Virtual Printer

Virtual Printer allows you to ...

• generate an output in the form of standard raster or vector formats from your program;
• redirect the print job to other printer;
• modify a virtual-printed document before sending it for actual printing;
• import documents from other applications;

More Virtual Printer features

How the Virtual Printer works

1. The user prints a document to the virtual printer from any application.
2. The virtual printer intercepts the print job and saves each printed page as EMF file.
3. The virtual printer converts EMF files to specified output formats. All files are saved in the current user temporary directory or specified output directory.
4. The virtual printer creates an INI file with print job information and paths to the generated files.
5. The virtual printer sends the path of this INI file to a specified application using one of following transfer modes:
   - Command line transfer mode. The virtual printer will run the specified application with the path of the INI file in the command line parameters.
   - WM_COPYDATA transfer mode. The printer runs the specified application (or looks for a running instance) and sends it the path of the INI file using a WM_COPYDATA message.
   - Clipboard transfer mode. (This is obsolete and intended for legacy applications.) The printer runs the specified application (or looks for a running instance), puts the path of the INI file on the clipboard and notifies the application.
6. Your application receives the INI file and parses it. Now you can perform any final actions (moving files, transferring files, etc.). You should delete files from the output directory when you are finished.

Virtual Printer demonstration

• Your Virtual Printer Example

System requirements

Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista. No 3rd party software is required.