EXP Systems Forum: Sharing a PDF Batch Printer

Message

   I have been testing the sharing of a batched PDF printer. This seems to work perfectly from a Windows Printer. I.E. Computer 1 has PDF Redirect installed and setup of a batch printer and the batch printer is shared.
I can print from computer 2 via a windows program, but not DOS. Just wondering if this is possible, to print to a share of a batched PDF Redirected printer? FYI: When I try from a dos program, it creates the file, but there is no data in the file.

Thanks
Brian

Edited by spensoft

Author	Message
spensoft Newbie Joined: 27 Jan 05 Location: United States Posts: 4	Topic: Sharing a PDF Batch Printer Posted: 27 Jan 05 at 8:22PM
	I have been testing the sharing of a batched PDF printer. This seems to work perfectly from a Windows Printer. I.E. Computer 1 has PDF Redirect installed and setup of a batch printer and the batch printer is shared. I can print from computer 2 via a windows program, but not DOS. Just wondering if this is possible, to print to a share of a batched PDF Redirected printer? FYI: When I try from a dos program, it creates the file, but there is no data in the file. Thanks Brian Edited by spensoft
	IP Logged

Michel_K17 Moderator Group Forum Administrator Joined: 25 Jan 03 Posts: 1673	Posted: 27 Jan 05 at 9:28PM
	Hello Brian, What you are doing is pretty ingenious. I never though of using PDF reDirect Batch Printers as a shared printer! As an aside, I am planning (eventually) a "server" version of PDF reDirect that will provide the same functionality. Your question is a good one: the shared printer, and the drivers is running in a windows environment on the remote machine, so, in theory, it might be possible to do just as you are asking, but I have never tried. Right now, I don't even know how to change the DOS printer port from LPT1 to the PDF reDirect Port. Unfortunately, I was a "Mac head" until 1995 - so I missed the DOS era which makes me fairly ignorant in that department. Sorry.
	Michel Korwin-Szymanowski EXP Systems LLC
	IP Logged

spensoft Newbie Joined: 27 Jan 05 Location: United States Posts: 4	Posted: 27 Jan 05 at 9:44PM
	Hey no problem, I'm sure you can run circles arounds me and my old Quadra 650 Here is what I did on computer 2, from a dos prompt I typed net use lpt1 \\computername\printsharename This redirects any print job that is sent directly to the LPT1 port. I support an old DOS program that relies on this ability to redirect print jobs for various forms printing. I.E. Invoices and contracts and statements print on one printer and reports go to another. What I would like to be able to do is to have my customers buy PDF redirect and then I would tie it into our program so they can output their invoices and statements and other documents to a PDF, and or email them directly to their customers. If you are working on a server version, maybe this will have that ability. I would love to see the specs on that. Thanks Brian
	IP Logged

Michel_K17 Moderator Group Forum Administrator Joined: 25 Jan 03 Posts: 1673	Posted: 28 Jan 05 at 12:02AM
	Hi Brian, Thanks for giving me the command. It allowed me to figure out what is wrong. It seems like DOS sends the raw data (basically a text file) to the printer driver. The printer driver is expecting printer commands, so it simply writes the data "as is" to the target Postscript file. The next step is the conversion of the Postscript file to a PDF. instead, it finds the raw text, and it doesn't know what to do with it, so it creates an error, and quits. I'll do a bit of research in my spare time to see if there is a way around this problem. I could (for example) make a customized version of PDF reDirect to compose the text directly into the PDF. Is your Invoice/Contracts/ etc very complex, with graphics, or is it all text? As for the new Server version, it could be months away, so I would not plan on that for now.
	IP Logged

spensoft Newbie Joined: 27 Jan 05 Location: United States Posts: 4	Posted: 28 Jan 05 at 12:14AM
	Hi Well, lets see, If I were to output a PCL file instead of just plan text, would that fix the problem? Yes, most of the items we output are all text. Thanks Brian
	IP Logged

Michel_K17 Moderator Group Forum Administrator Joined: 25 Jan 03 Posts: 1673	Posted: 28 Jan 05 at 12:38AM
	Maybe. I don't know. You can try. Can you output as PS file? With respect to the PCL format, I'll need to do some research. I'll try to have an update by Saturday Night. Cheers! Michel
	IP Logged

Using PDF reDirect
EXP Systems Forum : PDF reDirect : Using PDF reDirect