Thanks for all of the ideas. It looks like I will have to try a couple of the work-arounds and see which one works best for me. Is this something to put on a wishlist for HP? It seems I'm not the only one who could benefit from such an intrinsic. Kevin D. Joseph ([log in to unmask]) wrote: : I am looking for an intrinsic that I can call from a COBOL program : to determine if a printer device exists. We need to allow our users to : enter a device name on a view form. Does anyone know of such a beast? -- Kevin D. Joseph University Computing Services Database Administrator University of Maryland Baltimore County voice: (410) 455-3981 Library Room 005 fax: (410) 455-1069 1000 Hilltop Circle email: [log in to unmask] Baltimore MD, 21250