A client contacted me regarding printing to a new multifunction device from a dos based application written in foxpro where the output is link to a network printer with a net use / persistent:Yes command. The software developers tell them the printer should work but despite testing a range of dos based print drivers in the application nothing works. So what do we do in this case. Well (re)enter a utility that has popped up on occasion to get us out of this kind of bind. Printfil is kind of unique solution to dos printing.
The author says—–
This software allows character based applications to print to any Windows printer, including USB, GDI, IP network printers, fax printers and PDF writers, even if it is a Dos/Windows application or a Unix/Linux program running on a Windows PC via telnet, without changes to the original applications.
You can set your application to print to an ascii file, or you can let Printfil automatically capture one or more parallel port (even from LPT1: to LPT9: simultaneously), and redirect your print jobs, even if a printer is physically connected to the captured port or no LPT ports are physically installed on your machine
There are other things about it that set it apart including
In addition, it will allows you to:
preview printing
include logos or background images stored in separate files
colorize the text
print A4 landscape sheets in place of printing on dot-matrix 136-column printers
print to ANY printer installed in the Windows Control Panel, including USB, GDI, Windows-only and Virtual printers
send print jobs via fax (using any third-party fax software which acts like a printer – eg. Microsoft Fax – or a multifunction – all-in-one – printer)
print to networked printers without having to “NET USE” a LPT port
use specialist windows fonts (barcodes, for instance) in addition to normal characters in Ansi (Windows) or your own OEM (DOS Codepage) conversion
export print jobs in PDF format, with or without user intervention, even with encryption and password protection
send print jobs via e-mail by using your own e-mail client program, with or without user intervention
use a single, customizable set of escape sequences for ALL printers, regardless of make, model and emulation provided (or no emulation at all, as for Virtual and Windows-only printers)
print complex jobs to legacy printers in RAW mode (including drawings and graphics) without going through the Windows driver and without changing the original data flow
archive a copy of all the captured jobs in a directory of your choice
print your jobs to multiple printers simultaneously
easily print PRN files
and some other interesting features.