Examples of working Printfil configurations

Printfil is a stand-alone software, it runs in background and doesn't need to be started by the application that creates the print jobs. This is why it can be used in several different applications.

Here are some examples of working configurations:

• MS-DOS Application on a Single Windows PC, USB printer and Faxmodem
• MS-DOS Application on a Windows Network, network printers
• Apple II Application on a Windows Network, network printers, USB and PDF writers
• Unix & Linux applications, Windows Clients via telnet

In this example there is a single Windows PC (95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, Windows 7) on which is running a MS-DOS software to print to a USB printer and to send the print jobs via fax using the modem.

With Printfil installed on the PC, is sufficient to set the MS-DOS software to print to a file (for example c:\printfil\file.txt). Printfil is continuosly listening for the file and will send it to the USB printer or by fax using the faxmodem and a specific printer driver provided by an external software (Microsoft fax, Symantec Winfax and others).

In this example there are several networked Windows PCs, and some shared printers. The MS-DOS software can be installed either on all the PC or on a single PC acting as a server and providing the application to the clients.

The DOS software will be configured to print to the file: c:\printfil\file.txt (each pc will have his one). Printfil will automatically send the file created by the application to the desired printer.

Please note that it's not necessary to have Printfil installed on every PC on the network, but only where the MS-DOS software is running. If a single PC does't need to use the MS-DOS application, but it shares a local printer, Printfil on the others PC can always access this printer.

Some Apple II applications, specifically designed to run on an Apple PC (and usually on an Apple Imagewriter or Laserwriter printer) can be run on a Windows PC using an emulator, like Apple II Oasis, also known as A2O

Using Printfil together with this emulator allows you to print from these Apple 2 applications to any Windows device, either local, USB, networked or virtual (for example "PDF writers") without having to modify the original Apple application.

Application Server Fax Server

Windows Clients

In this example there is an integrated network where the Application Server is a Unix host (or Linux), the clients are Windows PC's which uses the applications by the Telnet protocol, prints over the several network printers and sends faxes through a Unix / Linux host using an HylaFax Server software or other commercial softwares.

A directory on the Application Server's File System is shared with the Windows users by specific softwares such as NSF, Samba, SCO Vision-FS and others.

The host application must be configured to print to different files: one for each client PC: /usr/share/file1.txt , file2.txt etc. This can be easily obtained by setting an environment variable in the user's .profile using, for example, the IP address of the remote pc (remotehost), or the logname (if the user always works on the same workstation) etc.

Printfil will search the file on \\AppServ\share\filexx.txt. Once found, Printfil will read the file even if it is in the Unix / Linux format, than it will send the print job to the desired printer or the fax-server.

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