Windows 10: Install Printer using Generic / Text Only

We have receipt printers which connect via parallel port. We are changing to newer printers which connect via USB port. Because of an important application (from our Application Service Provider), the receipt printer needs to use the Generic / Text Only driver (which also becomes the printer name when it's selected).

We have not found the magic formula to get the new printers to work.
I have not found a way to print to the printer outside the app.
If I run a command prompt:
print /d:"Generic / Test Only" [path]\test.txt
I get:
Unable to initialize device Generic / Text Only

If I run a command prompt:
print /d:USB001[path]\test.txt
I get:
Unable to initialize device USB001
where USB001 is the (only) Virtual Printer Port for USB and assigned to this printer.

Things that have worked (all the computers are Windows 10 Pro 64):
One computer does work:
I didn't set this one up but my understanding is that they:Left the parallel port printer installed with the Generic / Text Only driver.
Disconnected the parallel port.
Connected the new printer to a USB port.
Changed the printer properties to use the USB00n Virtual Printer Port for USB.
and that was all .......Other computers we've tried don't seem to work:
Best case is that we've been able to get the printer to "act like" it's printing mechanically but there's no ink on the paper. (Multiple computers, multiple printers, multiple print cartridges).
Usual case is that we can't even get it to do that!

I'd sure like to be able to test the printer OUTSIDE the app because using the app is inconvenient and requires at least one other person.

:)

 

WIN10 Generic Text Printing - how to generate a *.txt (as previous Windows versions)

I have a Legacy application I cannot modify that is based internally on text. I need to print it to text file. Prior to WIN10 I could install a Generic Text only printer and generate a *.txt file that I need. With WIN10 the Generic Text printer only gives
me option of *.prn which is of no use.

I am trying to generate a *.txt I am not trying to print anything.

Best workaround so far is to print to PDF then copy that as text. However that messes up the formatting so I have to waste time correcting that to get the text output I need.

One other workaround tried was to try print to OneNote, but that gives an image, not text.

I've re-installed the driver a few times but same effect.

 

Generic/Text Driver deletes with Updates

We install the Star receipt printer, it assigns a USB port (USB 001 usually) When we install the Generic text, we install it to use that same port So they are sharing the USB001.

The star printer can also be shown under unidentified printers and still work with the Generic Text. This happens because even though the printer is showing as unidentified, it STILL assigns a USB Print driver and port.

The Generic Text driver is the bridge between the printer and whatever POS Software you are using.

Most POS Software cannot use a receipt printer without the Generic Text. Therefore every time Windows does a MAJOR update, and removes the G/T Driver on it's own it causes a tech support nightmare!

 

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