Print to file in Windows XP Home-not working

E

eljainc

Hello,

I would like to install a Generic / Text Only printer driver. However
when I select the Ports tab under printer properties, I only see a
network queue. I then create a new port called FILE:
Everything seems okay until I save the properties for the printer
driver then go to print a document. I get a 'Print to File' dialog box
with a prompt: Output File Name: I type in a valid name (i.e.
I:\MYFILE.PRN). After clicking OK I get the following error message:
Printing failed when starting the document. How do I fix this?

Thanks
Mike McWhinney
 
W

Wesley Vogel

[[Print a document to a file

Printing a document to a file instead of to your printer saves the document
in a format that a different printer can use.

For example, if you want to have your document printed by a commercial
printing service that uses higher-resolution printers, you can print the
document to a file, and then take that file to the commercial printer.

Note When you print to a file, you must first determine which printer— for
example, a PostScript printer— will ultimately print the file.

1. On the File menu, click Print.
2. In the Name box, click the printer you'll use to print the file.
3. Select the Print to file check box, and then click OK.
4. In the File name box in the Print to file dialog box, type a file name.

When you print to a file, Microsoft Word preserves information such as line
and page breaks (page break: The point at which one page ends and another
begins. Microsoft Word inserts an "automatic" (or soft) page break for you,
or you can force a page break at a specific location by inserting a "manual"
(or hard) page break.) and font spacing.]]
From...
Print a document to a file
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HP051894411033.aspx

[[When you print to a file the program outputs whatever it would have sent
to the printer you have attached to your computer to a file instead. The
idea is that later you might want to send this file to a similar printer on
a different computer. So, the main use for a .PRN file is to copy it to a
printer in order to get the output. You can open a .PRN file in any text
editor but what you'll likely see is your text surrounded by a whole bunch
of "junk" which represents all the various printer codes necessary to set
margins, special spacing, graphics, etc.

Printing this file successfully requires a few assumptions:

• The two printers are identical or, at least take the exact same commands
to do the exact same things.
• The printer you want to print on is set to be the default printer for the
machine it is connected to. If it's not, use the Control Panel to set the
printer to be the default.

For this example, we'll assume that the .PRN file is named OUTPUT.PRN and is
located on a floppy disk in the A: drive. Substitute the proper path for
whatever filename and drive you are using. Here are the steps...

• Create the .PRN file on the first computer. Open the application, select
print, select the proper printer, check the Print to File box, and give
the file a name.
• Copy the file to removable media so you can carry it to the second
computer (or use a network to transfer the file there in a location you
can later find.
• Open a Command Prompt: Start | Programs | Accessories | Command Prompt
• Use the CD command to navigate to the location of the file or know where
it is so you can specify a path to it. Recall that in this example we're
using A:\OUTPUT.PRN as the file you want to print.
• Issue the following command: COPY A:\OUTPUT.PRN /B PRN /B

Assuming the printers are the same and the output printer is the default
device the file should now print. What you've basically done is to tell
Windows to copy the output file to the default printer using a binary copy
(i.e., don't add any carriage returns or line feeds and ignore all control
codes; just passing them through as they are in the file).
____
Tom
------
DaBoss at FILExt.com ]]
From...
How to Print From a PRN File
http://filext.com/info/showthread.php?t=13

Extension: PRN
[[When you print to a file the program outputs whatever it would have sent
to the printer you have attached to your computer to a file instead. The
idea is that later you might want to send this file to a similar printer on
a different computer. So, the main use for a .PRN file is to copy it to a
printer in order to get the output. You can open a .PRN file in any text
editor but what you'll likely see is your text surrounded by a whole bunch
of "junk" which represents all the various printer codes necessary to set
margins, special spacing, graphics, etc., etc.]]
From...
File Extension Details for .PRN
http://www.filext.com/detaillist.php?extdetail=prn

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
E

eljainc

Wes, thank you for the response. I think you missed the point here.

I KNOW how to print to a file and how to bring the file to another
computer to print, for example, if I don't have the postscript printer
in front of me.

The problem I am having is in the FILE: port itself. When I print to
the file I get the dialog box for the file name.

.... After clicking OK I get the following error message:

Printing failed when starting the document.

Does anybody know how to fix this?

Thanks
 
W

Wesley Vogel

I miss the point all of the time.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 

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