Printing to file or creating a print output file

Issue description

This article provides a quick summary of how to create a Print Output file (*.prn).

Note:  Generating a print file for testing drivers and communication issues is needed for escalation purposes.

Capturing .prn via printer driver

Perform the steps below:

1. Click Start.



2. Click Settings > Control Panel > Printers and Faxes, or click Devices and Printers.



3. Right-click on the print queue (for example: UPD v2 PCL5 driver).



4. Click Properties or Printer Properties from the drop-down menu.



5. Go to the Ports tab, and click "Add Port..." button. A Printer Ports dialog appears.



6. Select Local Port, then click "New Port...".



7. Enter the Port Name in the specified location (for example: C:\Lexmark\test.prn), click OK, and then close the Printer Ports window.



8. Click Apply, and then OK.



9. Open the test file and print the document using the modified print queue.

   Note:  The actual job file is generated in C:\Lexmark\test.prn, which was created in the Printer Ports window.

What to do next

Procedures for testing a driver or resolving a communication issue.

• Send the file to the printer using various methods based on the printer connection method.
• USB cable ‑ Send the file to the printer using software such as the local printer setup utility (LPSU).
• Network connection ‑ Send the file to the printer using FTP, or you can sometimes send the file from the embedded web server (EWS) of the printer.

Note:  Refer to the FTP example.

Submitting the *.prn for escalation purposes.

• Include the *.prn file with all other escalation materials requested by your technical support representative.

FTP Example

1. From a command prompt, open an FTP session to the adapter by typing ftp<TCP/IP_address>, where TCP/IP is the address of the printer, MFP, or print server.



2. Log in to the FTP server with a username. (Pressing ENTER allows an anonymous login.)

   Note:  IMPORTANT! If necessary, type cd.. to go to the root directory. Otherwise, make sure the listed directory is in the same location as the file. This procedure may also be performed before Step 1.



3. Type bin and press ENTER to switch to binary transfer.



4. Type putc:<path filename> to transfer your file to the adapter so that it will be printed.



5. Type bye to close the FTP session.