Peripheral·2,125 discussions

A script to re-select default printer at startup

Locked

Greetings!

In our library, the circulation desk computer (XP Pro SP2) is setup to print receipts on a local printer named “Epson TM-T88III Receipt”. It prints on the 80×297 mm roll paper. When staff members need to print something else, they change the default printer to a standard networked printer that uses letter size paper. The problem is that they sometimes forget to set it back to the local one and the next day, when other folks start the computer, it prints default library reminders on the networked printer.

I need to run a script at startup that would set the default printer to “Epson TM-T88III Receipt”. How can I do it? I don’t have no scripting experience, so please forgive me for a lame question 🙂

Topic

Clarifications

In reply to A script to re-select default printer at startup

Clarifications

Not Lame

In reply to A script to re-select default printer at startup

Its not lame. Glad your here asking for help though. Since you dont have any scripting experience, this is going to be tough. This may just teach you some scripting though. This is how I have evolved my limits scripting is through projects that require it.

It can be done. Check out Kix script and also this link:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/263226

Agree — not lame, and another option

In reply to A script to re-select default printer at startup

You can add the following command to a .bat file that you stick in the STARTUP group on the local machine

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /y /n “Epson TM-T88III Receipt”

Here’s more info on the printui command:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/189105

Million thanks

In reply to Agree — not lame, and another option

Thanks a lot, churdoo! Adding a bat file with this line to startup worked like a charm – the printer is setup to the default one every time we reboot.

And thanks to retro77 – I’ll try to get more familiar with scripting and Kix looks pretty interesting (and not life treatening 🙂

Thanks again,
Stan

Scripting…

In reply to Million thanks

If you’re interested in scripting (which I find a very useful skill as a network admin), I’d recommend reading up on Object Oriented Programming. It really helps to understand the bigger picture instead of just blindly trying to hack up someone else’s code you copied from online.

con2prt.exe to map default printer

In reply to A script to re-select default printer at startup

You can also use the con2prt.exe tool from Microsoft to automatically map the default printer at startup.

Take a look at this example here: http://www.thisishelpful.com/con2prt-exe-map-delete-and-set-default-printer-a1.html.

SOLUTION

In reply to A script to re-select default printer at startup

Hey mate,

I had the same problem on one of my clients. Thought i might help you too. I used this and it works fine. Use this app, select the receipt printer you want as the default and click the button “Add to Startup”.

Go to the following link:

http://www.thirdring.net/software_setdefaultprinter.htm

Hope i helped. 😀

[Author]

Replies