Chapter 8
- The Printfil virtual printer
The "Printfil"
virtual printer is useful to:
- Export your
print jobs in PDF format via GhostScript
- Capture data sent to a parallel port by a DOS
or Windows application in Mode 1, 2 or 3 (Only on Windows 9x/ME: newer Windows versions don't require the virtual printer)
You do not need to
create it unless you want to do one of the above things.
We usually refers to it as the "Printfil" virtual printer because Printfil is the default printer's name, but you can also use a different name, by the PFPrinter option in the Printfil.ini file (Please see Chapter 4)
You can create the
virtual printer simply by clicking the "Help ->
Create Virtual Printer" Printfil's menu entry. Once
the virtual printer has been created, the menu entry will
disappear.
The first time you
choose to capture a LPT port in Mode 1,2 or 3 by the Printfil's
configuration dialog, if the virtual printer has not been
created before, the creation procedure will start
automatically.
On 32/64 bit Windows
systems, the creation procedure will ask you to specify a temporary
file name used internally by the virtual
printer. Normally you just need to confirm the
default file name. If you want to change the
file name, please choose a path which is writable by the
user who's running Printfil without restrictions.
On Windows
Terminal Server the temporary file must be
located on the virtual disk which contains the user's
specific data (usually named W:). If this disk is not already configured on
your server, Printfil will advise you and will ask you if
you want to run the automatic Windows configuration
procedure.
If you are running a 32/64
bit Windows system (NT/2000/XP/2003/2008/2012), there's
nothing else to do.
A common
mistake is to change the printer's name or
port by the Windows Control Panel
(configuring it on LPT1: or USB001:). Don't
change the automatic settings.
The LPT port to be eventually captured must
be specified in the Printfil's configuration
dialog, not in the virtual printer.
If
you are running Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10
During the creation of the virtual printer one or two additional "authorizations" may be asked you by Windows itself to run the function "as Administrator". In this case please confirm the task, otherwise the virtual printer will not be created.
On some of the above systems
...
... the default driver used by Printfil may not be installed. In this case you'll be requested to specify a driver.
Please select the "Ricoh" or "HP" manufacturer in the left frame, then any color printer driver whose name ends with "PS" in the right frame.
For example Ricoh Aficio ColorXXXX PS or HP Color LaserJet XXXX PS
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Only if you are running a 16
bit Windows system (Win 9x/ME), once the virtual printer has
been created, you must also:
- Open the Windows
Control Panel (Start -> Control
Panel) or (Start -> Settings -> Control
Panel)
- Click on the Printers
folder
- Right-click the Printfil
virtual printer and choose Properties
- Go to the Details
tab
- click Add
Port
- Select Other
-> Local Port and click Ok
- Insert the Port
name as c:\temp\printfil.txt and
click Ok
(make sure the temp folder exists on the
C drive, or create it)
- Click New
Driver
- Select the HP
Color Laserjet 5/5M PS model and click Ok
(If the driver is not already installed on your system,
you'll be required to insert the Windows cd-rom)
- Apply your changes.
If you only
need to export your jobs in PDF format, there's nothing
else to do. If instead you want even to capture the
LPT output:
- Open the Windows
Control Panel (Start -> Control
Panel) or (Start -> Settings -> Control
Panel)
- Click on the Printers
folder
- Right-click the Printfil
virtual printer and choose Sharing
If this entry is not present, please
check the previous chapter.
- Enable the sharing
option and insert as Share Name: Printfil
- Apply your changes
- Open the Printfil's
configuration dialog
- In the "File
to check" field insert: c:\temp\printfil.txt
(as specified in the previous step #7)
- Apply your changes
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