Copying Soft Font Information from the NullPort in Windows (74643)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 3.0
This article was previously published under Q74643

SUMMARY

If downloadable soft fonts for the HP LaserJet II and LaserJet II families of printers have been installed for the printer driver configured for the Windows nullport (typically designated as None), you cannot normally use the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Softfont Installer dialog box to copy the soft font entries to another port designation.

MORE INFORMATION

The HP Softfont Installer provides the option to copy soft font information only between ports that are listed in the [ports] section of the WIN.INI file. The nullport is not listed in this section.

If the font files are not from HP, you cannot use the Softfont Installer to simply reinstall the fonts into the appropriate section of the WIN.INI file. The HP Softfont Installer is designed to only create the correct PFM (printer font metrics) files for HP Softfonts, and the PFM files created may not be compatible with third-party downloadable fonts for the printers.

The following is an alternative that will work regardless of the source of the font files.

If you have some soft font entries in the section of the WIN.INI file with the following heading

[HPPCL,LPT1]

and you want to copy the font entries that were installed in the WIN.INI section with the following heading

[HPPCL,None]

you cannot simply copy the font information from one section into the other section because the number of soft fonts for that section will change and the soft font numbering will have to change to reflect the change. This may mean manually renumbering more than 200 lines in the WIN.INI file without making any typographical errors.

Recommended Procedure

  1. With a text editor (NOTEPAD.EXE for example), edit the [ports] section of the WIN.INI file so that one of the lines in that section is:

    None=

    Simply replace one of the existing lines in the [ports] section that you are not currently using. Save the changes to the file and close it.
  2. Open the Control Panel, select Printers, highlight the printer to which you want to copy the soft fonts, choose Configure, and then choose Setup.
  3. Choose the Fonts button in the Printer Setup dialog box to bring up the HP Softfont Installer.
  4. Choose the Copy Between Ports button and select the None port (this is possible because we have previously modified the [ports] section of the WIN.INI file). The soft font install program will scan for soft fonts and then list them on the right-hand side of the Softfont Installer dialog box.
  5. Select all of the fonts that are listed on the right-hand side of the dialog box by positioning the cursor on one of the font names listed and then choosing the name while pressing CTRL+SHIFT.
  6. With all the fonts selected, choose the Move button. This will move all of the font entries to the correct printer driver section of the WIN.INI file.
  7. Exit the Control Panel in the normal fashion.
  8. Edit the WIN.INI file again, removing the None= line from the [ports] section.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:7/7/2005
Keywords:KB74643
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