I cannot print from the "Photos" app using "FinePrint" software

I have Windows 11 Home (22631.3007) on my recently purchased laptop with the pre-installed Microsoft app Photos (latest version 2024.11010.10002.0) and a software called FinePrint, a Windows printer driver that controls and enhances your print job (e.g. deletes certain pages from the print job, etc.), latest version 11.41. Unfortunately, these two programs do not work together. Here are the facts:

- Printing from the app Photos works with all my (real) printers or e.g. also with Microsoft Print to PDF, except with FinePrint.

- The FinePrint program, on the other hand, prints from any program/app that can print (I have tried dozens) except with Photos. FinePrint even prints from the old version of Photos (is still present in Windows 11: rundll32.exe "%ProgramFiles%\Windows Photo Viewer\PhotoViewer.dll", ImageView_Fullscreen %1).

- However, if I select the FinePrint printer from Photos and want to print, the error message File "C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\~FPE831.fp not found" (FPE831.fp is a FinePrint file) appears. You can also save the print job in FinePrint instead of printing it, but then the error message "The path is not available. C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\systemprofile\Desktop is not available. [...]". I spoke to the developers of FinePrint: FinePrint does not use these two paths.

- The manufacturer of FinePrint claims not to have these problems.

- I have of course already uninstalled and reinstalled Photos and FinePrint several times. No change.

- I tried to fix the problem myself: I gave myself write permissions to C:\WINDOWS\TEMP and created the (non-existent) folder C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\systemprofile\Desktop. Now I no longer get the two error messages and can print from Photos with FinePrint, but unfortunately not always: Sometimes I have to give the print command up to 10 times in quick succession to be successful. So far it has always worked before the 10th time, but I have not discovered a rule.

Although I am a developer myself (.NET, Android) and have spent about 10 hours researching this problem on the Internet (e.g. here), I cannot explain these effects and am at a loss. Does anyone have a tip on how to solve this issue? Thanks a lot!

Have you tried giving the FinePrint.exe permission to run as administrator using Compatibility or given Users full permissions for the executable?

I am thinking that might explain the missing files if FinePrint does not have permission to write them.

It's worth a shot at least ... lol

@trumpy81 Thanks for this input. FinePrint has two exe files in C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\x64\3: fpdisp11.exe and fpinst11.exe (and a ton of DLLs). I gave both permission to run as administrator using Compatibility, but without success. On the contrary: I could then no longer print with FinePrint from other programs such as Notepad, Word, etc. There was an error message "Internal error: PrepareDispacher was unable to launch the dispatcher". I removed the permissions again and everything is back as described above.

PS: I forgot the following remark in my original thread:

- The Windows 11 Event Viewer reports when printing fails: "Print driver host for applications has stopped working".

AH OK, that puts a different twist on things. If the process is falling over then that would indicate an installation problem or an app problem of some description.

You said that you discussed this with the developer, did you mention the failing process to them?

Have you tried running SFC and DISM?

I wrote to the developer what my post #1 says (i.e. that FinePrint from Photos doesn't work at all and gives error messages), and without mentioning my own attempts at a solution. I only tried to find my own solution when the developer couldn't give me any further tips apart from "Everything works for us". With my own changes (write permission on TEMP, a non-existent folder created) I only have a bad solution. The first print attempt usually works 50% of the time. If not, or if I want to print more pictures with FinePrint, I have to give the command up to 10 times in the Photo App. In these unsuccessful attempts (with no reaction from FinePrint), the Event Viewer reports "Print driver host for applications has stopped working". But then, perhaps on the 7th attempt, the FinePrint window appears as if nothing had happened before, and I can print as usual with FinePrint.

Open a command window and type in:

sfc /scannow
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

Followed by sfc /scannow again.

If you get any errors, try to hunt them down and correct them if you can.

Hopefully, that will solve any Windows issues, fingers crossed, but it may be the case that there is an undocumented bug in the new Photos app, since the old version appears to work.

In which case, you should try to contact Microsoft and see what their take is on the situation. They will most likely blame FinePrint, but you just never know.

You could also try leaving feedback. Go to start > all apps > feedback hub and leave feedback about the issue. At least that should make them aware of the issue.

The only only other thing you could do, is try things on another PC with Win11 etc. installed or use a VM. I would recommend using VirtualBox if you go the VM route, it's quick, easy and free ... lol

If FinePrint works then, you would know that your current machine has an issue that you could then track down with a bit of luck.

Thank you very much for all these ideas. I will try them out tomorrow. But now I have to go to bed, it's 3:00 a.m. here. If I'm successful, I'll report back here...

Just something for you to consider.

I opened up a Windows11 23H2 VM and installed FinePrint v11.41. I then opened Photos and proceeded to print the photo using FinePrint. FP was configured to use the Microsoft to PDF printer driver, but it succeeded without any issues at all, see the image below. I also attached the .pdf it produced.



I could attach a printer to the VM and try that, but I think the results would be the same.

So this probably indicates an issue with your current PC or at least with your Windows installation.

Try my suggestions for SFC and DISM though, you just might get lucky ... lol

Back again . Thanks for trying VM. This confirms the manufacturer's response. I also think I'm pretty much the only one in the world with exact this problem as I have a personal configuration of Win11. But if the FinePrint window opens after the print command in Photos, then I can also select any printer and print successfully. But I see this window only 10% of the time... And how is it possible that I don't see this window one moment and then 2 seconds later I am successful with the next print command?
I ran sfc /scannow once and read every line of the log. Nothing alarming: Some shortcuts I moved are no longer found (e.g. PowerShell), and a Bluetooth driver was broken:
DEPLOY [Pnp] Corrupt file: C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\BthA2dp.sys
DEPLOY [Pnp] Repaired file: C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\BthA2dp.sys
Of course, my Win11 is no longer in its original state. For example, I have installed OpenShellMenu and ExplorerPatcher. Before I now test dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth: Does this command lose any of my configuration (I actually don't know, I knew the sfc command)? Then the status quo would be the lesser evil. I will wait for your answer and then start dism.

PS: Great scenery in your picture. Must be in the Alps (Austria/Italy/Switzerland) near my home. Tyrol?

DISM is more of the same as SFC. It should not do any harm to your system, but it should verify that all is OK or not.

As for the image, it's just a stock background image I downloaded from somewhere on the net.

Your customisations on the other hand may have something to do with your issue.

You could try booting with OpenShellMenu and ExplorerPatcher disabled on the Startup tab of Task Manager (if it's possible) and see if that sheds any light on the issue.

You could try disabling other apps from starting up as well. If that does not help then simply re-enable them in Task Manager > Startup and reboot.

I started DISM and a second time SFC - no error found, nothing changed.

I know that OpenShellMenu/ExplorerPatcher are tricky or even dangerous for Win11. But these are by far the most profound changes I've made, and really worth it. Last week I had an even bigger problem with empty icons in the taskbar for almost all UWP apps. Of course, I immediately thought that OpenShellMenu was the culprit. But even that is not true: Win11 itself is responsible, as I found out. The whole story here in this forum.

But I also have some very old programs installed. I could investigate all of them now to see if they cause the problem, but I think now the effort is greater than the benefit. I created a context menu for image files "Print with old Photo App", and that works (FinePrint starts regularly). My new laptop is actually all set up now and only this little detail with printing from Photos is not perfect - too bad, but I can live with that.

So, thanks again for taking the time to help me.

PS: I found your photo here with Google Image Search): Heiligenblut, East Tyrol, Austria

Good news! A few days ago I got a new version of Photos on my laptop: 2024.11010.23003.0 (previously: 2024.11010.10002.0), and all my problems with FinePrint have gone. Has Microsoft read my thread?