The OneNote Fix: 64 Bit Error When Printing Workaround

The OneNote Fix: 64 Bit Error When Printing Workaround
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No Fix Unless You Upgrade?

Microsoft OneNote is an increasingly popular element of Microsoft Office , both online and as part of the full Office suite. Used to collate information in a sort of notebook or scrapbook format, it can be used for a myriad of purposes.

Whatever you choose to do with OneNote, however, you might find that problems start to arise when using a 64-bit version of Windows and you want to print a web page or perhaps an online receipt to OneNote.

OneNote is designed to work perfectly on 32-bit systems; however Microsoft did not make the application fully functional with 64-bit Windows. As a result of this, printing images to the application is not possible.

Getting Around the Error

So how do you deal with this error? The simple answer is “badly”. Without any native workaround, many users have waited for the release of Microsoft Office 2010 and taken advantage of the new version of OneNote that doesn’t have this problem.

Of course, this solution could run into thousands of dollars in a corporate environment, and for something as low-priority as creating a digital print in one format when there are alternatives such as PDF or Microsoft XPS, it is an upgrade many companies might not be that interested in following up.

There is a secondary fix for the OneNote 64-bit printing issue, however, one that can be easily applied and used as a permanent workaround.

(Image via office.microsoft.com)

Download and Install the OneNote 64-bit Printing Fix

A third party application would be one provided by an entity unrelated to either the problem or the software that the issue occurs in – however XPS2OneNote has been created by Microsoft’s David Rasmussen, so the term “third party fix” probably isn’t appropriate in this case.

However XPS2OneNote has been shown to be a great workaround for this problem.

To download your copy of the 963kb tool, visit xps2onenote.codeplex.com and choose the Download link on the right-hand side. The tool shouldn’t take long to download, and can be quickly installed; for best results, agree to the default install details.

How to Use the 64-bit OneNote Fix for Printing

The onenote fix 64 bit for printing issues

XPS2OneNote – as the name suggests – uses the Microsoft document imaging system XPS to create the print to OneNote task that isn’t possible under 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and 7. The tool sits in the background on your PC waiting to be called into action – this will occur when you attempt to print.

In the application you would like to print to OneNote from, go to File > Print and choose Microsoft XPS Document Writer. Clicking OK will open the Save dialogue box, from which you will need to browse to the XPS Print to OneNote Drop Folder which is setup on your desktop as part of the tool’s installation. Give the XPS file a name, and click Save.

You will then be asked which OneNote section you would like to print to – select the one you want and click Insert Printout in OneNote, and you’re done!

This fix for OneNote on 64-bit systems has been around a while now; if you’re not happy about purchasing OneNote 2010 to get around the issue, this workaround by Microsoft’s David Rasmussen is your best bet!

(Image via xps2onenote.codeplex.com)