Your monitor or print processor DLLs can be installed using statements in the INF file Windows 95 uses to install your printer driver. Printer extension statements for INF files are defined for Windows 95 and this section describes how these printer extension statements are used and provides reference material for each statement. This section also describes how these INF file printer extensions statements are used in the context of Windows 95 device Plug and Play.
Under Windows 3.1x, the Control Panel Printers applet has some limitations on installing printer drivers. This caused some printer vendors to develop their own installation utilities to work around these limitations.
Under Windows 95, the mechanism for installing printer drivers is different, removing the Windows 3.1x limitations. A new user interface is also provided in Windows 95 that corrects the problems users have reported with the Windows 3.1x Control Panel Printers applet.
In order to support the automatic Plug and Play printer installation described in the section Plug and Play Printer Installation and to support the manual printer installation method for non-Plug and Play printers that is described in this section, the printer INF file format for Windows 95 differs from the INF file format used with Windows 3.1x. This section defines the printer-specific changes to the INF file format and content. If you are developing a Windows 95 INF file for your printer installation, you must read tWindows 95 INF Files in addition to this section to get all the information you need to do the job.
Note that the OEMSETUP.INF file format for printer drivers from Windows 3.1x will continue to be supported in Windows 95 for backwards compatibility, but all printer vendors are strongly encouraged to use the new INF file format described here and in Windows 95 INF Files.
For Plug and Play printer installation and to use any of the new options for manual printer installation using the Add Printer icon, you will have to use the new INF file format and statements.
All of the printer-specific Windows 95 INF file extensions are individual lines that can be added to the simple text INF file. Each line has the form key=value. There are just over a dozen printer-specific keys that can be used and you only need to use a key to override the default. The following table lists the keys and defaults.
| Key | Description | Default Value |
|---|---|---|
| ConfigFile | Names the DLL to call to configure the printer. | The file named in the DriverFile statement. |
| DataFile | Names a file that contains printer-specific information. For example, this may be the mini driver data file or, for Post Script printers, the .SPD file. | Install section name. |
| DataSection | Names another section of the INF file that contains printer-specific key=value statements that can be used by more than one Install section in the INF file. | There does not have to be a Data section in an INF file or any DataSection statements in any of the INF file installer sections. See the section Printer INF File Data Section for an example of how to use a Data section to reduce typing and clerical errors while you are developing a printer INF file. |
| DefaultDataType | Default datatype used by the printer and print processor associated with the printer. | Raw |
| DriverFile | Names the printer driver (.DRV) file to install. | Install section name. |
| HelpFile | Names the help file associated with the printer model. | No help file. |
| LanguageMonitor | User-displayable name and DLL filename of language monitor used by the printer model. | No language monitor. |
| NoTestPage | Instructs the Windows 95 printer installation process to not prompt the user with a test page printing option as the last step of a successful printer installation. | The user is prompted with a test page printing option, unless a VendorInstaller or VendorSetup statement is used in the INF file. |
| NotSelectedTimeOut | Not-selected timeout value for the printer, measured in seconds. | 45 seconds. |
| PortMonitor | User-displayable name and DLL filename of port monitor used by the printer model. | Default port monitor, which is provided by Microsoft as part of SPOOLSS.DLL.. |
| PrintProcessor | User-displayable name and DLL filename of the print processor used by the printer model. | Default print processor, which is provided by Microsoft as part of SPOOLSS.DLL. |
| RetryTimeout | Retry timeout value for the printer, measured in seconds. | 15 seconds. |
| VendorInstaller | Names a vendor-provided Win32 DLL that performs the entire printer installation process, and the exported entry-point to call in that DLL. Can only be used for Plug and Play devices. | No vendor installer DLL. |
| VendorSetup | Names a vendor-provided Win32 DLL to be run after normal printer installation is accomplished, and the exported entry-point to call in the DLL. | No vendor setup DLL. |