Need command line lpr for Win98

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Jim Seymour - 29 Mar 2008 00:38 GMT

I am in need of a lpr command-line utility for Windows 98 - but my
searches so far have revealed only one (overpriced) option.

My backup plan is to install Cygwin and use their lpr utility, but it
seems like somebody somewhere would have written a native-Windows utility...

Barring that, can someone suggest a way to print to a network-connected
printer from a Win98 batch file?

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Jim Seymour

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Jeff Richards - 29 Mar 2008 03:05 GMT

Can you describe what you are trying to do in more detail? LPR won't work
without the LPD deamon, and there is no equivalent in Windows. Or is it LPD
on a UNIX server that you are trying to print to?

A W98 batch file can't print to a remote (or any) printer - only an
application, which understands the features of the particular printer, can
print a document. A batch file could copy a print file (usually type PRN)
created by an application to a remote printer - is that what you are trying
to do?

Or, you could write a script that uses the scripting feature of the
application (such as WORD) to automate the printing function of that
application which could (depending on the scripting engine used) select a
network printer.

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Jeff Richards
MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User)

>I am in need of a lpr command-line utility for Windows 98 - but my searches
>so far have revealed only one (overpriced) option.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Barring that, can someone suggest a way to print to a network-connected
> printer from a Win98 batch file?

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Jim Seymour - 31 Mar 2008 16:46 GMT

> Can you describe what you are trying to do in more detail? LPR won't
> work without the LPD deamon, and there is no equivalent in Windows.
> Or is it LPD on a UNIX server that you are trying to print to?

Thanks for the response.

The network printer I'll be using (a Brother HL2070N) acts as a LPD
daemon. From a UNIX or Windows 2000+ command line, I could run "lpr"
and easily send a text file to the printer.

With Win98, however, there is no built-in lpr utility.

My next option is to capture the printer to "LPTx" and see if I can
simply use "copy file LPTx".

But "lpr" seems like a better solution - if I can find such a utility.

> [...] A batch file could copy a print file (usually type PRN) created
> by an application to a remote printer - is that what you are trying
> to do?

Nope. I need to access the same printer from four machines. Since
these four PCs are not guaranteed to be ON at any given time, I can't
use a "shared" printer.

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Jim Seymour

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Jim Seymour - 01 Apr 2008 21:43 GMT

> I am in need of a lpr command-line utility for Windows 98 - but my
> searches so far have revealed only one (overpriced) option.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Barring that, can someone suggest a way to print to a network-connected
> printer from a Win98 batch file?

Following up to my own post...

I was, perhaps, over-thinking my problem. I found a simple solution in
the freeware "PrintFile" utility: http://www.lerup.com/printfile/

By installing the drivers for my printer - and making it my default
printer, I am now able to easily print to it from a batch file.

All is good. Thanks to those who listened...

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Jim Seymour

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