Printer Assignments

Set printer assignments for different report categories so that a specific printer is used.

By default, all reports are printed on the Windows default printer. This can be inconvenient when, for instance, you want Patient Labels to be printed on a printer that is always loaded with label stationary, while all other reports are printed on another printer.

The Printer Assignments window allows you to:
  • Associate specific printers with different categories of reports and forms
  • Set the Microsoft Windows window to be displayed for different categories
  • Select a Paper Source on that printer for the category

To display the Printer Assignments window, select File > Printer Assignments.

Set Show Dialog to force the printer window to appear when printing a particular category, so that you can select the particular printer you need on each occasion. This is of immense value to users who move from room to room or clinic to clinic and need fine control over the printer used.

Set Paper Source to allocate a tray for a particular category, so different categories can be printed from different paper sources on a shared printer. Set Paper Source to blank (first item in the drop down list) to use Microsoft Windows printing preferences.

Printer Search Order

When printing in Communicare, the correct printer is selected using the following search order:
  1. If a printer is specifically assigned to the current print request (e.g. prescriptions, clinical drawings), the assigned printer is used.
  2. Otherwise, if a specific assignment cannot be found and a Communicare Default printer assignment is found, this printer is used.
  3. If neither 1 or 2 are found, the Windows Default printer is used.

Unavailable Printers

If a printer is unavailable, its name will appear in red next to its assignment. Attempting to print to this printer will cause the default to be used instead.

Assignments List

Table 1. Assignments list
Assignment Name Description
Communicare Default All reports except patient summaries and label reports; Scanned documents; Investigation results
Patient Labels All patient label reports
Supply Labels All supply labels
Patient Summaries Patient Summary reports, Qualifier Charts (including Previous Measurements), Child Development Centile Charts, Patient Service reports, Patient MeHR consultation reports
Medicare Assignment Forms Bulk Bill Assignment Advice Forms
Appointment Reminder Slips Appointment booking and reminder slips
Prescriptions PBS prescription forms
Investigations - Pathology Investigation Request Forms for Pathology
Investigations - Imaging Investigation Request Forms for Imaging
Prescription Labels Prescription labels (including single labels)
Letter Writing Used for Letters. You cannot specify a paper source for this printer assignment. Instead, change the default paper source for the associated printer in Microsoft Windows printing preferences.
Clinical Drawings Drawing Qualifiers (Clinical Drawings)
Service Recording Service lists
Charts All charts accessible via the clinical record.
Billing Invoice Private Billing Invoice. Please choose the Invoice template name.
Not all features use printer assignments. The following features print directly to the Microsoft Windows default printer instead:
  • Medication requests
  • Custom prescription forms, standard and S8 templates
  • Consolidated orders
  • MIMS Drug Information