Print to file?

Occasionally I need to send a printout of something I have on the screen to someone. So I created a separate printer, Generic/Text, to print to a file. How do I control where the file is saved? I always have to search for the file and if I knew where it was all time I could save the time it takes to search for it.

 

Create a new port. With admin rights, bring up the properties of the printer. go top the Ports tab > Add Port..., select Local Port type, hit the New Port... button. Enter say c:\myprint.txt as the port name and hit OK and OK again.

 

I would like to have different names for the files that I save. It looks like they would all be the same name the way you said to do it. Is that right?

 

Yes it will print to the same filename.

The original configuration does prompt you for a file path so just type the location in the box: c:\myprint1.txt for example.

 

Thanks

 

I'm not sure how much of my Print dialog comes from the printer's software, but when you click Print and the dialog pops up, is there not a check-box that says, "Print to File "?

 

This was another of my DUH questions. Yes a dialog pops and it asks for a file name. I just never concidered the name
\myfile\send1.txt, \myfile\send2.txt...

My point, I can send it to any directory I want it in and not have to look for it. I guess I was just lazy.

 

I'm talking about the original dialog, before any virtual printers are set up. The box was not easy to see, but it's there in mine.

You'll figure it out---I guess you already have!

 

When I add a printer, the first question I get is what port. One of the selections is FILE: (Print to file), I used that port and then selected the Generic/Text printer. When I send anything to it the dialog asks for a file name that is where my DUH question comes in. I never thought to add the directory to the name. I think Microsoft could have used a better dialog to allow one to select the directory like they do almost everywhere else.

I concidered that check box that you are talking about. I want the receiver of the file to be able to read it without actually printing it. The file that is created if you check that box is a "prn" file and I have never found anything to read then.

 

I see what you mean. I found this:

"There is no such thing as a PRN file format. When Windows writes a print file to disk it generates a stream of data in exactly the same format that it would send to the printer. In other words it depends on your printer and printer driver.

This is designed so that the generated file can simply be sent to the printer at a later date and the printer will interpret the commands within the file as normal.

Common printer control languages are Epson ESC codes, HP PCL language and PostScript. Depending on the printer language used by your printer driver you will need to investigate one of these languages. "

I'm glad I found Print2pdf and Print2html, and that must have been what I was thinking about when I remembered printing to a file.