Making chromatogram traces BOLDER (ChemStation)

[Consumer Products Guy]

HPLC and GC ChemStations (sorry, A.06 through A.10):
Is there a way in Data Analysis window to make the chromatograms BOLDER, or a thicker line, so they print better? We can see them fine on the screen, but when we print we can see the axes and annotations readily enough, but the chromatogram traces themselves are pretty faint, so we'd like to make that part bolder when we print. We're using HP 1200 Laser printer (black only). Right now, the chromatogram traces appear blue on the monitor, but we do know how (in win.ini) to make those black if that's the only solution.

There must be a macro or command somewhere that controls this.

I must warn that I'm computer-dumb, so if you have a fix, please include details. Thanks.

[DSP007]

printer setup tried?

My computer/control panel/ printers/ icon of printer/HP laserjet propirties/ printing preferensis/advented .................... Print properties
graphic quality 600x600 picsels in ich
Economy mode - off
halftoning - autoselect
color- 256gray or black&white
Print optimisation - enable

[Jackus]

You can change colour of the trace. Go to Start -> ChemStations -> Configuration editor. Select appropriate instrument and from Menu select Configure -> Colours.
Hope it works.

[Consumer Products Guy]

I'll look into this. I already know how to change colors in the win.ini file, but when viewing on the monitor I like the blue traces as the axes are all black.

I need somebodylike this...

[Consumer Products Guy]

I changed from the ChemStation default blue for chromatograms to a dark purple (advanced custom color), which seems to print better on the black laserjet printer than did the blue. So now there's a better trace for me to photocopy smaller to put into my lab books, so thanks, that is a workaround.

I couldn't do anything with the printer set-up itsl;ef, it was not in economy or 300 dpi mode. And that was on an XP computer, will have lots less control on the units powered by Windows 95.

So now I'll just need to change configuration colors on all the other systems.

[carl.nott]

If memory serves me correctly the reason that I use a LaserJet 4 printer driver for all of my Chemstation printers is because it won't print in grey scale, which solves this problem. It has been a while since I bumped into this issue though, but that's how I configure the printers and I'm using Chemstation A.06 and A.09.

[Consumer Products Guy]

My printers here apparently do not have the option of printing all colors as black like my HP 1020 printer at home does. But changing the color from blue to dark purple (from 0 0 255 to 0 0 128) helped a lot.

Added 5-19-2011:
Common Agilent ChemStation PCS Colors
0 255 0 green

0 255 255 light blue

255 0 255 purple

0 0 128 dark purple

255 255 255 yellow

0 0 255 blue

0 0 0 black

255 255 255 white



Chromatography traces darker for printing on Laserjet printers

Exit ChemStations, use Configuration Editor, Configure colors, to change Signal 1 from default blue (0 0 255) to dark purple (0 0 128), then Save the configuration. This will print darker on a black Laserjet printer, especially when the printer is set up to print 2 or 4 sheets to a page of paper.

This changes (in the Windows\win.ini file) the line in the [PCS,1] section that had been DEChrom1=0 0 255 to DEChrom1=0 0 128. So this change can also be made in the Windows\win.ini file directly, and saved, and would then become active next time the ChemStation is initialized.