Procedure documentationDefining an Output Device for Remote Printing on Microsoft Windows PCs

 

You want to print using your SAP System on a printer that is defined on a remote host with the Microsoft Windows operating system. To do this, you must create a network connection to the printer, as the SAP spool server (SAP spooler) and the Microsoft Windows spool system (operating system spooler) are not on the same host. To be able to use remote Microsoft Windows PC printing, you must create the appropriate device definition for the output device in the SAP System.

SAP provides its own remote printing solution for remote printing using Microsoft Windows PCs. This solution uses the SAPSprint service to transfer output requests from the SAP spool server to the Microsoft Windows spooler. You can use SAPSprint in all Microsoft Windows systems. With Microsoft Windows NT/2000, remote printing can also be implemented using the TCP/IP Print Server.

However, we recommend that you use SAPSprint, as the TCP/IP Print Server can only forward data that has already been formatted for the printer, that is, device-specific data, directly to Microsoft Windows without using Microsoft Windows printer drivers. SAPSprint, on the other hand, can also interpret data streams that were generated with the generic, that is device-independent, device type SWIN/SAPWIN, and call the appropriate Microsoft Windows drivers that generate device-specific data streams. You can therefore use printers with SAPSprint that are not specifically defined in the SAP System, but which are addressed device-independently.

Prerequisites

  • Ensure that you can already print documents on the printer from your PC.

    If this is not the case, install the printer on the Microsoft Windows PC. For information about this, see your Microsoft Windows NT documentation.

    Note Note

    It is irrelevant whether the printer is directly connected to the PC or whether it is a shared network printer.

    End of the note.

  • If you want to print with the generic device type SWIN/SAPWIN, you must have installed the newest version of the SAPSprint transfer program on your Microsoft Windows PC.

Procedure

Follow the procedure below to create a device definition for remote PC printing:

  1. Call transaction SPAD, and choose Output Devices.

  2. If you are not in change mode, switch to this mode by choosing Change.

  3. You can now do the following:

    • You can create a new device definition by choosing Start of the navigation path Output Device Next navigation step Create End of the navigation path.

    • You can use an existing device definition as a template.

      To do this, click the entry for the output device that is to be used as a template, and choose Start of the navigation path Output Device Next navigation step Create Using Template End of the navigation path.

  4. Specify the name of the output device and fill out the mandatory fields of the individual tab pages as follows:

    Field

    Input

    Device Attributes Tab Page

    Device Type

    Enter the device type that is defined in the SAP System for the printer model, such as HPLJ4 for the HP Laser Jet 4.

    For printing under Microsoft Windows, you can also use the generic SWIN device type. SWIN allows you to address any device supported by Microsoft Windows, even if the device type is not defined in the SAP System.

    For a list of the device types delivered, see SAP Note 8928 in the SAP Service Marketplace.

    Spool Server

    Select the SAP spool server that is to format output for this device.

    For additional information, see Spool Server

    Device Class

    Select Standard printer.

    Host Spool Access tab page

    Access Method

    Select the appropriate access method

    • for SAPSprint: S or U

    • for Microsoft Windows lpr: U

    The data is forwarded with this access method from SAPSprint /Windows lpr to the host spooler

    Host Printer

    Enter the UNC name of the printer (name and network path) as it is defined in the Microsoft Windows spool system.

    For example: \\P09330\P330

    Destination Host

    Enter the network name of the Microsoft Windows PC. This is the PC on which the SAPSprint service or the TCP/IP Print Server is running.

  5. Optional: Classify the device. To do this, choose Start of the navigation path Edit Next navigation step Classification End of the navigation pathand then the appropriate output type classification for this device. Although classification of output devices is optional, it provides this advantage:

    If you also classify your spool servers, the spool system checks that the device and server classifications match. This helps to ensure an optimal output configuration.

    Example Example

    If you are preparing to assign a mass printer to a time-critical production server, then the spool system warns you of this disparity.

    End of the example.

Result

You can use the printer in the SAP System as soon as you have saved the device definition.

Example

The following example shows the definition of a printer that is to be used as an output device for remote PC printing. The printer is addressed using the generic device type SWIN. The data stream is transferred using SAPSprint.

Device Attributes tab page:

Host Spool Access Method tab page:

As the host spool system and the spool server are on different hosts, the name of the destination host (PC) on which SAPSprint is running is specified on this tab page.

More Information

Defining Output Devices for Local Microsoft Windows Printing

Output Devices in the SAP Spool System

SAP Printing Guide Start Page