What this method does | How to set up the Ghostscript method | An aternative method using Jaws PDF Creator | An alternative method using RoPS | Drivers and how to use them | Installing soft fonts | Faxing from TTWP or PrimeType | Home page
This page offers methods of faxing from WPDOS using Windows-based fax software. If you want to fax from WPDOS 5.1+ or 6.x under Windows, but using the DOS-based fax software that is supplied with those WPDOS versions, see the instructions on this site's Windows printing page.
The methods described on this page will allow you to fax from WordPerfect for DOS to Windows fax software like WinFax, MightyFax, and probably any other Windows-based fax program that includes its own printer driver so that you can fax from standard Windows applications. These methods are based on this site's methods for printing from WPDOS to any Windows printer. If you have already set up one of those methods, please repeat the steps listed below, because there are some significant differences between printing and faxing.
Note: Two alternative methods are described elsewhere on this page, one using the RoPS PostScript interpreter software, the other using Jaws PDF Creator and Acobe Acrobat Reader. See also this site's list of other methods for printing to any Windows printer, all of which can be adapted for faxing.
The software tools required are all available free for personal use. The initial setup takes about ten minutes, and you need only set up the procedure once. After you complete the setup, the method is entirely automatic and needs no intervention from the user. This method has been tested with various fax programs under Windows 98 Second Edition and with the built-in fax program in Windows 2000.
The tools you will need are the superb freeware program PrintFile, by Peter Lerup, the Windows version of GPL Ghostscript, a PostScript interpreter used as the standard printing software in Linux and many variants of Unix, and a program called gsprint.exe that is included with GSview, a PostScript viewer program that is tightly linked to GPL Ghostscript. Note that PrintFile is the only one of these three programs that you will need to configure. You will download and install the other two, but you will not have to configure them.
The method works in this way: You select a PostScript printer driver for use with WPDOS, and set up WP to send its printer output to a file on disk instead of directly to a printer. The output file on your disk is detected by PrintFile as soon as it is created. PrintFile then sends the file (via gsprint.exe) to Ghostscript, which converts the file from PostScript format into the bitmap format used by fax software. The converted file is then passed by gsprint.exe to your fax software for faxing. The whole process is fully automatic and takes only a few seconds.
Tip: You can record a macro that switches the default printer driver to the one you use for faxing, prints the current document, and then switches back to the printer driver you use for ordinary printing. You can, if you prefer, assign this macro to a key, so that you can fax from WordPerfect with a single keystroke.
(1) Install and test your Windows fax software, and make certain that it creates a Windows printer driver. Look in the list of Windows printer for a printer named something like "Fax" or "WinFax" or "Symantec Fax Starter Edition" or "MightyFax Printer Driver" or "Print to Fax" or some similar name. Note the exact name of the driver; you will need it later.
(2) Download and install GPL Ghostscript; look for the most recent version that is available in a filename with a name like gs###w32.exe (where ### is a number like 861 or higher). If the latest version is not easy to find on the page, go instead to a different page and download gs###w32.exe from there (again, where ### is a number like 861 or higher). After downloading the installer, run it to install Ghostscript. You do not have to run Ghostscript after installing it, but you must install it. (If you want to run it in order to see what it looks like, keep in mind that you should type "quit" on the command-line in the Ghostscript window to close it.)
(3) Download and install GSview. Run GSView (it is on your Start Menu's Programs list, under Ghostgum), and perform the following steps: (a) On the top-line menu, choose Options, and click Ignore DSC so that a checkmark appears next to it. (b) On the same menu, click Save Settings Now. (c) On the top-line menu, choose Media; by default, the A4 paper size is selected; if you normally print to A4 paper, leave this setting as it is, and close GSView; if you use Letter (US Letter) paper, or any other paper size, click on the size you prefer so that it has a checkmark next to it. (d) Return to the Options menu, and, again, click Save Settings Now. Now close GSView.
(4) Download and install PrintFile. You should probably create a start menu item and a desktop shortcut, but you do not need to associate any file types with the program.
(5) Run PrintFile and press the Settings button. In the PrintFile Settings dialog, under General, add a checkmark next to "Enable spooler function," and remove the checkmark (if any) next to "Show printer selection dialog." I recommend that you add a checkmark next to "Show icon on the taskbar."
(6) Still in the PrintFile Settings window, click the Conversion button. In the Conversions Settings dialog, use the down arrow to display PostScript files, and add a checkmark next to "Enable conversion of". In the Program field, enter (or browse to) the full path of the gsprint.exe program, which should look something like c:\ghostgum\gsview\gsprint.exe. (Help! What does a "full path" mean?) In the Parameters field, enter the following (note the hyphen at the start, and the ampersand-i at the end):
-printer "Name of your fax printer" &i
Instead of "Name of your fax printer" you must of course use the name of your fax printer driver, exactly as it appears in Windows's list of printers ("Fax" or "WinFax" or "Symantec Fax Starter Edition" or "MightyFax Printer Driver" or some similar name). You must enclose the name in quotation marks. Still in the Conversions Settings dialog, you must add a checkmark next to "Conversion program handles printing". Depending on your fax software, you almost certainly must add a checkmark next to "Show conversion program window" (some fax software does not require this setting, and you may want to experiment with it after testing this method successfully). Click OK to close the Conversions Settings window.
Note: Other options that may be used in the Parameters field in the Conversions Settings dialog in PrintFile are listed in the file gsprint.htm, which may be found in the same folder as gsprint.exe. Do not start experimenting with them until you succeed in faxing with the simple options listed here.
(7) Back in the PrintFile Settings window, in the Current Settings field, type "Fax Settings" (without the quotation marks). Click the Shortcut... button. In the Create PrintFile Shortcut dialog, choose the Desktop type; the Storage directory defaults to a subdirectory named Shortcuts under the PrintFile directory, and need not be changed. Click OK to close the Create PrintFile Shortcut dialog; if necessary, press Esc to close the PrintFile Settings dialog; and Exit the main PrintFile dialog. Find the "PrintFile - Fax Settings" shortcut that has now been created on your desktop; you will return to it later.
(8) Create a new folder to use as a spool directory for your WPDOS print files. I suggest creating a folder named C:\WPSPOOL. The name of the folder must not be longer than eight characters. You should not use this directory for anything other than print spooling, because any files you place in the directory may be deleted by PrintFile's spooler function. This directory must not be the PrintFile Storage directory that you used in step (7).
Note: If you also use this site's methods for printing to any Windows printer or for printing to a USB-connected printer, you may use the same spool directory with each method.
(9) Right-click on the "PrintFile - Fax Settings" desktop shortcut that you created in step (7), and select Properties. Make sure the command line in the target field ends with "...Fax Settings.exe". Click at the end of the existing line in the Target field. Type a space after the quotation mark at the end of the existing line, not inside the existing quotation marks, and then add the following string:
/s:C:\WPSPOOL\fax.ps
Remember to add a space before (to the left of) this string, and be extremely careful when typing the string itself: do not add any quotation marks, and please note that the string begins with a forward slash, followed immediately (no space) by the letter s and a colon, followed immediately (no space) by the directory name and filename (using backward slashes). The pathname in green (C:\WPSPOOL) should match the folder you created in step (8). Close the Properties dialog but do not launch the shortcut.
Note for experts only: You can use *.ps or *.* (or any other file specification) instead of fax.ps. You may want to write macros that use more than one filename for the output file that is specified in step (11).
(10) Run WordPerfect for DOS, press Shift-F7/Select/Add Printer (in 5.1, Additional Printers), and select a PostScript printer. You may use one of the special Ghostscript drivers available from this site (see the notes on drivers below), or you may use almost any standard PostScript driver that shipped with WPDOS (a safe choice is the Apple LaserWriter IINTX); for best results, do not use an HP or Lexmark PostScript driver. If you do not see any of the original WordPerfect PostScript drivers on the list of additional printers in your copy of WPDOS, you can install the drivers from the original WordPerfect installation disks, or download drivers from Corel's page for WPDOS 5.1 printer drivers or its page for WPDOS 6.x printer drivers.
Note: I strongly recommend that you rename the printer driver you use for faxing so that it is named "Fax through Ghostscript" or some similar name. In WPDOS 6.x, use Shift-F7/Select/Edit/Description, and enter the new name. In WPDOS 5.1, use Shift-F7/Select/Edit/Name, and enter the new name.
(11) After selecting and installing the PostScript driver, you must direct the printer output to a file. The procedure is slightly different in different WPDOS versions. In WPDOS 6.x, use Shift-F7/Select, and make sure the highlight is on your PostScript printer driver. Select Edit, and in the Edit Printer Setup screen, select Port, then Filename, and enter the pathname C:\WPSPOOL\FAX.PS. In WPDOS 5.1, use Shift-F7/Select Printer, and make sure the highlight is on your PostScript printer driver. Select Edit, and in the Select Printer: Edit screen, select Port, choose Other, and enter the pathname C:\WPSPOOL\FAX.PS. With either version, the directory in the pathname shown in green (C:\WPSPOOL) should be the folder you created in step (8).
(12) Now "print" a document from WPDOS and make sure that a file named FAX.PS is present in the C:\WPSPOOL folder. Delete the file.
(13) Launch the "PrintFile - Fax Settings" shortcut you modified in step (9). The PrintFile icon should appear in your system tray.
(14) Return to WPDOS and "print" a document as you did in step (12). After a few seconds, your fax software should pop up and prompt you to continue its standard faxing procedure, and you may now fax the file to any recipient.
If your fax software does not pop up, or if you see any error messages, return to steps (5) through (9) and make absolutely certain that you have followed the instructions exactly. If you see repeated errors, it may be necessary to close PrintFile and remove any files in your C:\WPSPOOL directory before trying again.
(15) If all goes well, make a copy of the "PrintFile - Fax Settings" shortcut that you modified in step (9) and add the copy to your Startup group so that it will run whenever you boot into Windows.
A potentially faster and simpler method of faxing from WPDOS to Windows fax software uses a slightly modified version of this site's RoPS method of printing to any printer. It does not use Ghostscript; instead it uses the shareware (US$45) RoPS PostScript interpreter software, together with PrintFile. See the separate page on RoPS for additional details.
The main advantage of this method is the small (290 KB) download and the easy setup. The disadvantage, aside from the shareware fee, is that with some fax software (not all) you may be prompted twice to send the same fax, and will need to cancel the second fax. This problem does not occur with WinFax, but it does occur with MightyFax, for reasons that I do not understand.
To set up this RoPS method, begin by finding the exact name of the fax "printer" used by your fax software. Use Start/Settings/Printers, and carefully note the exact name of your fax printer (perhaps "Fax" or "WinFax Printer" or "Symantec Fax Starter Edition" or "MightyFax Printer Driver" or some similar name).
Next, follow this site's instructions for the RoPS method of printing to any printer, with the following exceptions:
In step (3) use the name "RoPS Fax Settings" (instead of "RoPS Print Settings"), and look for "RoPS Fax Settings" (instead of "RoPS Print Settings") in later steps.
In step (4), in the Parameters field, instead of entering the string /p &i enter the string:
/pt &i "Name of your fax printer in quotation marks"
Note you must enter /pt instead of /p and that you must add the exact name of your fax printer, within quotation marks. With some fax software (for example, MightyFAX), you must add a checkmark next to "Show conversion program window"; with other software (for example, WinFax), you should leave the checkmark blank. But you must have a checkmark next to "Conversion program handles printing."
In steps (7), (9), and (10), use the filename FAXOUT.PS instead of OUTPUT.PS. And in step (8), when installing a PostScript printer driver, give it a unique descriptive name like "PostScript fax driver."
When you "print" from WPDOS, you should see a dialog box pop up from your fax software in which you can enter a fax number and other details for sending a fax.
Another potentially faster alternate method of faxing from WPDOS to Windows fax software uses a slightly modified version of this site's Jaws PDF Creator method of printing to any printer. It does not use Ghostscript; instead it uses the commercial Jaws PDF Creator software and the free Acrobat Reader. See the separate page on the Jaws PDF Creator for additional details.
This alternate method has two disadvantages compared to the Ghostscript method: an icon for Acrobat Reader remains on your Windows taskbar when you finish faxing, and you cannot conveniently use this Jaws PDF method of faxing from WPDOS if you also use the Jaws PDF method of printing from WPDOS, because you would have to remember to switch between two configurations in the the Jaws PDF software whenever you switch between faxing and printing.
To set up this Jaws PDF method, begin by finding the exact name of the fax printer driver used by your fax software. Use Start/Settings/Printers, and carefully note the exact name of your fax printer driver (perhaps "Fax" or "WinFax" or "Symantec Fax Starter Edition" or "MightyFax Printer Driver" or some similar name).
Next, follow this site's instructions for the Jaws PDF Creator method of printing to any printer, with the following two exceptions, both in step (5). First, use the name "Fax from WPDOS" (without quotation marks) as the name of yourJaws configuration. Second, enter a slightly different string in the "Execute on job completion" field: do not insert /p /h before "%s". Instead, insert the string /t before "%s" and the exact name of your fax printer (within quotation marks) after "%s", so the entire field looks something like this (with the path of your copy of Acrobat Reader and your fax printer instead of the examples used here):
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 9.0\Reader\acrord32.exe /t "%s" "WinFax"
All the other instructions may be followed exactly as in the Jaws method, although, when setting up PrintFile and WPDOS to specify the name of the output printfile, you may want to use FAXOUT.PS instead of PDFOUT.PS. Also, you should give a descriptive name like "PostScript fax printer" to the WordPerfect printer driver that you use for faxing.
This site provides Ghostscript printer drivers for WPDOS; the drivers are slightly modified from standard WordPerfect PostScript drivers, and you can use a standard WordPerfect PostScript driver if you prefer. (I suggest that you do not use HP LaserJet or Lexmark PostScript drivers with Ghostscript, as special printer codes in these drivers may interfere with smooth operations.) See the section below for information on installing soft fonts for use with these drivers
Notes on WordPerfect for DOS 6.x only: Ghostscript drivers for WPDOS 6.x (WP60GSCR.EXE) are available in a self-extracting archive. The name of each driver includes "Color" or "Mono" and a resolution in Dots Per Inch. Choose a low-resolution driver for fax printing. The resolution of Ghostscript's "built-in" 35 standard PostScript fonts will not be affected by the resolution of the driver. The driver resolution is designed to optimize the output of bitmapped graphics. Because WPDOS 6.x uses bitmapped graphics to output its "graphic fonts" (TrueType, Speedo, and any Type 1 fonts that are not installed as printer fonts) to PostScript printers, you will get better results if you choose the a resolution close to the low resolution of fax machines. But any of these drivers should give acceptable results.
To use these drivers, download WP60GSCR.EXE to a temporary directory and run the program to extract the contents. Copy WP60GSCR.ALL to the directory that contains your printer files. (To locate this directory in WordPerfect, use Shift-F1/Location of Files/Printer Files...) In WordPerfect, use Shift-F7/Select/Add Printer... and select the most suitable driver. Edit the printer definition as described in step (11) above.
Note: Slightly revised versions of these WPDOS 6.x drivers were posted on 24 February 2001. Drivers with improved font management were posted on 20 May 2001; please replace your existing drivers if you downloaded the earlier versions.
Notes on WordPerfect for DOS 5.x only: Ghostscript drivers for WPDOS 5.1 (WP51GSCR.EXE) are available in a self extracting archive. Choose the Ghostscript Mono driver for ordinary faxing, unless, of course, you have a color fax machine.
WordPerfect for DOS 6.x: With WPDOS 6.x, you can use any soft font in any of the formats supported by the program. For the best output quality and print speed when printing to Ghostscript or PostScript or any PostScript emulator like Jaws PDF Creator, use PostScript Type 1 soft fonts wherever possible. You can install any Type 1 (PostScript) soft font as a "soft font" for PostScript printers using the built-in WPDOS 6.x font installer. With Ghostscript and PostScript printer, a Type 1 soft font installed as a "printer font" will produce faster and more reliable output than the same font installed as a "graphic font." "Soft fonts" are rasterized (converted to a bitmap) by the printer (in this case, Ghostscript), while "Graphic fonts" are rasterized by WPDOS.
If you want to convert TrueType fonts to Type 1 fonts, use the ttf2pt1.exe utility described on this site's separate page on installing Type 1 fonts in WPDOS 5.x PostScript drivers.
WordPerfect for DOS 5.1: You can install any of hundreds of Adobe Type 1 (PostScript) soft fonts for use with these drivers by using the soft font definitions in the WPDOS 5.1 PostScript (Additional) drivers from Corel's page for WPDOS 5.1 printer drivers; search for "PostScript (Additional)" and "PostScript (Additional 2)" through "PostScript (Additional 4)." If you have any other Type 1 fonts, or if you want to convert TrueType fonts into Type 1 fonts for use with this method, see this site's separate page on installing Type 1 fonts in WPDOS 5.x PostScript drivers.
These are brief notes on the general method of faxing to Windows fax software from TrueType for WordPerfect or PrimeType for WordPerfect.
Note: This method uses an old version of FormView, a freeware PCL viewer from Page Technology Marketing. This program has now been replaced by the free PCLReader; however, this updated program cannot be used to print to Windows fax drivers (as in the method below), only to actual physical printers. (Technical note: The newer PCLReader can, however, create TIFF image files that can easily be "printed" to Windows fax software; expert users can figure out the method for themselves.)
(1) Create a directory for temporary storage of output files that you will create from TTWP or PTWP when printing to Windows fax software. A good choice is C:\WPSPOOL. Other printing methods suggested on this site also use a directory by that name. If you do not already have a directory by that name, create it now.
(2) Using a text editor, edit the TTWP.CFG or PTWP.CFG file found in your WordPerfect directory. Find the line that begins Port2= and edit it to read as follows: Port2=LPT2,C:\WPSPOOL\OUTPUT.PCL and save the file. If you already use LPT2 for some other purpose, use LTP3 in the line instead.
(3) Run WPDOS, select the TT HP LaserJet II printer driver (or the PT HP LaserJet II printer driver) and set it to print to LPT2 (or LPT3, if you used LPT3 in the preceding step). Print a file; you will find a file named Output.pcl in your C:\Wpspool directory.
(4) Download and install FormView; accept the default list of fonts, but answer No to all the questions that ask if you want to install FormView as a helper application. When the installation is complete, run the FormView program, and choose File/View PCL... to locate and open the C:\Wpspool\Output.pcl file. Select File/Print/Setup and select your Windows fax driver from the drop-down menu of printers; then return to the FormView print menu and click OK to "print" the file to your Windows fax software.
Note: If you fax frequently from TTWP or PTWP, you may want to automate this method slightly by using the freeware utility PrintFile. After completing the instructions above, follow these instructions exactly:
(5) Download and install PrintFile. You should probably create a Start menu item and a desktop shortcut, but you do not need to associate any file types with the program.
(6) Run PrintFile and click the Settings button. In the PrintFile Settings dialog, in the Current Settings field at the top, replace "Default Settings" with "FormView Settings" (without the quotation marks). Under General, add a checkmark next to "Enable spooler function," and remove the checkmark (if any) next to "Show printer selection dialog." I recommend that you add a checkmark next to "Show icon on the taskbar." Click on the Conversion button; in the dropdown list, choose Binary files and add a check mark next to "Enable conversion of." In the Program field, enter, or browse to, C:\FORMVIEW\fv32.exe and in the Parameters field, enter &i (that is, ampersand-i). Add checkmarks next to "Show conversion program window" and "Conversion program handles printing." Click OK.
(7) Back in the PrintFile Settings window, click the Shortcut... button. In the Create PrintFile Shortcut dialog, choose the Desktop type; the Storage directory defaults to a subdirectory named Shortcuts, within the PrintFile directory, and need not be changed. Click OK to close the Create PrintFile Shortcut dialog; press Esc to close the PrintFile Settings dialog, and Exit the main PrintFile dialog. Find the "PrintFile - FormView Settings" shortcut that has now been created on your desktop.
(8) Right-click on the "PrintFile - FormView Settings" desktop shortcut that you created in step (7), and select Properties. Add the following string to the end of the command line in the Target field (after adding a space):
/s:C:\WPSPOOL\output.pcl
The pathname in green (C:\WPSPOOL) should match the folder that you created in step (1). Close the Properties dialog and launch the shortcut.
(9) Return to WPDOS and "print" a document as you did in step (3). After a few seconds, the document should open in FormView, and you may print it as you did in step (4).
(10) If all goes well, make a copy of the "PrintFile - FormView Settings" shortcut that you modified in step (7) and add the copy to your Startup group so that it will run whenever you boot into Windows.