PCL Printer Compatibility

Using Printfil and PDF writers with CLS 

I. An Overview of Printfil

CLS runs fine under Windows® XP (including XP Mode) and in the 32-bit versions of Windows Vista® and Windows® 7.  CLS can print to an HP-compatible laser printer attached directly to a parallel port (e.g., LPT1:) in each of these environments.  Parallel ports are not commonly available on computers, and many laser printers now support only USB ports.  So, what is needed is a way to make a USB-port or network printer appear to CLS to be connected to a parallel port.

In Windows XP, the Net Use command can often be used to assign a "virtual" parallel port to a local USB-port laser printer or a network laser printer.  In Windows Vista, the Net Use command can only be used to capture a network printer. In Windows 7, the Net Use command may be used with the Professional (or higher) versions of the operating system to capture a local or network laser printer; it may not work with the HOME version.

Also, the Net Use command cannot be used with Windows-only printers or PDF writers, and it does not always work with laser printers.  That's where Printfil comes in...

Printfil is a print-capture utility:

Printfil and PDF writers:

You will need Printfil if…

In addition to Printfil, you will need a PDF writer if…

II. Installing Printfil

Note: If you plan to use Printfil on multiple workstations, a separate license must be purchased for each one. Printfil can be used for evaluation purposes for up to 30 days; after that, it must be registered. 

  1. Place the Printfil CD in your CD-ROM drive and wait a few seconds.

  2. In Windows XP, click on Start and select My Computer; in Windows Vista or Windows 7, select Computer.

  3. Select your CD-ROM drive.

  4. Double-click the Printfil folder, and you will see the file "setup-pf-510-fmsi.exe"; this is the Printfil setup program.  The Printfil version (510) may vary.

  5. Double-click on the file name (or right-click and choose Open) to begin installation.

  6. If you see a message that says:

    • "The publisher could not be verified.  Are you sure you want to run this software?", click Run.

    • "An unidentified program wants access to your computer", click Allow.

    • "Windows needs your permission to continue", click Continue.

  7. Choose your language, accept the Printfil license agreement, and follow the on-screen instructions; use the Printfil default settings.

  8. Make sure that "Run Printfil.exe" is checked, and click Finish.  If you are reinstalling Printfil, the installation process is now complete; skip to step 12.

  9. Next, you will see a small window labeled "Configuration - Guided". Click the Close button.

  10. When you see a windows that says "Your settings have not been saved.  You can restart this tool by right-clicking..."; click OK.

  11. The Printfil manual will be displayed.  Click the X in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to close the window.

  12. After installation, be sure that the Printfil icon appears on the right-hand side of the system tray (it looks like a small grey and black printer); display the hidden icons if necessary.  If you don't see it, click on the Printfil icon on your desktop to start Printfil.

III. Installing the CLS Font set

The CLS Courier font set includes solid underlines for use on CLS reports printed to Windows®-only printers or PDF writers.  These fonts are not needed if you are printing reports on an HP-compatible laser printer. 

To install the CLS Font set in Windows XP:

  1. Place the Printfil CD in your CD-ROM drive and wait a few seconds.

  2. Click on Start and launch the Control Panel.

  3. Select the Fonts icon.

  4. Left-click on the File menu and select Install New Font…

  5. Under the Drives prompt, select the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive, and then select the folder CLS Font.

  6. In the List of fonts: window you will see Courier New for CLS (True Type).  Click Select All to highlight the font.

  7. Click OK to install this font.

  8. After installation, close the Fonts window.

To install the CLS Font in Windows Vista or Windows 7:

  1. Place the Printfil CD in your CD-ROM drive and wait a few seconds.

  2. Click on Start and select Computer.

  3. Select your CD-ROM drive.

  4. Double-click the CLS Font folder and you will see the file “courcls.ttf”; this is the Courier New for CLS (True Type) font.

  5. Right-click on the file name and choose Install to install the font.

  6. If you see a message that says “Windows needs your permission to continue”, click Continue.

  7. After installation, close the Computer window.

IV. Configuring Printfil

Look for the Printfil icon on the right-hand side of the system tray (it looks like a small grey and black printer); display the hidden icons if necessary.  Right-click the Printfil icon, choose Configuration, then Standard, and follow the instructions below:

  1. Simple Setup - Use these instructions to capture CLS reports and send them to a single laser printer.  If you want to use Printfil with Windows-only printers, multiple printers or a PDF writer (or you just want more flexibility), go to step b, below).

    • Leave the File to check field set to its default value (i.e., don't change it).

    • In the Capture port field, select LPT1: Choose LPT2: or LPT3: if you already have a printer physically connected to LPT1; the printer port assigned in CLS printer setup must match the one used here.

    • If you installed the CLS font set in section III, select the Courier New for CLS font.  Select OEM instead of ANSI.

    • If you are using a laser printer, check the box marked RAW; otherwise leave this field blank.

    • In the Printer field, select the printer to be used with CLS.

    • Make sure that the Choose, Preview and Zoom boxes are unchecked.

    • If you are using a laser printer, your page margins will be controlled by the CLS printer setup.  If you are not using a laser printer with CLS, on the right-hand side of the Printfil configuration screen enter your page margins and select Inches as your unit of measure.

    • Click OK to accept your changes.  If you receive an error message, change the Mode to 2 and try again.  If you continue to see error messages, use the Flexible Setup below.

  2. Flexible Setup - Use these instructions if you want to capture CLS reports and send them to multiple printers, Windows-only printers or a PDF writer.

    • Clear the File to check field, then enter c:\clspool\c*.txt

    • Make sure the Capture port field is blank (empty).

    • If you installed the CLS font set in section III, select the Courier New for CLS font.  Select OEM instead of ANSI.

    • In the Printer field, select a default printer.  The printer you select here may be overridden in CLS.

    • Make sure that Raw, Choose, Preview and Zoom boxes are unchecked.

    • For now, leave the rest of the fields on this screen set to their default values.

    • Click OK to accept your changes.

  3. Registration - To register your copy of Printfil, right-click on the Printfil icon in the system tray, select Registration, and enter the required information exactly as it appears on your invoice (including any punctuation shown).  The Key Code is tied to your Registration Name, so the name must be entered correctly and it is case-sensitive.

V. Using a PDF Writer with CLS

If you already own a PDF writer, it may be used with CLS after Printfil has been installed.  Just be sure to follow the Flexible Setup outlined in section IV b, and set up the PDF writer in CLS as outlined in step 5 of section VI.

VI. Configuring CLS to use Printfil

  1. Before changing the printer setup in CLS, be sure you are running the latest version of CLS.  All versions of CLS after 5.62 are compatible with Printfil, but some Printfil-related problems have been addressed in later versions.

  2. Don't change your current printer setup in CLS if your laser or dot-matrix printer is already physically connected to a parallel port (e.g., LPT1:), or you've used the Net Use command to assign a virtual parallel port.  In other words, if your existing printers are working fine, leave them alone!

  3. Use CLS Printer Setup, SI 1 (6,1), to set up the CLS printer(s) to be used with Printfil (i.e., a laser printer that is not connected to a parallel port, a Windows-only or non-laser printer, or a PDF writer).

  4. If you set up Printfil using section IV a (Simple Setup):

    1. In the Printer Port field, enter LPT1: (use the port you chose in section IV a).  Press F1 to select it from a pop-up list.

    2. If you are setting up a laser printer, answer Y to Laser Printer and Y to Solid Underlines, and enter the appropriate Printer Setup, Compressed-Print and Normal-Print codes.  Leave the Printer DOS Command field blank.

      If you are setting up a Windows-only printer, answer N to Laser Printer.  Enter the Compressed-Print and Normal-Print Codes shown below.  The Printer DOS Command and Printer Setup Code fields should be left blank.

    Compressed-Print Code  \027\015

    Normal-Print Code         \027\018

  5. If you set up Printfil using section IV b (Flexible Setup):

    1. In the Printer Port field, enter PFIL: or press F1 to select it from a pop-up list.

    2. Leave the Spool Path blank - CLS will automatically use the path c:\clspool.

    3. Choose the printer you want to use with Printfil.  This can be a local printer, a network printer, or a "virtual" printer such as Adobe Acrobat.  Leave the Print Device Name field blank to use the Printfil default printer.  Otherwise, enter the printer name exactly as it appears in the Windows Printers and Faxes screen.

      • If you can't see the entire printer name, right-click on the printer icon and choose Properties - the full printer name will be displayed on the General tab.

      • The printer name will be stored locally in a configuration file in the Spool Path selected above.  If you are using the network version of CLS, a different printer name can be specified for each user, as long as the same type of printer is being used (i.e., laser, Windows-only, or PDF writer).

    4. If you are setting up a Windows-only printer, you may choose to "preview" the CLS reports before they are printed.  If this is a laser printer or a PDF writer, answer N to Preview Reports.

    5. If you are setting up a laser printer, answer Y to Laser Printer and Y to Solid Underlines, and enter the appropriate Printer Setup, Compressed-Print and Normal-Print Codes.  Leave the Printer DOS Command field blank.

      If you are setting up a Windows-only printer or a PDF writer, answer N to Laser Printer.  If you installed the CLS Font set in section III, then answer Y to Solid Underlines; otherwise answer N.  If you are using the network version of CLS, everyone using Printfil must have the CLS Font set installed or you should answer N to Solid Underlines.  The Printer DOS Command and Printer Setup Code fields should be left blank.  Enter the Compressed-Print and Normal-Print Codes shown below:

    Compressed-Print Code  \027\015

    Normal-Print Code         \027\018

Notes
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