PRINTING .PRN FILES IN WIN9X

If you use software that creates .prn files for printing later (e.g., as part of a batch job), it's useful to know how to print them manually from a command prompt. Typically, programs that print to a file via a Printer Control Language (PCL) driver create .prn files. Programs that print toa file using a Postscript (PS) driver create .ps files. First:

1. Open a Command Prompt session via the Start Menu or click Start |Run.

2. Type command.

3. Click OK.

Next, to print the file, type the following command, where filename.ext is the name of the file to be printed (include a path if needed) and LPTn is the number of the LPT port to print to (e.g., LPT1). The /b switch denotes that the file being printed is a binary file. It interprets control codes within the file differently to ensure that the file is printed properly.

copy filename.ext lptn /b

We learned how to manually print .prn. Now we look at a way to enable drag-and-drop printing of these files in Windows 9x.

First, open Windows Notepad and create a new text file in the \windows folder named printer.bat. This file should have one line:

copy %1 lpt1 /b

This line takes a variable In (%1) and copies it to lpt1 (you can also change this to a different lpt port) with the /b switch to denote that it is a binary file. Next, follow these steps:

1. Click Start | Programs | Windows Explorer | View Menu | Options.

2. Click New Type in the File Types tab.

3. Type Printer in the Description Of Type field.

4. Type prn in the Associated Extension field.

5. Click New.

6. Type print in the Action field.

7. Type c:\windows\printer.bat in the Application Used To Perform Action field.

8. Click OK and then click Set Default.

9. Navigate (in Explorer) to the printer.bat file in c:\windows.

10. Right-click on the file and select Properties.

11. Click the Program tab, select the Close On Exit check box, and click OK.

Finally, create a shortcut on the desktop to c:\windows\printer.bat by right-clicking on printer.bat and then clicking Send To | Desktop (create shortcut).

Once you have done this, you can drag a .prn file onto the printer shortcut icon, right-click on a .prn file, and select Print from the context menu or double-click the .prn file.