How could I capture data that is being sent to a Citizen 120D dot-matrix printer? Instead of printing the data, I wanted it to be saved on a hard drive and viewed on the directly on a monitor. The printer already broke down.
The data is coming from APLEX 3100E8 Control Panel
My Computer
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell
OS
Windows XP, home edtion, service pack 3, version 2002
If you like, you can print to Microsoft XPS Document Writer instead of your printer to have it saved as a .xps file that can be view in the included XPS Viewer.
Hi Brink,
The data is coming from a Building Security System. Once someone entered a pin code to disarm certain area, it will automatically print indicating the area and the code. The printer broke down and I wanted to automatically capture the data and store it in a separate computer.
My Computer
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell
OS
Windows XP, home edtion, service pack 3, version 2002
I see. I'm not sure how it may work with the security system, but you should be able to use the method above to have it print to file and saved where you like until the printer is back online.
You could then also print out the .xps files if needed.
My Computer
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
If you have Adobe Acrobat Pro or want to download and install CutePDF you have a CutePDF printer or a Adobe PDF printer you can configure and it will generate a pdf. You would need to create a script for file naming and releasing the print to the save location or play with it further on your time as I have never played with that end of it. Could possibly create a separator page with pjl commands, but that is going too far to get into here Separator pages are either pcl.sep for pcl printer or ps.sep for post script printer, they are pre-loaded in windows and when setting the printer to do a sep page it will ask for the file location and you will just use those files.
Good luck
Last edited:
My Computer
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
custom build
OS
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
CPU
AMD FX(tm)-6100 Six-Core Processor
Motherboard
ASUSTeK Computer INC. M5A78L-M LX PLUS
Memory
4.00 GB
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon HD 6450
Sound Card
(1) AMD High Definition Audio Device (2) Realtek High Defi
Monitor(s) Displays
Toshiba 47ZV650U 47" LCD 240Hz
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
Hard Drives
(1) HDT722516DLA380 ATA Device (2) Hitachi HDS721025CLA382 ATA Device (3) ST4000VN000-1H4168 ATA Device (4) Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device (5) Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device (6) Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device (7) Generic STORAGE
PSU
Corsair CX430M
Case
WMI (Waste Management Incorporated)
Cooling
Yes, it's very cool.
Keyboard
Bluetooth KB & Mousepad
Internet Speed
Fios 15/5 and it sucks when Verizon is throttling it down
