you or your users are presented with an error message like this:

This could be a valid error message if there are no folders that the user is allowed to see.

However, in the case where a particular user does have permissions to see a folder and you see this error message, there may be a few possible causes for this error message:

App pool permissions

When checking to see if the user has permissions to see a folder, BarTender Print Portal asks the Active Directory what groups the user belongs to. If this check fails, then the user is denied access by default. The check relies on the App Pool identity and could fail if the identity has changed its password, been removed, or something similar.

If this issue is due to a permissions issue, try reentering the password for the identity or changing it to an account which has permissions to talk to the Active Directory. Please see the permissions section for more details.

Wrong group type

An Active Directory can have several types of groups with different purposes. For authentication, you only want to select a Security-type group from the list. If a different type of group such as a Distribution-type used for email mailing lists is chosen, the check with Active Directory will fail.

If you find that the App Pool Identity is correct but groups are still failing to show valid users their folders, please update BarTender to ensure that only Security-type groups are visible on the list. Once you have updated, reconfigure the folder permissions in BarTender Print Portal.

When navigating folders in Print Portal, the application appears to hang. This happens when there's a problem connecting to the system database. There are a few reasons why a system database may not be connected:

• the database host has gone offline
• the database no longer exists
• the system database wasn't set up
• the current user does not have permissions to connect

Connection issues

As much of the BarTender suite relies on the system database, the best place to start is in the Administration Console where the connection is set. To do so, please do the following:

1. Open the Administration Console from the Start Menu
2. Navigate to System Database on the left-hand menu
3. Review the details in the top section on the right pane.

A healthy database connection will give a status of connected. If you see a different status, missing data, or a banner that says you don't have a system database setup, use the System Database Wizard link to configure your database connection and set one up. Here is a guide to help you through the process. It is strongly recommended you use SQL authentication to avoid the next big problem, permissions. This video will walk you through the process of setting this up in a new database. If your database is managed, please contact your database administrator.

Permissions issues

If the Administration Console gives you a status of connected but you're still receiving a system database error in BarTender Print Portal, you're likely encountering permissions issues. Regardless of authentication method (Windows or SQL), an account needs to have six basic permissions to properly operate. If this account is missing any of these six, normal operation is stunted and may even tell you it cannot reach the system database. 

First check which account is being used to connect to the system database by doing the following:

1. Open the Administration Console
2. Select System Database on the left-hand menu
3. Click on System Database Wizard
4. Choose to "customize connection settings". On the next screen, it will tell you the authentication method.
   1. If the method is SQL Authentication, write down the account name listed on the dialog
   2. If the method is Windows Authentication, write down the name of the account running the IIS App Pool

Once you have the account name, you can use this guide to check that your account has all of the proper permissions. If you do not know how to do this or your database is managed, please contact your database administrator and let them know you need these six basic permissions.

When attempting to print, you may encounter an unknown error like this one:

This is a generic error used to catch issues that have no other error message to display. Often this is something related to an issue with the label or something connected to the label. With a generic error like this, it's best to inspect the label itself to locate the issue.

Linked Resources

The biggest culprit is missing resources. Open the label and inspect it.

• Do any error messages pop up?
• Can you browse the database in the data setup dialog or does the dialog say it cannot connect to the database?
• Do you have missing pictures with red Xs on them?
• Can you print the label from BarTender Designer or do error messages show up?

If any of these show up, you'll need to correct them before you can print this label.

If you find that the label is printing just fine, then you may have a permissions issue. If the Print Scheduler service is unable to obtain any of the linked resources like pictures and databases to properly print the job, you'll see this error as well. To correct this, please see the permissions section on how to correct the issue.

Linked databases

Databases linked on a label can be a bit more tricky as there are a number of elements in play. When connecting to a database in Print Portal, the connection uses the account on the IIS App Pool (for Windows Authentication) or the credentials stored in the label (for database authentication). Text databases tend to throw file errors when something goes wrong connecting to them, so this section is more geared towards relational databases.

Here are some possible issues that could cause a database error:

• The database has been moved or renamed
• The database is offline
• The ODBC connection is configured with a User DSN instead of a System DSN
• The credentials needed to connect to the database are not stored in the label.
• The database is using Windows Authentication and the current user running BarTender Print Portal is not authorized to access the database.

As there are many database types and connections, this is not a comprehensive list nor is every option going to fit every database connection. It is best to open the label and observe the connection type and troubleshoot from there. Start by opening the database dialog by going to File > Database Connection Setup

• If you receive a connection error when opening the dialog or when trying to browse the records, the database has likely been moved, renamed, is offline, or is otherwise unavailable. You will need to locate the database and check if it is available and online. If your database is managed, talk to your database administrator.
• In the Database Setup dialog, click the Database Setup Wizard dialog and check the connection details
  • Is the connection using Windows Authentication or database authentication?
  • Are the credentials stored in the document (for database authentication)?
  • Are the credentials here correct?
• If using an ODBC connection, check the DSN configurations

Once you've corrected any errors, ensured authentication is correct, and stored credentials in the document (except for Windows Authentication), make sure to save the document and return it to the Print Portal folder.

BarTender Print Portal relies on the system database for a number of operations. If there are any connection problems, you'll see a message like this:

There are a few reasons why a system database may not be connected:

• the database host has gone offline
• the database no longer exists
• the system database wasn't set up
• the current user does not have permissions to connect

Connection issues

As much of the BarTender suite relies on the system database, the best place to start is in the Administration Console where the connection is set. To do so, please do the following:

1. Open the Administration Console from the Start Menu
2. Navigate to System Database on the left-hand menu
3. Review the details in the top section on the right pane.

A healthy database connection will give a status of connected. If you see a different status, missing data, or a banner that says you don't have a system database setup, use the System Database Wizard link to configure your database connection and set one up. Here is a guide to help you through the process. It is strongly recommended you use SQL authentication to avoid the next big problem, permissions. This video will walk you through the process of setting this up in a new database. If your database is managed, please contact your database administrator.

Permissions issues

If the Administration Console gives you a status of connected but you're still receiving a system database error in BarTender Print Portal, you're likely encountering permissions issues. Regardless of authentication method (Windows or SQL), an account needs to have six basic permissions to properly operate. If this account is missing any of these six, normal operation is stunted and may even tell you it cannot reach the system database. 

First check which account is being used to connect to the system database by doing the following:

1. Open the Administration Console
2. Select System Database on the left-hand menu
3. Click on System Database Wizard
4. Choose to "customize connection settings". On the next screen, it will tell you the authentication method.
   1. If the method is SQL Authentication, write down the account name listed on the dialog
   2. If the method is Windows Authentication, write down the name of the account running the IIS App Pool

Once you have the account name, you can use this guide to check that your account has all of the proper permissions. If you do not know how to do this or your database is managed, please contact your database administrator and let them know you need these six basic permissions.

BarTender Print Portal relies on the BarTender Print Scheduler service to generate print previews and print a job. If Print Portal is unable to contact the service to use it, you may see an error like this one:

There are a number of reasons for this error including the service has been stopped via command line or in the services snap in, the account running the service has changed its password, or something has interfered with communications.

To get the service back up and running, please do the following:

1. Start the Services snap-in by searching for it in the Start Menu or locating it in the control panel.
2. Scroll down to the BarTender Print Scheduler service.
3. If the service is stopped, right click it and select Start. If the service is running, right click and select Restart.

If you receive an error message about username or password being incorrect, see Setting BarTender Print Scheduler Service permissions

If you continue to have trouble, even after trying all these steps, check the compatibility between your operating system and BarTender version. If you are using an incompatible combination, the application and services may be having difficulty talking to each other. Please see the compatibility section for more information.

BarTenter Print Portal relies on the BarTender Print Scheduler service to generate print previews and print a job. In some cases, communication between the two has suddenly stopped and you receive this long error message:

There are a few potential fixes for this error message but the easiest and most common fix is to simply restart the BarTender Print Scheduler service:

1. Start the Services snap in by searching for it in the Start Menu or locating it in the control panel.
2. Scroll down to the BarTender Print Scheduler service.
3. If the service is stopped, right click it and select Start. If the service is running, right click and select Restart.

If you receive an error message about username or password being incorrect, see Setting BarTender Print Scheduler Service permissions. This could be a result of the account on the service having its password changed. It is recommended to use an account which does not change its password.

This error message is a sort of catch-all for file errors and generally refers to two things: permissions or missing linked files. Here is an example and how to break down this error message:

• Next to "Print Job Aborted" is the condition that created the error. In this example, it is a record set aka a linked database. So the label file is having problems opening the database.
• Next says what cannot be opened. In this case, it is a csv database.
• Next gives some brief details about what's wrong. In this case, it couldn't find this file or locate the folder that's been defined.

So this error message is saying that the file does not exist in the location specified in the label file or the Print Scheduler service does not have permissions to reach the directory, so it appears to be missing.

When you encounter errors like this, the first step is to open the label file.

• Do any error messages pop up?
• Can you browse the database in the data setup dialog or does the dialog say it cannot connect to the database?
• Do you have missing pictures with red Xs on them?
• Can you print the label from BarTender Designer or do error messages show up?

If any of these show up, you'll need to correct them before you can print this label.

If you find that the label is printing just fine, then you may have a permissions issue. If the Print Scheduler service is unable to obtain any of the linked resources like pictures and databases to properly print the job, you'll see this error as well. To correct this, please see the permissions section on how to correct the issue.

When printing or previewing a label, error message similar to this appears at the bottom of the screen:

This message is a database error, indicating something is wrong with the database connection stored in the label. When connecting to a database in Print Portal, the connection uses the account on the IIS App Pool (for Windows Authentication) or the credentials stored in the label (for database authentication). Text databases tend to throw file errors when something goes wrong connecting to them, so this section is more geared towards relational databases.

A few causes for this error message:

• The database has been moved or renamed
• The database is offline
• The ODBC connection is configured with a User DSN instead of a System DSN
• The credentials needed to connect to the database are not stored in the label.
• The database is using Windows Authentication and the current user running BarTender Print Portal is not authorized to access the database.

As there are many database types and connections, this is not a comprehensive list nor is every option going to fit every database connection. It is best to open the label and observe the connection type and troubleshoot from there. Start by opening the database dialog by going to File > Database Connection Setup

• If you receive a connection error when opening the dialog or when trying to browse the records, the database has likely been moved, renamed, is offline, or is otherwise unavailable. You will need to locate the database and check if it is available and online. If your database is managed, talk to your database administrator.
• In the Database Setup dialog, click the Database Setup Wizard dialog and check the connection details
  • Is the connection using Windows Authentication or database authentication?
  • Are the credentials stored in the document (for database authentication)?
  • Are the credentials here correct?
• If using an ODBC connection, check the DSN configurations

Once you've corrected any errors, ensured authentication is correct, and stored credentials in the document (except for Windows Authentication), make sure to save the document and return it to the Print Portal folder.