Windows Printing Software, Articles and Press Release

Windows Tips: Quick and Easy Ways to Master Windows Printing

Printing is one of the activities we've come to take for granted in Windows--until it doesn't work. Don't wait until then to dig into the secrets of Windows' printing powers. These tips make getting hard copies faster and easier. Every time you tell one of your applications to print, the information goes to a spool file on your hard disk before being sent to the printer. Windows starts channeling data to the printer as soon as the spool file has enough information to print the first page, even if the data is still moving from the application to the spool file. This is a compromise between freeing your application sooner and getting your printed document quicker. If you're not in a compromising mood, don't settle for Windows' default arrangement. (Note that these tips may not work for some printers, including network printers and devices set to print to a file.)

Page Description Languages

Printer Page Description and Markup Languages

ESC/P - Epson Standard Code for Printers

The printer language ESC/P was originally developed by Epson for use with their early dot-matrix printers. Today it is supported also by Epson inkjet and laser printers as well as by many other dot-matrix printers in the market. ESC/P2 is an enhancement of ESC/P, i.e. it has new functions for font scaling, raster graphic printing, etc

ESC/P2 - Epson Standard Code for Printers, Level 2

The printer language ESC/P was originally developed by Epson for use with their early dot-matrix printers. Today it is supported also by Epson inkjet and laser printers as well as by many other dot-matrix printers in the market. ESC/P2 is an enhancement of ESC/P, i.e. it has new functions for font scaling, raster graphic printing, etc.

PCL - HP Page Description Language

HP created PCL to provide an efficient way to control printer features across many different printing devices. PCL was originally devised, in the early 1980s, for HP’s dot matrix and Inkjet printers. The first printer in HP’s LaserJet series, the HP LaserJet was released in 1984 with the PCL 3 Language. The current version is PCL XL.

PostScript

PostScript is a page description language produced by Adobe Systems Inc. since the early 1980’s. Adobe was formed in 1982 by Dr. John E. Warnock and Dr. Charles M. Geschke. It provides a verbose language of instructions to describe a page of information. While it requires more memory to work with than most page description languages, it was the first widely available product that allowed for control over a large number of fonts and graphical objects.

EMF - Enhanced MetaFile format

Enhanced metafiles provide true device independence. You can think of the picture stored in an enhanced metafile as a “snapshot” of the video display taken at a particular moment. This “snapshot” maintains its dimensions no matter where it appears—on a printer, a plotter, the desktop, or in the client area of any application.

SPL - Microsoft® Windows Spool File Format

The print job’s spooled data is contained in a spool file. For each print job there are two spool files generated by the Windows® NT/2000 spooler. One file with the .SHD extension for job settings, and one with the .SPL extension for the drawing commands.

SHD - Microsoft® Windows Shadow File Format

The print job’s spooled data is contained in a spool file. The shadow file includes some additional informations used by the spooler, like job settings. For each print job there are two spool files generated by the Windows® NT/2000 spooler. One file with the .SHD extension for job settings, and one with the .SPL extension for the drawing commands.

XPS - XML Paper Specification

The XML Paper Specification (XPS), formerly codenamed “Metro”, is a document storage and viewing specification developed by Microsoft. The specification itself describes the formats and rules for distributing, archiving, rendering, and processing XPS documents. Most notably, the markup language for XPS is a subset of XAML for Windows Presentation Foundation, so that the methods used for rendering Windows applications can be used for documents.

HP Install Network Printer Wizard 4.0 - Configuring a Printer for a Windows TCP/IP Network

The HP Install Network Printer Wizard provides interactive or automatic installation and setup of either wired or wireless network printers (and All-in-One devices).

HP Jetdirect Print Servers - Installing and Configuring a HP Standard TCP/IP or IPX/SPX Port

*If the HP Install Network Printer Wizard is installed or run on the computer and a port or print path was created, that port will appear as an available port on the computer. Click here to download the Install Network Printer Wizard (INPW) for your operating system. NOTE: With INPW Version 4.0, IPX/SPX (both IPX/SPX Direct Mode and Novell Netware configurations) is no longer supported. As a service to those who still wish to have a way to configure an IPX/SPX connection to their Jetdirect Device, the English version of INPW Version 3.06 will be available on the CD for a while longer, although it will not be accessible directly from the CD shell. To access INPW 3.06, please browse your Jetdirect CD to directory INPW3.6, and double-click the executable for your language *If the computer has a port or a print path created by HP Web Jetadmin, that port will appear as an available port on the computer. NOTE: If your computer does not have the HP Standard TCP/IP port or an HP Standard IPX/SPX port as an option, you should download the INPW software mentioned above.

HSLAB Print Logger 5 Installation Guide

HSLAB Print Logger 5 Installation Guide

I get an "Error loading MIDAS.dll" error when starting Print Logger and the program refuses to work properly after that

I get an "Error loading MIDAS.dll" error when starting Print Logger and the program refuses to work properly after that.

How to Use and Troubleshoot HP JetDirect NIC Printing

Dealing With Hung Print Jobs and Queues

HP Jetdirect and Embedded Jetdirect Inside Print Servers - Creating a Standard TCP/IP Port in Microsoft Windows XP

How do print to a HP Jetdirect print server using a Standard TCP/IP Port in Microsoft Windows XP?

Factors Influencing Print Server Performance

Print server clients are those client computers and applications that have established connections to a print server. These clients may currently be in the process of a submitting a print job or they may have finished submitting a print job and not yet closed their connection to the print server.

Securing Printer Usage in Windows Server 2003

Over the last few years, printers have become so inexpensive that it’s easy to not even give them a second thought. Even so, there are situations when it is probably best for you to know who has been printing to printers on your network. For example, your company’s accounts payable department may have a printer that they use to print checks. You probably have this type of printer configured so that not just anyone with a domain user account can print to it. Even so, it is usually important to know if an unauthorized user tried to print to it and to track the checks that legitimate users have printed.

How to Print to an HP JetDirect Printer by Means of LPR

Install the TCP/IP Printing Service

What is HSLAB Print Logger?

What is HSLAB Print Logger?

Creating a Windows NT LPD Server Print Queue

These instructions are designed to aid in the creation of a print queue on a machine running Windows NT. These instructions were primarily written to aid in the creation of a print queue that will be receiving a print request from the DCRT Enterprise System, with emphasis on configuring the print queue to receive print requests originating in the ADB system.

What is HSLAB Print Logger PE?

Ideal print management solution for personal or family usage. The Print Logger PE print management system is intended for a print management (print control and audit printing activity) for printers at the workstation, based on Windows NT operation systems family.

Print Services

Windows Server 2003 includes intelligent print services—fault tolerant, discoverable, server-based printing that improves printer reliability, manageability, and security. In addition, both IT administrators and end users benefit from simplified common printing tasks, such as sharing, finding, and connecting to network printers.