Hidden Connector Lines

[LeaBA]

Hello! I'm working on a massive process flowchart. Everything looks good, but then, after I print, big connector lines appear (see pic attached) across several swimlanes. Any idea how I can get these to show up in Visio so I can delete them? I've tried to find them by searching all the sheets and connectors in Drawing Explorer, and also choosing each layer one by one. The lines don't appear in Print Preview, either. Any help is much appreciated! Thank you!

[Paul Herber]

These lines will be a result of lines redrawing and not restoring the background properly. It can be fixed by updating your computer's video drivers.

[LeaBA]

Thanks! I worked with Local IT Tech Support this afternoon. They uninstalled and re-installed the video driver, but, even then, sometimes it printed the lines, and sometimes it didn't. What I've been doing is saving the whole diagram as a PDF first so I can print to the Plotter printer more easily. However, the lines don't show up in Visio layers, Print Preview, or the PDF, and sometimes they will print, and sometimes they won't. They seem to usually be attached to an edge of the drawing. Here's another example. Any other thoughts? Suggestions?

[wapperdude]

Which version of Visio?

It was hard to tell from the jpg, but it looks like there is text associated with these ghost connectors.  Can you tell what the text says?

Are all of the intended connections present...at least in the region of the ghosting?  Are these ghosts new connections or duplicates of existing or do they replace an existing connection?  You indicate that you saved as pdf...a miracle in itself...and no ghosting is visible, but is still printable.  Have you tried moving the doc to a different pc for printing?  When you directly printed the Visio file, was it to the same printer?

What is the size of the printed diagram?

Wapperdude

[LeaBA]

Hi! Thanks! It's Visio Pro 2016, and the text is just my handwritten notes on the printout, "? Not in Visio or PDF." Yep, the intended connections are present, and the ghosts don't seem to be duplicates or replacements. They seem to just show up randomly when I print. Haha, yes, printing to PDF did feel like a miraculous accomplishment once I figured it out with the help of some great coworkers! No, I haven't tried moving to a different PC - can try that next. But I did use the same Plotter printer when I printed directly from Visio. I actually cropped the whole diagram into 3 separate, long PDFs, so that I could make each section the full width of the Plotter (36"), so that the text would be readable since it's such a monster. So each piece is 36" wide x maybe 9 ft long. There's nothing really confidential, so I'll post a pic to illustrate, and I used Snagit to put a red rectangle around the ghost connectors. The text is just my handwritten notes: "[FIND hidden connector]".   But now I'm actually thinking they're maybe not connectors, just lines. Also the lines seem to stop at the edge of the printout, and they don't continue on the next.

[wapperdude]

I'm inclined to agree with Paul and suspect the plotter. 

Are you plotting edge to edge of the plotter?  If so, you might try leaving a small border...yes, that will leave a small band of white running the length of your drawing.

Another possibility would be to divide the length into shorter segments...say by 2 or 3.  Perhaps a memory or size limitation.  That would give you either 6 or 9 sheets to tape together.

Perhaps save as another file format...  seems unlikely this would have an impact.

Oh, instead of a hard copy that is used as wallpaper, how about electronic?  Assemble a really large LED display...9ft x 9ft???    .  .    Ok.  Perhaps not.

Wapperdude