Print to file

[yohann]

Hello All,
When you select "Print to file" from the File print menu, how do you later print or open that file? What program is used to open such a file? How do you tell the printer to print such a file? And lastly, what is the file extension for a "print to file" file? John Farrow
Cloudcroft, New Mexico

 

[Accessdabbler]

The format of the file will depend on what language your printer is using. If it is a postscript printer, the file will be a postscript file. I use the .PS extension for postscript files. Another common extension is .PRN

To print the file you can go to a DOS prompt and copy the file to the printer port:

copy file.PS lpt1

I've never tried to print a print file in Windows (without the DOS prompt). I suppose you could copy the file to the print spooler directory and you may be able to drag-n-drop the file onto your printer in the open printer folder (haven't tried these methods though, DOS always worked for me).

I always worked with .PS files. To view them, you can convert them to a PDF file and open in Acrobat Reader. I always used Acrobat Distiller to do the conversion (not a free program) but someone else once suggested a website called

http://www.ps2pdf.com

which I've never tried.