Retrieve Documents Frome Printer Queue

[RadiationBoy]

anyone have any suggestions on how to retrieve a document from printer queue. here's my example say you print something then you close the document and you don't save it, because you know its in the printer and doesn't need the file on the computer anymore, then lets say that you faqqed up, you printed to a printer thats not currently connected to your computer, so the document just sits there in your printer queue, is there anyway to get this file back? thanks

-Rad

[Tomboy]

@RadiationBoy,

I am pretty sure that (for most modern printers) the print queue holds only a binary data stream representing a graphical presentation of the document. Converting that data stream back into a real document would be a major challenge. Some exceptions might be if you have a very old printer that only prints text, then that might be recoverable, or if you printed to a postscript printer, there are ways to translate PS to something else useful. Alternatively, you could hook up the correct printer and try printing it. Otherwise, I wouldn't hold out much hope for getting it back.

Tomboy

[RadiationBoy]

hmmm yeah i was thinking the same thing about the printer having a graphical represintation of the document....i wonder if there is someway to get that back and just have some kind of image file of it. i was thinking it would be the same type of file that you get when you check "print to file" when your printing something.

thanks for your reply

[Zone-MR]

If you have a laser printer, it is very likely to be postscript. In this case it will hold the text + images and can easilly be converted into something like PDF.

If you have an inkjet printer it is likely to be some proprietary format, but there may be tools to read it. If you only need an image file, let it print, then scan it Yeah, I know that solution sucks quality-wise.

As for recovering the data in whatever format it's in, try looking in C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool . That's where the stuff it's saved, but I have no clue as to the format/structure of the queue.

One more thing which *might* work is changing the printer properties to print to FILE: instead of LPT/USB/COM. Not sure if it will affect jobs already in the spool, but if it does, it's your lucky day.

[RadiationBoy]

heh cool zone changing the printer properties to FILE worked thats cool thanks