When to Use SWIN (SAP Library - BC

When to Use SWIN

You should use SWIN as the type for a fax or printer at a Windows system if any of the following are true:

The SWIN restrictions (see Restrictions on SWIN Output) are acceptable and you want to take advantage of the special features and simplified printer set-up and maintenance that SWIN offers.

You can use SWIN to print on a printer whose device type was not defined in the SAP spool system, but for which you have Windows drivers.

You want to print R/3 list output on a color printer. SWIN replicates the predefined R/3 list color schemes on any color printer supported by Windows.

From Release 4.5A, color printing is supported by SWIN as well as by device types HPLJ4000, KYOFS170 and POST2. Other device types cannot send color output to printers.

You want to print R/3 list output in halftone (gray scale, with gray background shading).

From Release 4.5A, SWIN and device types HPLJ4000, KYOFS170 and POST2 offer halftone conversion of R/3 list colors. Other device types cannot convert list colors to halftone.

You are having trouble getting a Windows printer to work correctly with its printer-specific R/3 device type (such as HPLJIIID).

If the printer is a shared network printer and if you encounter network or other problems using the printer with the printer-specific R/3 device type, then using SWIN is likely to resolve the problem. SWIN uses the Windows API for printing. Using the Windows API leaves the work of communicating with the printer to Windows.

Printing with a printer-specific device type makes use of the network functions OpenSpool, WriteSpool, and CloseSpool. Not all network packages offer correctly functioning support for these functions.

You want to send faxes from the SAP System using a Windows fax program and a fax machine that is attached to a Windows system.

You must use SWIN as the device type for faxing with WinFax PRO from Delrina or other supported products.

First Page of SAP Printing Guide