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Hilton OnQ

Known Issues / Common Problems

Please contact your help desk at 1-800-HELP-HELP or via the iChat icon on your desktop for 24/7 tech support. They are well trained on eForms and can remote into your workstation to resolve problems. If they need our help, they will escalate to Level 2 who will then contact us directly with a ticket number. We are happy to provide advice or walk you through troubleshooting over the phone or via email, but we are not able to log into your workstation, so our Support Wizard is best as it collects the information we need to diagnose issues. Contact us at support@efplus.com, or 888-337-2776, 3#.for issues not listed here.

Did you just get Refreshed with all new equipment? Since August of 2012, new workstations have been supplied by Hilton with the new EFPlus.com XPS driver. The contract installers for the refresh program have been given instructions for setting up this new system. While we are happy to advise and help, Hilton does not allow us to log into your workstations and setup the new system for you. OnQ Support (1800-HELP-HELP) may be able to log in and do this work for you. You can also do the setup yourself, following the instructions under "Installation" on the EFPlus.com XPS driver support page. For problem after the initial setup, please see the "Support" section of the EFPlus.com XPS driver support page.

License issues:If the hotel has used eForms on more workstations than licenses were purchased for, you will not be able to download eForms images anymore from our updates page:
http://www.electronicformsplus.com/update/ This is a serious issue during a refresh, since all the new workstations need their eForms images loaded and all the old workstations should no longer count against your license use... We automatically remove all license activity reported prior to the date we are given for your refresh. If this date is incorrect, and you are unable to load the number of stations you have purchased licenses for, please follow the directions on the updates page to send us a list of the workstations found on the page which do not need eForms (please do NOT include any new workstations) and we will remove the licenses from those stations which will then free up licenses for the new stations.

When you try to print, the printer does not print at all  and you get a message on the workstation saying that the job failed to print.
Our XPS driver depends on a working physical printer and a working driver for that printer; so first, please test the printer driver for your printer to ensure that it is working by going to Start / Settings / Printers and faxes or Start / Devices and Printers, then right click on the printer driver and select "Properties" from the popup menu. On the "General" tab, click "Print test page".  If a test page fails to print, please contact your help desk to resolve that issue. Once you have a working driver and printer, use the Setup Wizard in our driver and press "Next" until you are at the panel for the "Destination printer" then press "Browse" and select the working printer driver. Then press Next until you can press Finish.

HP P 3005 d Printer Lockup: If you have a 3005 (look at the very front of the printer with the manual feed closed), while the printer is showing "Ready" or "Sleep mode" on its front panel, press the green check mark button. The display should change to the menu or the printer should wake up. Press the back up button to the left of the green check mark to return to Ready. If pressing buttons on the printer front panel does not result in any change on the printers front panel display, the printer is locked up, and this is what is causing the printing problem. Contact OnQ Support for further assistance with the printer, being sure to explain the real cause of the problem. ^

 

Brand logos in the detail area "blotchy" or too dark at Hampton Inn, Home2 Suites, or tru hotels: Because the Hampton brand forms take up the entire page from left to right, there is not enough room for all the Hilton brand logos on right side, where they are presented at other brands. There is also no longer enough room at the bottom for the logos at a readable size. As a result, the brand management has elected to move them into the detail area. We have set them up to be grey so that data should be readable over the top of the logos, and this seems to work well on most printers and drivers. However, sometimes we see one of two issues:

"Blotch" or unevenly grey brand logos: This seems to be an issue with the destination printer driver, the driver our EFPlus.com XPS driver sends the print jobs onto. We had tested with the HP Universal printing PCL6 and PCL5 drivers and have not seen any problems, but a few properties have reported that with the PCL6 driver, this problem occurs. So far, the best solution appears to be installing the PCL5 driver. If that is not possible, we can provide a lower resolution image which reproduces more consistently.

Brand logos too dark, can't read detail data: There is a setting in the printer front panel for "toner density" that might help. From:
https://support.hp.com/lt-en/document/c01779018#AbT2 "Press the Menu button , select the CONFIGURE DEVICE menu, and then select the PRINT QUALITY menu and TONER DENSITY item. Select 1 to 5 to lighten or darken the print on the page. The lightest setting is 1, and the darkest setting is 5." A lighter setting should affect the logos more than the print and provide better contrast.

When you print, the guest information does NOT print (the name of the guest, the arrival date, the departure date, etc...), but the logo, signature box, lines and so on DO print. Restart the workstation. The guest data comes from the OnQ program on the workstation, NOT from our system. If the guest data isn't printing, the workstation is the cause, and restarting it should correct the problem. After you restart, if the data is still not printing, please change the printer assignments to print directly to the physical printer, and not to the EFPlus.com XPS driver, and try again.

Is your stock pulling from the wrong tray?
Did you just have a printer replaced or serviced?
If you use the legal sized Registration Key-Packet stock, you will need to configure your printer to use the correct trays. If you use Small Registration Key Packet Stock you may need to configure your printer, especially the HP LJ 3005. The LJ 3015 has a known bug that  causes it to pull from the wrong tray; a firmware update fixes the issue. For Statements, see "Statement problems" below.

When you print, the guest data DOES print, but the form image does not print (logos, lines, signature box, etc...) and the room number may print upside down or backwards.
Did you just have a workstation rebuilt or replaced?
If you were refreshed with new workstations and printers, the Installers provided by Hilton should have set up your system with the EFPlus.com XPS driver for eForms. If not, please let Hilton know on the feedback form, and follow the directions to setup your new eForms system.

If you still use the SmartBOX or NetBOX devices: That workstation probably needs to be reconfigured to use eForms. If you recently had a power outage or lightning storm, they may need to be reloaded with your eForms. Completely disconnect the BOX and reconnect only the AC adapter to ensure that it is still supplying power; if the light on the BOX starts blinking red, contact us for an "Update" email. If there is no light on the BOX when only the AC adapter is connected, even if there is a light on the BOX when you connect it to the printer, continue by checking the AC adapter.

Updates: Problems after an update to a new version of OnQ

The arrival time overprints the debit/credit card text in the upper right area of the form at Hampton Inns. When a guest walks in rather than registering in advance, the arrival time is printed to the right of the arrival date, and that time runs right into the "If the debit/credit card..." text. This is a known issue with the layout of the form provided by the Hampton Inn brand graphics company and the data printed by OnQ. The same issue affects both pre-printed and eForms. We are required to use the exactly layout provided to us by the Hampton Inn brand graphics company and may not make any changes until they authorize it. Even if we could, there is no way to fit all that text into less space and still use the 6pt font required for readability. Please report this issue to your brand management and ask them to make a change, either in OnQ or in the form layout to correct the problem.

At the top of the form, some text prints with the top and bottom cut off. This is the original hotel name and address printed by OnQ; the eForms prints the same information in a nicer format in the top corner, and tries to erase this original text. With OnQ version 5.15.32, this original text was moved higher than we can erase. It can be turned off in "Database Maintenance". under "Hotel Defaults", "Receipt Printing", by turning off "Print Hotel Address, Phone, and Fax on Receipt?" then clicking "Save and Exit". You must get out of the front desk program and back in before the setting will have effect.

Registration issues

eForm prints on Receipts but not Registrations

In the OnQ front desk program, select "Reports" / "Report List..." then from the upper left corner, pull down "File" and select "Printer Assignments". In the list of printer types, ensure the registration keypacket printer is assigned to the same printer as the Folio Paper printer if you use the registration key packet stock, and set to unassigned if you do not.

If you use the Small Registration Key Packet stock, and have OnQ 5 follow the steps under "3. Configure OnQ 5 to use the Small Registration Key Packet stock:" on that page. Otherwise, if you use the FULL sized registration key packet, or print your registrations on plain white paper, click on Start / Programs / OnQ... / Database Maintenance. Select Hotel Defaults. Select Receipt Printing. Ensure the option for "Use keypacket format..." is set correctly for your hotel. If you are using OnQ6, contact your help desk and ask for Level 2, to change your registrations to the REGKEYPHW.RPT format.

If the problem persists, contact support@efplus.com

Users of Registration Keypacket find registrations printing on plain paper

First, ensure the eForms are completely correct except that they are printing on the wrong stock. If so, you will just need to configure your printer to use the correct trays. If the name of the guest isn't printing on the front of the key packet in the correct place, or the room number is printing in the wrong place, something is wrong with the settings in OnQ. If you use the Small Registration Key Packet stock, follow the steps under "3. Configure OnQ 5 to use the Small Registration Key Packet stock:" on that page. Otherwise, if you use the FULL sized registration key packet, or print your registrations on plain white paper, click on Start / Programs / OnQ... / Database Maintenance. Select Hotel Defaults. Select Receipt Printing. Ensure the option for "Use keypacket format..." is set correctly for your hotel. 

Misalignment of rate change data on Registration Key Packet

When printing batch registrations, multiple rate change notices print on every registration, often over-writing other data on the top of the registration form. This is a known problem (defect #12537) which occurs infrequently and seem to correct itself within a day. Sadly, there is nothing EFP Inc. can do to correct this problem since we do not control of the data printed by the application.
Work-around:
The best work-around we can find is to print the registration individually, as the problem only appears in batch prints.
Possible fix:
Some hotels have reported fixing the problem by looking through the incorrectly printed cards for one or more that have an "*" next to the rate in the top right area showing that this guest actually does have a rate change. If pulling up that guests record shows an incorrect or unusual rate, then editing the rate to correct it may cause the entire batch to then print correctly.

Registration always prints even for guests whose reg cards have already been printed (pre-reg'd Hilton Honors members, etc...)

Under Start / Programs / Hilton... / Database Maintenance (you may need a manager to log in) / Hotel Defaults / Receipt Printing, Turn OFF (un check) "Reprint batch printed reg cards at check in"

Statement / Invoice problems

Window Envelope Alignment (address too far right and in smaller font) and printer duplexes form or prints second page with address: In the AR section, pull down the "Action" menu and select "Options". On the "AR Defaults tab", the "Use Preprinted Forms for Statements" check should be OFF. This option is intended to support "infoseal" stock in a duplex printer and should not be used at hotels printing statements for mailing in windowed envelopes.

Posting detail is not a statement: The electronic form option for Statements is not designed to work with posting detail. To print statements, from the front desk program, select the Other Options menu and choose Accounts Receivable. Highlight the company you wish to print statements for. Next, press the Print button and select Net or Detail and other options as needed. If the options you see are for Net Transactions or All Transactions, then you are in posting detail rather than statement printing. eForms are NOT currently supported for the Posting Detail data that becomes available after you double click on the company. This would be the ARNETINV.RPT file

The Statements and Invoices are routed through the White Paper Printer in the Frontdesk Printer Assignments screen.

Folio / Receipt problems

Misalignment of data on bottom part of receipt

At Hampton Inns and other hotels that are printing the receipt with the optional Expense Report Summary: You may find that the data at the bottom of the receipt is not aligned well with the form. This is especially evident when printing a receipt with a large number of detail items.

This problem is defect # 12,554 and it was scheduled to be fixed in version 5.12.x, but has not been as of 5.15.32.  The problem only appears when the "Expense Report Summary" is included as a part of the receipt. There is a switch that controls the printing of Expense Report Summary for all receipts. It can be found in Database Maintenance >> Hotel Defaults >> Receipt Printing >> ‘Print Expense Report Summary for all guest receipts.’ With this switch inactive (no check-mark), the front desk will continue to have the option to print the Expense Report Summary, but it will not automatically be printed. So: Avoiding the Expense Report Summary will correct the alignment. If you need that summary, there may be a patch available for this defect from the Hilton help desk; be sure to mention (defect #12,554).

Update 9/9/2009: A new problem has been introduced where the data fields at the bottom of the form (account no., date of charge, and folio/check no. as well as card member name and authorization on the next line) print far too low, almost on top of the labels for the next line. This problem only appears when the Expense Report Summary is NOT enabled, which makes the work-around above rather useless.

It should be obvious that no form, pre-printed or eForm, could possibly work for both cases. If the data moves when you changes options, the problem is in the program printing the data and NOT with the form vendor. At this point, our best advise is to A) turn ON the Expense Summary Report and live with the (less critical) alignment issues caused by 12554 B) Contact OnQ support and your brand management and advocate for a fix.

No eForm overlay on Collection Letter

Support for eForms overlay on the collection letter has been removed from OnQ5 v13 (and possibly earlier versions as well). A corrected version of the ARACTCOL.RPT file which does overlay the eForm has been provided to OnQ support and development. No defect number is known for this issue.

Installation issues:

Can't install XPS driver after Uninstalling it from Workstation

First, NEVER uninstall the EFPlus.com XPS driver. It's NEVER the solution. If it really must be removed, see below: If you already have and can't re-install it, OnQ support has found that on some Windows 7 and higher machines, the Microsoft WMI service fails,  from the command line (start / run / cmd) enter:

cd \windows\system32
regsvr32 wmisvc.dll
winmgmt /resyncperf

and once that is finished, restart the workstation. Ensure the WMI service has started. The EFPlus.com XPS driver should now install.

Clean Uninstall / Reinstall

In Windows 7 and above:

  1. In Start / Devices and Printers, delete the "EFPlus.com XPS driver" printer
  2. Critical: Select another printer in that same list (you can't see this next menu until you do) and select Print Server Properties / Drivers / EFPlus.com XPS driver / {Remove} then
  3. Start / Control Panel / Programs / Uninstall a program, wait for the list to fill in, then uninstall BOTH parts: "EFPlus.com XPS driver for OnQ" AND "EFPlus.com XPS driver."
  4. Restart the workstation (Start / Shut down / Restart)
  5. Just to be safe: delete the
    C:\ProgramData\Electronic Forms Plus, Inc\EFPlus XPS Printer Driver\
    folder entirely. If it won't delete, the program isn't fully uninstalled.
  6. Re-install the driver from:
    http://www.electronicformsplus.com/update/onq_standard_full_2.4.13.exe
    Note: the installation is in three parts. Some workstations are setup to log the user out after a period of inactivity. This can result in the installation being interrupted if it was waiting for user permission to continue. Please stay with the installation and make sure all three parts complete. On the last part, be sure to read each screen, especially the part about downloading and installing the eForms images.

If you don't find what you need here, contact support@efplus.com for technical support.

Troubleshooting e-forms installations (for IT / technical users)