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Setting up print to file

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Malene Tidemann
Updated

ship-label.png on-premises-label.png


In nShift On-premises you can save a label in a specified place in the following formats: PDF, BMP, ZPL and EPL. Freight documents can be saved as PDF files. This is done by printing to a NUL printer.

Follow the steps below to set up a NUL printer. You can use any printer as a NUL printer as long as it has been installed directly on the server. (Note: you cannot use Microsoft Print to PDF).

 

  1. nShift On-premises, go to Setup > Server Printers.
     
  2. Add a printer by clicking New.
     
  3. Rename the printer to NUL in the Printer column. You may add your own description to make it easier to identify the printer.
     
  4. Set the type according to the type of file you want:
       - Windows (page) for PDF
       - Windows (label) for BMP
       - GK420D for ZPL
       - LP2844 for EPL

    NUL-printer.png
     
  5. Next, you must create a configuration file to define where and how the file will be saved. Create a new file in C:\Program Files(x86)\Consignor and name the file printtofile.ini. You can use a text editor like Notepad to create the file. The file must be in the same folder as the Consignor.exe application.

     

  6. Example of what the contents of the file could look like:

     [Save]
 Folder = C:\Sender\PrintToFile

    Specify the path of the folder where you want the files to be saved.
     

  7. By default, On-premises will name the files using your order numbers. In case there is no order number specified, NoOrderNumber will be used. If the same file name already exists, On-premises will append an underscore and a number. You can also specify another field to generate the name from. Example using receiver customer number (see list of field names at the bottom of the article): 

    [FileName]
Name=<fld_AdrCustNo>

    You may also add a subfolder in front of the name to place the files in a different subfolder:

    [FileName]
Name=\Test\<fld_RefOrderNumber>
  8. You must restart nShift On-premises and the ConsignorServer service whenever you make changes to the Printtofile.ini file.

 

Sample of fields that can be used in the file name section:

fld_AdrCustNo (CustNo) - Shipment
fld_AdrName1 (Name1) - Shipment
fld_AdrName2 (Name2) - Shipment
fld_AdrAddress1 (Address1) - Shipment
fld_AdrAddress2 (Address2) - Shipment
fld_AdrPostNo (PostNo) - Shipment
fld_AdrCity (City) - Shipment
fld_AdrCountry (Country) - Shipment
fld_AdrCountryName (Country Name) - Shipment
fld_AdrAttention (Attention) - Shipment
fld_AdrBuyerAttention (Attention) - Shipment
fld_RefOrderNumber (Ordernumber) - Shipment
fld_RefRecRef (ReceiverRef) - Shipment
fld_RefAttention (Attention) - Shipment

See our complete list of fields here.

 

Example on a PrintToFile.ini

[Save]
Folder=C:\Data\PrintToFile

[FileName]
Name=<fld_RefOrderNumber>

[Page]
Size=Auto

PrintToFile.ini - Windows might block the file, so you have to unblock it.

 

Advanced features

Several advanced features can be configured in the Printtofile.ini file. 

  • Control the size of the layout
  • Upload files to an FTP server
  • Overwrite existing files
  • Use multiple file names
  • Create subfolders

The advanced features can be configured by a technical consultant from nShift. Please contact our customer service if you are interested in an advanced setup.

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