### Print To File Checkbox

OSR_Community_User · January 5, 2006, 9:14am

Hi Folks,

Does anyone know how to get a callback/notification/etc in a printer
driver to see if the user has checked the “Print To File” box commonly
available in the application?

If not, is there a nice way to use the PrintDlgEx structure (from within
a printer driver) to hide that checkbox from the user?

Thanks

Steve Spano

President, Finger Lakes Engineering

(V) 607-277-1614 x223

(F) 800-835-7164

(C) 607-342-1150

xxxxx@flconsult.com

www.fl-eng.com

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OSR_Community_User · January 5, 2006, 11:34am

Why?

Why are so many questions on this list about how to restrict users, to
disable functionality?

Is this yet another attempt to create false “security” by disabling
application functionality, long after the user already has access to the
data that is considered sensitive?

Overall, I favor commercial development, and I think Windows is (these days)
an excellent platform. But this continuing trend of applications
hamstringing users’ machines, increasingly without their knowledge or
consent, is infuriating. I didn’t buy a machine for Sony. I bought it for
me, it is mine, and it is there to do what I want it to do. I make the
value judgments about what I do with my machine, not some ATAPI filter.

I’m glad I write *device* drivers, i.e. things that allow users to use
devices, rather than “device” drivers whose main purpose is to interfere,
restrict, deny, and annoy.

What possible good could disabling that feature cause? If it’s “security”,
all you do is provide an incentive for someone else to write a different
print driver, or hook DLL, or whatever that undisables that check box.

– arlie

From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com
[mailto:xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Steve Spano
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 9:12 AM
To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
Subject: [ntdev] ### Print To File Checkbox

Hi Folks,

Does anyone know how to get a callback/notification/etc in a printer driver
to see if the user has checked the “Print To File” box commonly available in
the application?

If not, is there a nice way to use the PrintDlgEx structure (from within a
printer driver) to hide that checkbox from the user?

Thanks

Steve Spano

President, Finger Lakes Engineering

(V) 607-277-1614 x223

(F) 800-835-7164

(C) 607-342-1150

xxxxx@flconsult.com

www.fl-eng.com

Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at
http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256

You are currently subscribed to ntdev as: unknown lmsubst tag argument: ‘’
To unsubscribe send a blank email to xxxxx@lists.osr.com

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OSR_Community_User · January 5, 2006, 11:42am

Arlie,

Do you know how to disable/hide the print-to-file checkbox or not?

Steve Spano
President, Finger Lakes Engineering
(V) 607-277-1614 x223
(F) 800-835-7164
(C) 607-342-1150
xxxxx@flconsult.com
www.fl-eng.com

-----Original Message-----
From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com
[mailto:xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Arlie Davis
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 11:35 AM
To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
Subject: RE: [ntdev] ### Print To File Checkbox

Why?

Why are so many questions on this list about how to restrict users, to
disable functionality?

Is this yet another attempt to create false “security” by disabling
application functionality, long after the user already has access to the
data that is considered sensitive?

Overall, I favor commercial development, and I think Windows is (these
days)
an excellent platform. But this continuing trend of applications
hamstringing users’ machines, increasingly without their knowledge or
consent, is infuriating. I didn’t buy a machine for Sony. I bought it
for
me, it is mine, and it is there to do what I want it to do. I make the
value judgments about what I do with my machine, not some ATAPI filter.

I’m glad I write *device* drivers, i.e. things that allow users to use
devices, rather than “device” drivers whose main purpose is to
interfere,
restrict, deny, and annoy.

What possible good could disabling that feature cause? If it’s
“security”,
all you do is provide an incentive for someone else to write a different
print driver, or hook DLL, or whatever that undisables that check box.

– arlie

From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com
[mailto:xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Steve Spano
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 9:12 AM
To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
Subject: [ntdev] ### Print To File Checkbox

Hi Folks,

Does anyone know how to get a callback/notification/etc in a printer
driver
to see if the user has checked the “Print To File” box commonly
available in
the application?

If not, is there a nice way to use the PrintDlgEx structure (from within
a
printer driver) to hide that checkbox from the user?

Thanks

Steve Spano

President, Finger Lakes Engineering

(V) 607-277-1614 x223

(F) 800-835-7164

(C) 607-342-1150

xxxxx@flconsult.com

www.fl-eng.com

Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at
http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256

You are currently subscribed to ntdev as: unknown lmsubst tag argument:
‘’
To unsubscribe send a blank email to xxxxx@lists.osr.com

************************************************************************
****
********
This footnote confirms that this email message has been scanned by
PineApp Mail-SeCure for the presence of malicious code, vandals &
computer
viruses.
************************************************************************
****
********

Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at
http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256

You are currently subscribed to ntdev as: xxxxx@flconsult.com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to xxxxx@lists.osr.com

OSR_Community_User · January 5, 2006, 4:16pm

Steve,

I’ve looked through the responses, and this really isn’t something I’d do in
a driver. You can replace the common dialog used by windows with one of your
own. I’ve done this to get around the page count limitation when printing
labels. This is reasonably trivial at the app level. This also allows you
control over things like paper size and which printers your app can print
to. I also implemented a persistence mechanism so that the application
serialized the last printer used. Hopefully you don’t need to control the
entire system’s functionality. If this is the case the job is a lot harder.

If what I’m talking about sounds like what you’re looking for, this is sort
of off topic for this list. The old app was a MFC application, but I think
the parts I’m referring to were pure SDK. If this seems like what you need,
let me know off list and I’ll go looking through my archives for pointers.

Sam Robinson

From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com
[mailto:xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Steve Spano
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 9:12 AM
To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
Subject: [ntdev] ### Print To File Checkbox

Hi Folks,

Does anyone know how to get a callback/notification/etc in a printer driver
to see if the user has checked the “Print To File” box commonly available in
the application?

If not, is there a nice way to use the PrintDlgEx structure (from within a
printer driver) to hide that checkbox from the user?

Thanks

Steve Spano

President, Finger Lakes Engineering

(V) 607-277-1614 x223

(F) 800-835-7164

(C) 607-342-1150

xxxxx@flconsult.com

www.fl-eng.com

Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at
http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256

You are currently subscribed to ntdev as: unknown lmsubst tag argument: ‘’
To unsubscribe send a blank email to xxxxx@lists.osr.com

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OSR_Community_User · January 6, 2006, 8:28am

To agree with Arlie, if this is done for security purposes, this is pretty much useless. I can pretty much guarantee anything you can do to restrict access using software I can undo using software, and I’m not that special. I’m sure anyone on this list can do the same thing.

So again, why?

From: “Steve Spano”
> Date: 2006/01/05 Thu AM 11:39:49 EST
> To: “Windows System Software Devs Interest List”
> Subject: RE: [ntdev] ### Print To File Checkbox
>
> Arlie,
>
> Do you know how to disable/hide the print-to-file checkbox or not?
>
> Steve Spano
> President, Finger Lakes Engineering
> (V) 607-277-1614 x223
> (F) 800-835-7164
> (C) 607-342-1150
> xxxxx@flconsult.com
> www.fl-eng.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com
> [mailto:xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Arlie Davis
> Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 11:35 AM
> To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
> Subject: RE: [ntdev] ### Print To File Checkbox
>
> Why?
>
> Why are so many questions on this list about how to restrict users, to
> disable functionality?
>
> Is this yet another attempt to create false “security” by disabling
> application functionality, long after the user already has access to the
> data that is considered sensitive?
>
> Overall, I favor commercial development, and I think Windows is (these
> days)
> an excellent platform. But this continuing trend of applications
> hamstringing users’ machines, increasingly without their knowledge or
> consent, is infuriating. I didn’t buy a machine for Sony. I bought it
> for
> me, it is mine, and it is there to do what I want it to do. I make the
> value judgments about what I do with my machine, not some ATAPI filter.
>
> I’m glad I write device drivers, i.e. things that allow users to use
> devices, rather than “device” drivers whose main purpose is to
> interfere,
> restrict, deny, and annoy.
>
> What possible good could disabling that feature cause? If it’s
> “security”,
> all you do is provide an incentive for someone else to write a different
> print driver, or hook DLL, or whatever that undisables that check box.
>
> – arlie
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com
> [mailto:xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Steve Spano
> Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 9:12 AM
> To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
> Subject: [ntdev] ### Print To File Checkbox
>
>
>
> Hi Folks,
>
>
>
> Does anyone know how to get a callback/notification/etc in a printer
> driver
> to see if the user has checked the “Print To File” box commonly
> available in
> the application?
>
>
>
> If not, is there a nice way to use the PrintDlgEx structure (from within
> a
> printer driver) to hide that checkbox from the user?
>
>
>
> Thanks
>
>
>
> Steve Spano
>
> President, Finger Lakes Engineering
>
> (V) 607-277-1614 x223
>
> (F) 800-835-7164
>
> (C) 607-342-1150
>
> xxxxx@flconsult.com
>
> www.fl-eng.com
>
>
>
>
> —
> Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at
> http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256
>
> You are currently subscribed to ntdev as: unknown lmsubst tag argument:
> ‘’
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to xxxxx@lists.osr.com
>
>
>
>
> This footnote confirms that this email message has been scanned by
> PineApp Mail-SeCure for the presence of malicious code, vandals &
> computer
> viruses.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> —
> Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at
> http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256
>
> You are currently subscribed to ntdev as: xxxxx@flconsult.com
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to xxxxx@lists.osr.com
>
>
>
>
>
> —
> Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256
>
> You are currently subscribed to ntdev as: xxxxx@ainfosec.com
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to xxxxx@lists.osr.com
>