Print To File :) >> File To Print?

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username#132

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I've printed to a file (no extension) and I'm now trying to print it.

At the command prompt I type; copy c:\photos usb001

Since usb001 is the 'virtual port' my printer is on. I get the message '1 file(s) copied', but nothing actually prints? Can anyone help?
 
If you want to print the file, just open it in word or notepad. OR easier yet just change the file extension to a ".txt". This means click once on "filename" until you can edit it and type in "filename.txt". Then you wont need a dos window to print it.
 
The file was created using PaintShopPro - it's not a text file. And I'm using DOS 'cos I don't know any other way of sending this file to the printer, since only the printer can understand the contents.

As far as I understand it, when you print to a file, the data is turned into something the printer understands, according to the instructions contained within the printer drivers. I need to send the file directly to the printer.
Does anyone know of a way I can do that in Windows?
 
Well paint shop pro is a imaging program. Try changing the file extension to a a known paint shop pro source.. (.bmp .gif .jpg .jpeg .jpe .jfif .tif .tiff .tga .wmf .cdr .cgm .drw .gem .hgl .pic .wpg) Personally I would try .bmp first .jpg .gif then .cdr .cgm and .hgl... the test is very fast and very easy to find out if it worked. Change the file extension and try to open to view it. If you can view it then Whalla! If not go ahead and try to print a file without an extention... Or you can reopen the file with paint shop pro and tell it how to save it (what extention type)
 
No, you don't understand - I printed from PaintShopPro to a file, using the 'print to file' option. The file is encoded in such a way that the PRINTER understands. PaintShopPro cannot open the file. It just sent the data to the printer drivers which processed it and instead of sending the data to the printer, saved the processed data to a file to be printed later.

Now is later. I want to print my god damned file....
 
Maybe I'm the only one wondering (I have't used Paint Shot before) but why didn't you print to the printer instead of a file?
Any way this command should get it printed for you "copy \b (Name of file) usb001:"
 
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My usb ports stop working after a few hours. I wanted to print several files according to the layout I'd set-up but didn't want to have to save the layout, restart my computer, and then re-compose the files into the layout I'd saved, and then print it. So I just printed to file, thinking, "this'll be a load less hassle"...

I've tried with and without '/b' - on both occasional, DOS reports a successful file copy, but either way, the file doesn't print.

I don't understand why DOS reports that the file was copied to usb001, yet nothing prints...
 
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are you sure your printer is on the usb001 port? You could also try 'type printfile > usb001'
 
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just to clearify something, when you say DOS,... i assume you mean the windows command prompt correct? Your not actually running DOS or trying this from safemode commandprompt only,...?
 
Ok username I have been working on this for a few minutes (sorry i work at night and sleep during the day) Do you still have the bublejet printer hooked up? Or is this printer on the usb001 a different printer? This .prn file or "print to file" *file was made for your canon bubblejet printer. I can print it if you let me know the model number... If you dont have a bubblejet printer you can force you printer into thinking it is a bubbljet by changing the driver. Once the bubblejet is shown you can try the command prompt setup. ALTHOUGH, I did run across an easier way of printing it, cannot confirm though. If you open the printer window and drag and drop the file into the window (without the .prn extention) then it should print.

There is a good forum here...
http://www.noteworthysoftware.com/nwcforum/3533.htm
 
I've got a canon i320 (how did you know it was a canon?) on usb001.

When dragging the file to the printer icon I am confronted with 'The file cannot be printed. Please try opening the file with the correct application and printing from there'
 
When you open the file with wordpad it says it is for a bubblejet printer. So the Print to file recognized what printer you had, and made a file specifically for it. I also tried printing through the usb001 port and all it does is copies the photos file to a usb001 file.. Kind of weird.


I found this guy... wow looks good to me...

OK, here's the deal.

The standard way (as seen on ExpertsExchange.com) will not work on a USB printer.

However, I was able to get it to work with a bit of ingenuity!

To test it, I hooked up my old HP DeskJet 500 printer to my PC via USB. I have a cable that has the standard printer/centronics connection on one end and a male USB plug on the other. I've more or less made my parallel printer into a USB printer. Let's hope this will work for you.

1) Share the printer. Give it an easy, short name with no spaces.
2) Map your new shared printer to an available LPT port. Open a command prompt and type the following:


net use \\computername\printer_share_name\ lpt2


Where "computer name" = your computer name and "printer_share_name" = the share name you just gave it. I used LPT2 since I already have a printer on LPT1.

3) It should then say, "The command completed successfully." To verify this, type in "net use" and it should give you a little table of your mapped printer.
4) If all goes well, go to the directory the file is located in and type in the following:


copy /b test.prn lpt2


That worked for me. Lets hope it works for you! If it doesn't, I'm stumped.
quote from here...
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,5520788?nav=12
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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Trizoy said:
I have a cable that has the standard printer/centronics connection on one end and a male USB plug on the other. I've more or less made my parallel printer into a USB printer.
Click to expand...
Hey Trizoy did you make this cable or is it a store bought adaptor?
If you made it could you let me know the pin-outs and components
 
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