This article covers common Crystal Reports and ACD document issues in Dimensions, and helps you work out which ones you can resolve yourself and which require support.
Step 1 — Identify the type of issue
Start by identifying which category your issue falls into:
Slow loading or performance — report takes a long time to appear on screen
Print engine error — an error appears when trying to print (e.g. 'An Internal Error has Occurred', 'ACD Print job has failed')
Page layout issue — report prints with incorrect margins, wrong paper size, or content cut off
Statement content issue — blank lines, missing fields, or wrong data appearing in printed statements or remittances
ACD document not generating — invoice, remittance, or statement fails to produce a document
Slow loading — check the printer attached to the report
Slow Crystal Reports loading is usually caused by the printer saved within the report being unavailable or inaccessible. See the related article for the full resolution steps.
If slow loading started after a system update, also try switching the Crystal Reports print driver version — this does not require Crystal Reports Designer. See the related article for the steps.
Print engine errors — switch the Crystal Reports engine version
Errors such as 'An Internal Error has Occurred' when printing are often caused by a mismatch between the Crystal Reports engine version installed on the machine. To switch between Crystal v9 and Crystal v11:
Go to Add or Remove Programs, find the Dimensions app, and click Modify.
On the wizard, click Next, then choose Modify.
On the custom setup screen, disable the current Crystal version by clicking it and selecting This feature will not be available. Enable the other version by selecting This feature will be installed on local hard drive.
Click Next, then Install.
If the error persists after switching engine versions, raise a support case — include the exact error message text, the name of the report or document type that fails, and whether the issue affects all users or just some.
Page layout issues — check printer preferences
If the report print preview does not show the full page, or content is cut off, check that the printer's default paper size is set to A4:
Open the Start menu and search for Devices and Printers.
Right-click the affected printer and select Printing Preferences.
Set the paper size to A4 and save. Reopen Dimensions and try again.
Statement content issues — blank lines, missing fields, or wrong data
Blank lines, missing fields, or incorrect data in printed statements and remittances are caused by the report template itself (.rpt file) and require Crystal Reports Designer to fix.
If you or your IT team have access to Crystal Reports Designer, open the affected .rpt file, locate the blank or missing fields, and correct the template. If you do not have Crystal Reports Designer, raise a support case — do not attempt to edit the .rpt file with another application.
When raising a support case for a statement content issue, include:
The name of the report or document type (e.g. 'Customer Statements', 'Remittance Advice')
A description or screenshot of the blank lines or missing fields
Whether the issue appeared after a Dimensions update or a change to the report template
Whether it affects all customers/suppliers or specific ones
ACD documents not generating
If an ACD document such as an invoice or remittance fails to generate and you see an 'ACD Print job has failed' error, this is usually caused by one of the following:
The user running the report does not have the correct database permissions
The default page size in the report template is larger than the page, causing an overflow error
The Crystal Reports engine version installed on the server is not compatible with the report
Most ACD generation failures require backend access to resolve. Before raising a support case, try running Dimensions as administrator — in some cases this resolves the database permissions issue that causes the failure. If it does not, raise a support case and include: the exact error message, the name of the document type that fails (e.g. Sales Invoice, Remittance Advice), the Dimensions version, whether the issue affects all users or only specific users or machines, and whether the affected user can run the report successfully when logged in as a different account.
Printer not activated and PDF driver errors
Errors such as 'Printer not activated, error code -30', 'Printer not activated, error code 41', 'Printer not activated, error code 30 or 31', and 'Unable to Initialise the PDF Printer Driver' all relate to the Access UK Ltd. PDF Printer driver installed alongside Dimensions. Work through the following steps in order.
Open Devices and Printers from the Start menu. Confirm that both Access UK Ltd. PDF Printer v4.5 and Amyuni Document Converter are listed. If either is missing, reinstall the driver by running the Install application from the Dimensions installation folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Access Applications\Dimensions\Accounts[version]) as an administrator.
Go to System > Options > System Control Options > Documents and click the blue arrow next to Crystal Documents. Clear the Always use printer set on Crystal Report checkbox and click Save. This stops Dimensions overriding the printer you have selected with one saved on the report template, which is the most common cause of -30 errors on hosted sessions.
Try selecting a different printer from the Page Setup window: click the red Dimensions icon in the top left, select Page Setup, and change the Name field to another printer. The Redirected Microsoft Windows PDF Printer or Microsoft Print to PDF are good options for testing as they do not require a physical printer.
If the error affects only one or two users, compare their Devices and Printers list with a working user. Right-click Access UK Ltd. PDF Printer, click Printer Properties, go to the Security tab, and confirm that Print, Manage the Printer, and Manage documents are all ticked for each group or user name in the list.
If the above steps do not resolve the issue, raise a support case including: the exact error code, whether the error appears for all users or specific users, the Windows version and whether Dimensions is running locally or via RDP or Citrix, and whether reinstalling the driver was attempted.
Nothing happens when you click Print or Generate Document
If clicking Print or generating an ACD document produces no dialog, no preview, and no error message, this is usually a permissions or printer configuration issue.
Right-click the Dimensions shortcut and choose Run as administrator. If the document prints correctly, compare the affected user's Windows folder permissions on the Dimensions installation directory with those of a user who can print normally.
Confirm the ODBC connection is configured as a System DSN, not a User DSN. Open ODBC Data Source Administrator from the Start menu. If the connection is listed under User DSN, move it to System DSN.
Go to System > Options > System Control Options > Documents and click the blue arrow next to Crystal Documents. Check whether Always use printer set on Crystal Report is enabled. If a non-existent printer is saved on the report template, this setting will silently block printing. Clear it and try again.
Test a different default Windows printer: open Devices and Printers, right-click a known-working printer, and set it as the default. Try printing from Dimensions again. If it works, the original default printer is causing the issue.
If none of the above resolves the issue, raise a support case including: the module or document type where printing fails, whether running as administrator resolved it temporarily, and whether the ODBC connection type was already a System DSN.
Hosted, Citrix, and RDP printing issues
On hosted environments (Citrix, Remote Desktop Services, or Access Hosted Clients), printing issues are often caused by how the RDP session maps local printers to the server, or by stale session connections holding a print job lock.
Use the Redirected Microsoft Windows PDF Printer — this is available in all RDP sessions without needing a physical printer and bypasses the most common driver redirection issues.
Check the Windows 10/11 default printer setting: open Settings > Devices > Printers and scanners and confirm that Allow Windows to manage my default printer is turned off. If enabled, Windows may be switching the default printer automatically between sessions, reverting to the Access UK Ltd. PDF Printer.
If your local printer appears in the session but produces errors, try selecting it from Page Setup (red Dimensions icon > Page Setup > Name) rather than from the print dialog — this sometimes bypasses the RDP driver compatibility issue.
If the above does not resolve the issue, old session connections may be holding a print job lock that needs to be cleared server-side. This requires a support engineer to intervene. Raise a support case and include:
Your username and the server or Citrix farm name you connect to
The exact error message and which printer was selected when it appeared
Whether logging out and back in to the RDP or Citrix session resolves the issue temporarily
The time and date the issue first appeared, and whether it is intermittent or constant
Whether the issue affects all users on the server or only your account