Print PC Documents to iSeries Printers

Published: August 2, 2006

Hey, Ted:

I have access through the Internet to a client's iSeries machine, which has a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printer attached to it. Is it possible for me to print a PC document (for example, a Word processing document or a spreadsheet) to the LaserJet?

--Jim

Here's how I've done just that from my Windows XP machine. First, create an ASCII printer file on the iSeries. Place the name and library of the LaserJet's output queue in the OUTQ parameter.

CRTPRTF FILE(QGPL/LASERJET)                 
        DEVTYPE(*USERASCII)                 
        TEXT('Print PC documents to Laserjet')
        OUTQ(outqlib/outqname)

Second, install the proper printer driver on your PC. Create the printer as a local printer and tell Windows you'll be printing to a file.

Third, print your document to the LaserJet. (The usual method to select a Windows printer is to pull down a File menu and choose the Print option.) Windows will display a pop-up window into which you can key a file name. The convention is to use PRN as the extension.

Next, crank up your FTP client and connect to the iSeries. Send the file to the iSeries printer file using a binary transfer.

bin
put c:\temp\testhp.prn qgpl/laserjet

--Ted