Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!ria!uwovax!16012_3045
From: 16012_3045@uwovax.uwo.ca (Paul Gomme)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.misc
Subject: Re: 3.3 print command on binary files?
Message-ID: <6865.26e2d3a3@uwovax.uwo.ca>
Date: 4 Sep 90 02:05:23 GMT
References: <11114@spool.cs.wisc.edu> <944@massey.ac.nz>
Organization: Department of Economics, UWO, London, Ontario, Canada
Lines: 26

In article <944@massey.ac.nz>, ABishop@massey.ac.nz (A.G. Bishop) writes:
> In message <11114@spool.cs.wisc.edu> Mike Ward writes:
> 
>>I often print large graphics files to my mx80 style printer.
>>I would like to use the MSDOS 3.3 print command to spool them, but
>>'print' only likes text files. If anyone knows of a undocumented option
>>or patch that makes 'print' work with graphics (binary) files rather
>>than just ascii text files, I would appreciate it if you would send me
>>the info. Thanks.
> 
> How about using the Dos COPY command, if the printer is connected is
> connected to the first parallel port type:
> 
> 	copy fred.txt lpt1: /b

While the copy command works, there are benefits to using the print command. 
Specifically, print will work in the background (letting you get back to work
faster) while copy will not.  This difference is, of course, greater when the
printer is hooked up by a serial port connection.

When MicroSoft was soliciting opinions from the net for enhancements to a
future version of DOS, adding a /b switch to the print command was one of my
suggestions.  The indication I got was that this seemed reasonable and would in
fact be implemented.
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