Printfil 5.24: New PCL graphics engine and run plugins for PDF files

Dear Client,

we're pleased to announce the new Printfil 5.24 release.

What's new:

• New Printing engine: PCL graphics. In addition to GDI, RAW, and PDF printing, Printfil now supports even graphical HP-PCL prints to any Windows printer.
  If your source program creates graphical PCL print jobs, instead of sending them to a PCL capable printer in RAW mode, now you can select PCL at Configuration -> Standard and the captured print will be printed to the destination printer even if it doesn't support the HP-PCL language (including virtual printers, like PDF writers).
  For further info, please search for the RAW word at https://www.printfil.com/manualen/c3.htm#3.1
  The PCL engine can be selected even by Line no. 11 of the optional CFG file.
  Please find a sample CFG file at https://www.printfil.com/efaq18.htm (*)
  
  
• When dragging and dropping a file on the Printfil's icon (on the desktop for example), Printfil now checks if it contains HP-PCL printer control codes and, if so, it asks if you want to send it to the chosen destination printer by the new PCL Printing engine or in RAW mode (like before).
  The same applies even to the Command Prompt command: PRINTFIL.EXE File_to_print.ext (*)
  
  
• Added 2 new optional parameters to the Command Prompt command: PRINTFIL.EXE File_to_print.ext to directly print a file without any user intervention: Printer and Engine.
  For example: PRINTFIL.EXE File_to_print.pdf "Canon MX490 series Printer" - directly prints the PDF to the Canon printer.
  PRINTFIL.EXE File_to_print.pcl "Canon MX490 series Printer" PCL - directly prints the file to the Canon printer by using the PCL printing engine
  
  
• Now you can call an external program (plugin) as soon as Printfil has created a PDF file by its own virtual printer, to further modify the PDF before it's shown/printed/emailed. For example, you may want to digitally sign the PDF, or convert it in the base64 format and include it into an XML file as required in certain Countries for the e-invoices.
  To do so, we've added another parameter after the PDF file name at Line no. 13 of the optional CFG file.
  For example: C:\temp\MyReport.pdf | .T. | c:\temp\sign.exe - Calls sign.exe before showing (.T.) the newly generated MyReport.PDF inside the default PDF reader
  
  
• When invoking an external program (plugin) by the Line no. 15 of the optional CFG file (to process/modify the captured data source before printing) now you can even make that program totally deleting the captured print (%1 parameter) after processing it, and Printfil will abort this print instead of printing an empty page
  
  
• Since the previous Printfil release, we've created a new video every 2 weeks showing how to do things like: How to install Printfil on peer-to-peer networks, How to archive DOS print jobs to PDF and view or print them simultaneously, How to capture multiple LPT ports simultaneously and others.
  You can see them all at https://www.printfil.com/article.
  You may also want to subscribe our YouTube channel, or follow us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram to be kept timely informed when we'll publish new videos
  
  
• Some other minor improvements

(*) This new feature requires GhostPCL installed in the PC. Please find more info in the manual: https://www.printfil.com/manualen/c5-3.htm

The upgrade is free for all the Customers who are using the 5.x version, by using the same license codes. You just need to download and install the new Printfil setup program (or leave the AutoUpdate program doing it automatically) without uninstalling the current version first.

If you are still using an old 4.3 version, purchased since 7 Nov 2005 (date of its release), you've right to the free upgrade too, but even your license codes needs to be upgraded (Printfil 5 uses different codes than Printfil 4). The AutoUpdate program will guide you through the update process and will automatically update everything that is needed. If the automatic check has been disabled, simply right-click the Printfil's trayed icon and choose "Search for updates".

If you've purchased previous 4.x licenses from 2003 to 2005, for a limited time only, you can still upgrade them to the newest version simply by purchasing Printfil Upgrade licenses at discounted prices. Don't miss this opportunity! it will expire soon!

If you've questions, comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,

Davide Guolo
aSwIt s.r.l.   -  Software solutions for legacy programs and batch files
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