Printing to File and Null

There are two very useful ports available for diagnostics with printing issues: File and Null.

Null Output

The Null port always works since it's not really a port. It goes through the process of printing and generating the actual print data, but instead of writing this to an output port, it writes to NULL (nothing). If a queue is configured to output to Null, a job is printed, and you have an error, the error has nothing to do with the port, actual communication, or writing the data. There is something else wrong with either the driver or the queue configuration.

So if you're having printing issues, the first test is configure the queue for Null, print a job, and see if it still gives an error. If it errors, it's not a port or communications issue. If it works, it's a communications issue.

To configure a queue to print to Null:

1. Go to Queue > Manage Queues.
2. For the queue you want to test, select Null as the output port for that queue.
3. Test your queue by printing jobs.
   The printing process should be normal without any output.

File Output

File output is the next level up for diagnostics after using the Null port.

File output writes the output data to a file instead of writing it to the device (i.e., a printer or cutter).

To configure a queue for File output:

1. Go to Queue > Manage Queues, and in the port, select File as the output.

2. Select a default location (folder) on your computer for these files to be created.

3. Choose what file name will be used (in this example it will use the job name). You can also use a bar code, if using bar codes for jobs in the queue (this is mainly for cutting) or user-defined. The default file extension can be changed, by default its .prn, but you can change this to anything, for example .ar3 for Brother output.

File output should be very reliable and if you can print to Null, you should also be able to print to File. It's only going to go wrong if you use invalid file names or locations.

If you are having problems with output, use the File output as a means to help determine where the problem lies. These files can be sent to the printer using the Tools > Direct to port feature.

You can configure various options for the File output, by clicking the ellipsis () after the port (in the Queue Manager dialog).

Simply select the output port to which you want to print and then drag and drop the PRN (output file) into this Window to send it to the printer. This will send the file to the printer without any processing, and this way you can send the same file to the printer multiple times to see if a printing error occurs consistently (indicating it's something in the file) or inconsistently (indicating it's a printer issue).

You can also send the output file to another user (or your dealer or manufacturer) of the same machine and see if they can print the file to help determine the problem.

Original PDF File

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