{"id":1677,"date":"2016-02-23T16:02:58","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T10:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=1677"},"modified":"2023-08-02T20:31:27","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T15:01:27","slug":"ms-print-to-pdf-prn-file-does-nothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/ms-print-to-pdf-prn-file-does-nothing\/","title":{"rendered":"[Fix] Microsoft Print to PDF Prints to .PRN file or Does Nothing"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you use the Microsoft Print to PDF to print to PDF file, nothing may happen after issuing the Print command. Or, Microsoft Print to PDF may only print to a .PRN file even if the “Print to File” option is unchecked on the Printer Properties page. This post tells you why this happens and how to fix it.<\/p>\n

Cause<\/h2>\n

Microsoft Print to PDF may print to a .PRN file (or do nothing) if you had removed Microsoft Print to PDF and later installed it manually using the Add a Printer wizard, specifying an incorrect port. Microsoft Print to PDF wouldn’t work if you chose LPT1<\/code> (as the default Port in the “Add Printer” wizard) or FILE:<\/code> (Print to File) option in the Ports list box. For Microsoft Print to PDF, PORTPROMPT:<\/code> is the correct port setting.<\/p>\n

The Port details can be checked via Printer properties, Ports tab. Alternately, running the following command (from the Run dialog) would show the Printer configuration.<\/p>\n

RUNDLL32.EXE PRINTUI.DLL,PrintUIEntry \/Xg \/n \"Microsoft Print to PDF\"<\/pre>\n
<\/p>\n
The above dialog shows that a wrong port (LPT1<\/code>) had been selected when adding MS Print to PDF.<\/p>\n
\n
Getting an error?<\/h4>\n
Are you seeing one of the following errors when launching the Printer UI dialog above?<\/p>\n
Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000709).\r\n\r\nDouble check the printer name and make sure that the printer is connected to the network.<\/pre>\n
(or)<\/p>\n
The arguments are invalid.<\/pre>\n
The above can happen if you type the command-line arguments incorrectly or accidentally leave a space after the forward-slash — e.g., \/ Xg<\/code> instead of \/Xg<\/code><\/p>\n
Also, enclose the printer name in normal<\/strong> double-quotes (\"\"<\/code>). Using the curly or typographic quotes symbol (\u201c\u201d<\/code>) would case the former error message.\n<\/div>\n
It should look like the one below, which is the default setting.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
PrinterName: Microsoft Print to PDF\r\nShareName: (null)\r\nPortName: PORTPROMPT:\r\nDriverName: Microsoft Print To PDF\r\nComment: (null)\r\nLocation: (null)\r\nSepFile: (null)\r\nPrintProcessor: winprint\r\nDatatype: RAW\r\nParameters: (null)\r\nAttributes: <Local|DoCompleteFirst|>\r\nPriority: 1\r\nDefaultPriority: 0\r\nStartTime: 0\r\nUntilTime: 0\r\nStatus: <>\r\nClientSideRender: Enabled<\/pre>\n
Solution<\/h2>\n
Method 1: Reinstall Microsoft Print to PDF<\/h3>\n
To fix the problem, use one of the methods in the article Restore Microsoft Print to PDF After Deleting it Accidentally<\/a> to reinstall Microsoft Print to PDF.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Method 2: Set the Correct Port in Printer Properties<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Right-click Start, click Control Panel.<\/li>\n
  2. Select Devices and Printers<\/b> in the list view.<\/li>\n
  3. Right-click Microsoft Print to PDF, and click Printer Properties<\/b><\/li>\n
  4. Click the Ports tab.
    \nIf it says LPT1, Microsoft Print to PDF will do nothing if you issue the Print command. And if FILE: (Print to File)<\/b> is chosen, it would only print to a .PRN file instead.<\/i><\/li>\n
  5. Scroll down until you see PORTPROMPT: Local Port<\/b>, and enable the checkmark. (See what is PORTPROMPT<\/a><\/i>)
    \n<\/li>\n
  6. Click OK. See if you’re able to print using Microsoft Print to PDF.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
    When you use the Microsoft Print to PDF to print to PDF file, nothing may happen after issuing the Print command. Or, Microsoft Print to PDF may only print to a .PRN file even if the “Print to File” option is unchecked on the Printer Properties page. This post tells you why this happens and … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows-10"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1564,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/reinstall-microsoft-print-to-pdf-delete-accidentally\/","url_meta":{"origin":1677,"position":0},"title":"How to Reinstall Microsoft Print to PDF After Deleting it Accidentally","author":"Ramesh","date":"February 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Windows 10 and 11, as you know, includes the Microsoft Print to PDF virtual printer built-in that can print (convert) documents to PDF format from any application. 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Sometimes, you may want to remove specific pages from a PDF document or remove images from a particular page in a PDF file completely to keep the file size low. Many online portals provide\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Utilities"","block_context":{"text":"Utilities","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/utilities\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/delete-page-pdf-file-5.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/delete-page-pdf-file-5.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/delete-page-pdf-file-5.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26807,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/error-0x800f0922-print-pdf-xps-writer\/","url_meta":{"origin":1677,"position":2},"title":"(Solved) Microsoft Print to PDF Error 0x800f0922","author":"Ramesh","date":"July 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"We saw in detail how to reinstall the Microsoft Print to PDF printer in Windows 10 or 11. During the process, some users have encountered the error 0x800f0922 no matter which method they used (DISM, PowerShell, the \"Add a Printer\" wizard, or the Windows Features GUI) to install the driver.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"add printer - pdf error - file not found","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/add-printer-pdf-error.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/add-printer-pdf-error.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/add-printer-pdf-error.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18255,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/batch-convert-excel-sheets-to-pdf-files\/","url_meta":{"origin":1677,"position":3},"title":"How to Batch Convert Excel Sheets into PDF Files","author":"Ramesh","date":"September 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets are commonly used to store financial data and prepare invoices. 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