Need Computer Help!

[iceman61]

Does anyone know how to redirect a print job from one printer to another that has already been sent the print cue?

My GF has been completing her CE (continuing education) online for her Pharmacist License renewal. She has been sending all of her certificates to her print cue to be printed at a later time. (printer was out of ink at the time)

Last night she met me at the door in a frenzy telling me that she has no idea how to get these printed since they were sent to a print cue for a printer that she doesn't have. I checked Control Panel & she had 2 printers set up, both being HP's but different models. She had sent her print jobs to the wrong print cue & neither of us have any idea how to reroute the print jobs to the printer that she actually has. The print cue that they are sitting in is for a slightly higher model. There are 7 print jobs waiting in the print cue.

Someone tell me it can be done. Thanks ahead of time guys.

[crokett]

I found this article:
http://www.techexams.net/technotes/xp/printing.shtml

Search for redirect. It mentions that you need to have an identical printer for this to work so I am not sure this will work for her.

2 suggestions: I'd be surprised if her online certification doesn't have keep a record for her to reprint later. Also, I highly recommend installing a PDF writer. I use CutePDF. It sets it up as a printer but when you print to it, it creates a PDF file. I print things like this to PDF often. This way I have a record of it and can print them on paper later if I need to.

[Mr__Bill]

If all else fails, and I do mean all else. Plug the other HP printer into that port and it will most likely print out the jobs. HP is noted for compatibility between printers with their PCL print language. This assumes that the printer she has in the same vintage or newer but not too much newer. That the printer she printed to does not have some feature the remaining printer does not have and that that feature was used. Like color and you have a BW printer. It helps if they are both the same type ie., inkjet or laser but a plain black print job sent to a color inkjet will often print out on a laser.

Another option is to find the spooled print jobs and open them with a text editor that reads but does not act on control codes. You then get to strip out all the code until you have just the text.

Another option, somewhere there is a reader for spooled print jobs. Here is a site with some software that might help too... LINK


Have fun,
Bill

[just started]

+ 1 on a PDF writer. One of the better ideas for saving all kinds of stuff and having it usable on any platform.

[iceman61]

Thanks guys. I'm will be checking these out tonight. Thanks for the idea on the PDF writer. I think I will be doing that myself. It sounds like a really good idea for tools that I buy over the internet so I can keep the receipts on my computer as well as printing them out for tax purposes. Great idea!

My GF said she is also going to check out the company that has the online CF credits to see if she can go back & reprint then. She has been frantic over this since her deline with the State Board of Regents is Nov. 30th.

[LCHIEN]

I know no way of doing it and it probably won't workanyway because I think what is Queued up is the formatted version with all the control codes for the printer options being targeted. So even if you could redirect it, it won't print correctly.

as someone suugested, if the printer you have is a HP and the printer the computer formatted for is an HP of similar lineage then somply hooking the printer on hand to the port expected may very well work since the codes are likely close. Features not supported are probably just ignored.

[JSUPreston]

Long time ago, I did have some success at actually stopping the print spool service, copying the files from one queue to another and restarting the service. Like others have said, these were similar printers, so the PCL (may have been PS...can't remember) codes were close enough that the job printed successfully. When doing this, you have to look carefully to make sure you are copying the correct files. IIRC, one of the files in the queue is the printer definition itself.

[iceman61]

I tried every way I could think of to copy the files from one print cue to the other with no luck. Both printers in the list are HP, one being a 1500c & the other a 2500c (I think this is right) I did see a place where I could change the drivers of either printer although I'm not sure if it will print alot of useless code & then loose the print job.

I'm going over there in a few to try some more things. She told me she left a voice mail & an email with the company, neither of which have been return yet.