Print to file question

  • Thread starter Thread starter James D
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James D

OK, So for the longest time I have seen the option to "print to file" when
printing something. So I decided to print to file to see what would happen.
Well it puts a .prn file on my desktop. I try to open it but no program
recognizes it. Dooes anyone here know what to do with a .prn file? Thanks.
 
Boot to DOS and run
Copy filename.prn prn
This will usually also work from a command prompt in windows. The print format will be correct using the printer that the file was created for. The "print to file" command is handy if the printer is not available when you want to print a document, e.g. when the printer is not connected to a laptop or the printer is out of ink.


James said:
OK, So for the longest time I have seen the option to "print to file" when
printing something. So I decided to print to file to see what would happen.
Well it puts a .prn file on my desktop. I try to open it but no program
recognizes it. Dooes anyone here know what to do with a .prn file? Thanks.
Click to expand...

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When replying by Email include NewSGrouP (case sensitive) in Subject

Mike Walsh
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.A.
 
Hi James
If I understood you want to see with an editor (wordpad,notepad,word, ecc)
the file that you had "printed" in a file.
Well first you must to install a Generic text only printer and the when you
chose to print to a file you select that printer.

ciao
francesco
 
OK, So for the longest time I have seen the option to "print to file" when
printing something. So I decided to print to file to see what would happen.
Well it puts a .prn file on my desktop. I try to open it but no program
recognizes it. Dooes anyone here know what to do with a .prn file? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Print to File is also used in prepress work. In order to make plates
for a printing press, files are printed to file. Files are then ripped
and imposed and possibly other manipulation done.
 
James D:
Dooes anyone here know what to do with a .prn file?
Click to expand...

Depends on the printer driver that was used to create the file. If you
used a postscript driver then you could print the file on any postscript
compatible printer, you could also create a PDF file from it. If you used
a driver with a proprietary language (e.g. PCL) then you could only print
the file on a PCL capable printer, you could not create a PDF file from
it.
 
Thanks, so if I understand you correctly (and francesco) I print to file on
my laptop (which is NOT hooked up to a printer at that time) take the file
to my desktop (which is hooked up to a printer) and go to the command prompt
and type filename.prn prn (where filename.prn = the real name of the file)
But do I also have to have the generic text driver installed as francesco
said?


Mike Walsh said:
Boot to DOS and run
Copy filename.prn prn
This will usually also work from a command prompt in windows. The print
Click to expand...
format will be correct using the printer that the file was created for. The
"print to file" command is handy if the printer is not available when you
want to print a document, e.g. when the printer is not connected to a laptop
or the printer is out of ink.
 
You do not need a printer driver to send a prn file to a printer.
The printer driver on your laptop will format the document in a language that your printer understands. The DOS copy command will send the data and formatting commands from the file to the printer. The only requirement is the printer driver on the laptop must be compatible with the printer on the desktop. FYI the name "prn" is reserved for the printer, which is why you can't name a file prn.

James said:
Thanks, so if I understand you correctly (and francesco) I print to file on
my laptop (which is NOT hooked up to a printer at that time) take the file
to my desktop (which is hooked up to a printer) and go to the command prompt
and type filename.prn prn (where filename.prn = the real name of the file)
But do I also have to have the generic text driver installed as francesco
said?
Click to expand...

--

When replying by Email include NewSGrouP (case sensitive) in Subject

Mike Walsh
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.A.
 
Mike Walsh said:
You do not need a printer driver to send a prn file to a printer.
The printer driver on your laptop will format the document in a language
Click to expand...
that your printer understands. The DOS copy command will send the data and
formatting commands from the file to the printer. The only requirement is
the printer driver on the laptop must be compatible with the printer on the
desktop. FYI the name "prn" is reserved for the printer, which is why you
can't name a file prn.

Remember to copy with the /B switch for a BINARY copy.
 
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