Q Under Windows 3.1 I have always been able to print a document to a file, copy it to another machine and then copy it to the printer using File Manager (or some other file utility) and specify the location to copy the file to as "lpt1" or similar. This would then print the document as if I had printed directly to the printer. How (if at all) can I achieve the same thing under Win 95/NT?

A Imagine you have created a Pagemaker document on your home computer and want to print it out. You could use your 5-year-old inkjet, but the quality may be less than dazzling. You would much rather take the file to work and print it out on the brand new zillion-dpi LaserJet. But if Pagemaker isn't available at the office, you're up the proverbial creek.

But not without a paddle. In Windows 3.x, as Tim points out, it is possible to print to a file rather than directly to a printer. The resulting file contains all the commands a printer needs to process the job, so it can be printed without the help of the application that created it. The same trick works in much the same way with newer versions of Windows. Here's how it's done:

1. On your home system, install a driver for your office printer (choose StartûSettingsûPrinters and double-click Add Printer). If the driver you need isn't included on the Windows installation CD, you should be able to download a copy from the printer vendor's web site.

2. In Pagemaker (or whatever application you used to create the document) choose FileûPrint and select the appropriate driver from the drop-down list of printer names.

3. Look for the Print to file checkbox and ensure that it's checked.

Caption: To create a file that can be copied directly to a printer, make sure the Print to file option is checked

4. Click OK and enter a file name (eg print.prn) when prompted.

5. Copy the file to a floppy and install it on your office system. (If it won't fit on a floppy, you might consider e-mailing it.)

6. Open a command prompt on your office computer (StartûProgramsûCommand Prompt). If the target printer is local (ie attached to your system's parallel port), type copy print.prn lpt1 and press <Enter>. If the target is a network printer, adjust the copy command accordingly, eg copy print.prn \\servername\printername and press <Enter>. If you're not sure what the printer is called, the name should appear in the Printers folder (StartûSettingsûPrinters).