word opening rtf files looks for printer

Whenever I try to open an rtf file either from an outlook email attachment or from my desktop, word will open, and then at the bottom left of the page a message connecting to printer. It will do that for 30 seconds to a minute and then the document will come up in word. I could open the files in wordpad but need them in word. Any ideas on how to avoid the wait?
Thanks,
Greg