Print a saved File

  • Thread starter Thread starter Joseph Childs
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Joseph Childs

I have a program that enables me to save a file to a folder rather than
sending it directly to the printer when I select print from the File Menu.
The file extension for the saved file is .prn. However, when I click on the
file, Windows XP asks me what program to use to open the file. I have not
been able to find a way to send this file to my HP 6500 printer. Even the
file "Send To" option does not allow sending a file to a printer. How do I
print this saved .prn file?
 
[[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

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
Joseph said:
I have a program that enables me to save a file to a folder
rather than sending it directly to the printer when I
select print from the File Menu. The file extension for the
saved file is .prn. However, when I click on the file,
Windows XP asks me what program to use to open the file. I
have not been able to find a way to send this file to my HP
6500 printer. Even the file "Send To" option does not allow
sending a file to a printer. How do I print this saved .prn
file?
Click to expand...

Display your printers and the file wiht the PRN extension. Then
just drag the file over the printer icon with your mouse and the
file will print to that printer.

HTH
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