[ale] Likely OT: print to usable file in WinXP

[Lightner, Jeff]

When I'd researched this some time ago I did find things like the following for using Ghostscript to print to PDF.  There were others as well.
https://www.stat.tamu.edu/~henrik/GSWriter/GSWriter.html

However, the main reason I'd looked for that was because I couldn't figure out how to print the files I'd created by selecting the "print to file" option in most applications.   Further reading revealed the issue is that the print file created by such applications is actually formatting the document to print to the printer you had last used.    Given that I did the following (on XP and still do on Windows 7):
1)  Printed something to the printer I intended to use.
2)  Created a batch file called something like "printer.bat" with contents:
:loop
@echo Print %1
@copy /B %1 \\<printserver>\<printer> >nul
3)  Create a shortcut to that file on my Windows desktop.

Any time I print to a file I send it to a file (usually with suffix .prn due to old habits but it doesn't require that).
I can then drag the file from my Windows explorer to the shortcut on my desktop and it will print to the printer.

Prior to having to use a shared printer from print server I had a local printer at my desk and my notes for that say:

To print to my local IP printer I had to go into Properties of the printer in
Windows then select "Sharing" tab.   There I clicked on "Share this printer"
and set Share name to <localprintername>.   (Previously it had "Do not Share this
printer" selected.)  I also deselected "List in the directory" box.

Then from Command Prompt I was able to do the following:
  copy /B file.prn \\<windowsXPlaptopName>\<localprintername>

Presumably you could use that same local setup in the above bat file but I'd lost my local printer long before I setup that bat file.





-----Original Message-----
From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of Ken Cochran
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2014 10:22 PM
To: ale at ale.org
Subject: [ale] Likely OT: print to usable file in WinXP

(Sorry for the OT but I don't really know where else to ask.  {sigh})

Hey folks, how can I print-to-file (to something usable like
.pdf) in the WindowsXP print dialog?  Looks like what I need is some kind of "virtual" printer driver/pgm.  Would prefer something F/OSS of course (hopefully for safety's sake - no mal/adware, etc.).  What do you folks recommend and/or recommend against?

Many thanks, -kc
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