Printing to a File

Do you need to print to a file (using Generic/Text Only).  There is a way, but you need to edit the Registry. To make this a bit easier, we wrote a REG file to do the job. To create this REG file, run Notepad and enter the following as shown here. Where you see the words BLANK LINE GOES HERE, press Enter. Do not type in BLANK LINE GOES HERE.

REGEDIT4
BLANK LINE GOES HERE
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Ports]
BLANK LINE GOES HERE
"C:\\MyFile.prn"=""

If you prefer, you can use a different name and folder. Choose File, Save As, and name the file printfile.reg. Locate a folder for your new file and click Save. You can now double-click the printfile.reg icon to enter its contents into the Registry.

Restart your computer and click Start, Settings, Printers. When the Printers window opens, double-click the Add Printer icon. When the Add Printer wizard opens, select the My Computer radio button and click Next.

Locate your new port (C:\\MyFile.prn), select its check box, and click Next. In the wizard's next page, select Generic and Generic/Text Only, then click Next. If asked whether you want to use an existing driver or replace it, select the Replace Existing Driver radio button and click Next.

In the next page, select the radio button labeled No, since you most likely don't want to use Print To File as your default printer. Click Next, then select the radio button labeled Not Shared and click Next. In the final wizard page, select the radio button labeled No and click Finish.

Now, when you print to a file, its name will always be MyFile.prn and you won't get a dialog box asking for a new name.

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