Ig-NiceLabel Printer Driver Installation Guide
Ig-NiceLabel Printer Driver Installation Guide
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Purpose of this Manual
The purpose of this installation manual is to guide you through the process of NiceLabel printer
driver installation.
This manual should be used in combination with printer installation and user manuals. See the
driver release notes for detailed information on the latest features, specifics, solved and known
issues.
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Printer Driver Installation
There are two ways to install NiceLabel printer drivers. We recommend using the NiceLabel
PrnInst application. The application is controlled by the graphical user interface or via command
line interface. An alternative option is to use the Windows Add printer process.
See the corresponding sections of this manual to perform the driver installation successfully.
Before starting with printer driver installation, make sure you are logged in as an administrator.
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l Accept the terms of license agreement and click Next.
l Select the manufacturer and the appropriate printer model. Click Next.
l Printer Options window appears. Select the appropriate port, add a port or delete it.
l After clicking Add Port, the Advanced TCP/IP Port Configuration window appears.
Insert the appropriate printer network settings and click OK.
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l Additional Install Options window appears allowing you to install the NiceStatus Mon-
itor (optional).
l Click Finish to install the driver without installing the NiceStatus Monitor or proceed to
the next step.
l After clicking Next in the Printer options window, PrnInst offers the option to install an
additional application which simplifies managing of multiple printers. This application may
be added later. To install it, run StatusMonitorSetup.exe in the driver installation folder.
See section "NiceLabel Printer Driver Installation Using PrnInst" on page 4 for details.
l Click Finish.
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Printer Driver Installation using Windows
Installer
Printer driver installation using Windows Installer is used on devices that are connected via one
of the following ports:
l USB port
l Parallel port (LPT)
NOTE Automatic printer detection is supported on USB and LPT ports only. The driver needs
to be installed using PrnInst on other ports .
The Add a printer detection procedure differs between various operating systems. Follow the
below described steps.
Windows 7 and Later
The operating system automatically checks Windows Update and installs the driver.
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Windows Vista
l The operating system displays a message box. Select Locate and install the driver soft-
ware.
l Select Yes, search online this time only.
Windows XP
The operating system displays a message box. Select:
l Yes, this time only. If you wish to check for printer driver using Windows Update.
l No, not this time. If you wish to select the printer driver manually.
From this point on, the installation procedure differs if the printer driver is available on the
Windows Update site or not. See the scenarios in the following two subsections.
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On the latest operating systems (Windows 7 and later), a system notification message is
displayed. If you click the notification message, the new Driver Software Installation dialog is
displayed. Monitor the installation status using this dialog:
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Syntax
PrnInst.exe /PREINSTALL=<full path to INF file>
Sample
PrnInst.exe /PREINSTALL=C:\Drivers\SAMPLE_DRIVER\SAMPLE_DRIVER.inf
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l Select the Start Menu Folder. If you don't want to create it, clear the Start Menu Folder
checkbox. Click Next.
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Printer status indicators are:
l icon indicates that the printer is up and ready for printing (Status: Online).
l icon indicates that the installed printer is currently not accessible – printing is not pos-
sible (Status: Not accessible).
l icon indicates an error – printing is not possible (Status: <error description>).
l icon indicates warning – printing is possible, check warning message.
Job name displays the currently printed file name.
Printer Setup button allows you to access the selected printer properties.
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Uninstalling a Printer Driver
As with driver installation, uninstalling it may also be completed in two ways. Standard method is
to use the PrnInst via graphical user interface or command line. Another option is to use the
Windows Administrative Tools.
Make sure you are logged in as a user with sufficient rights for uninstalling the printer driver.
When removing a printer driver, make sure that:
l The printer is not set as a default printer.
l There are no print jobs waiting in the print queue.
l The printer is not locked by the Windows Spooler process.
If you are unable to delete the printer driver, perform one of the following actions:
l Restart Windows Spooler.
l Delete print jobs from the Windows Spooler.
l Computer restart is required in certain cases.
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Simultaneous Removal of Preloaded Printer Drivers using
PrnInst
Follow these steps to remove the preloaded printer drivers using PrnInst.
l Start PrnInst and click Next.
l Select Remove Preloaded Drivers.
l Click Next.
l Select printers from the list and click Next.
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NOTE The Remove Preloaded Drivers option only removes the driver installation files from
the system. To uninstall a driver, select option Uninstall Printer in the PrnInst Options
window.
NOTE For advanced users only. We recommend using PrnInst for uninstalling the drivers.
Windows 7 or Later
1. To open the Print Management console, click Control Panel -> System and Security -
> Administrative Tools and double click Print Management.
2. Expand Print Servers - <computer name> node.
3. Select Printers node.
4. Delete the printer.
5. Select Driversnode.
6. To delete a driver, select it and run Action -> Remove Driver Package.
NOTE Print Management console is not available by default. Please refer to the console
instructions for activating it.
Windows Vista
1. Open Control Panel –> Printer.
2. Delete the printer.
3. Open Print Server Properties dialog by selecting File –> Server Properties menu
option.
4. Go to Driver tab, select the printer driver and click Remove.
Windows XP
1. Open the Printers and Faxes window.
2. Delete the printer.
3. Open Print Server Properties dialog by selecting File –> Server Properties menu
option.
4. Go to Driver tab, select printer driver and click Remove.
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1. Uninstall the printer driver. See section "Uninstalling a Printer Driver" on page 13. When
deleting the printer from your computer, this procedure only removes the printer as a
device. Driver files still exist on the disk. When you connect the printer next time, Win-
dows installs the stored previously-used printer driver. To verify which drivers are stored
in the system, do the following:
a. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
b. Enter the following command: pnputil.exe -e
2. A list of all INF files for the installed drivers appears. They are named as oem<number>.inf.
Here is an example:
3. When searching for the appropriate INF file, check for:
l Driver package provider
l Driver date and version
To delete a driver package, follow this procedure:
1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
a. Open All programs –> Accessories Start menu group.
b. Right click Command Prompt.
c. Select Run as administratorin the menu.
2. Run the following command to list all INF files: pnputil.exe -e
3. Find INF package to be removed (check Driver package provider, Driver date and Ver-
sion to identify the correct package.
4. Delete package using the following command: pnputil.exe –f –d oem<num-
ber>.inf
Replace <number> parameter with the number that identified in step 2.
The utility deletes the INF file:
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Printer Driver Update
Selecting the Drivers
A majority of printer driver distributions contains printer drivers for several printers. Certain
driver files are shared among the printers that are included in the same printer driver
distribution.
NOTE If you have installed several drivers from the same printer driver distribution, the
drivers for all these printers are going to be updated if you update a single driver.
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On a 64-bit Windows operating system, there is a separate process named Splwow64.exe that
allows 32-bit applications printing using the 64-bit printer drivers. During the driver installation,
a warning message showing Splwow64.exe locked the printer driver, is shown. After clicking
Next, PrnInst restarts the Splwow64.exe process to unlock the printer driver.
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Troubleshooting
Locked Printer Driver
During the installation, PrnInst checks for applications that could lock the printer driver files. If
detected, the locking applications are displayed.
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To restart the process, right click Windows Explorer process and select Restart.
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Appendix: Command Line
Parameters for PrnInst
Installation
Use the command line parameters to install the printer drivers without interacting with the
PrnInst GUI. Control PrnInst with command scripts as defined in this section.
INSTPRN – Printer Driver Installation
Use this parameter to install a printer driver. Specify the printer name and the port that the
driver should use. The specified printer name must match the actual name of the printer. To find
out the correct name of the printer, see the <printer_brand>.INF file. It contains the list of all
available printer names. Search for the .INF file in the folder, where you have stored the printer
driver installation files.
Syntax
/INSTPRN=xxxxxxxxx#yyyyy[#wwwww]
xxxxx - full printer driver name
yyyyy - port name
wwwww – printer destination name - optional
Sample
Use the /DIR parameter with the /INSTPRN parameter to define the printer driver location.
NOTE INSTPRN must be the last specified parameter in the command line.
/INSTMULTPRN=xxxxx
xxxxx - full file name and path of Printer Driver Installation List file
Syntax of Printer Driver Installation List file structure:
xxxxxxxxxxxxx#yyyyyyyyyyy#zzzzzzzzzz[#wwwwwwwww]
xxxxxxxxxxxxx - full path of start folder for "reading of .INF files"
yyyyyyyyyyy - full printer driver name
zzzzzzzzzz - port name
wwwwwwwwww – printer destination name - optional
Sample
PrnInst.exe /INSTMULTPRN=C:\tmp\PrinterList.tmp
For example, PrinterList.tmp file contains the following lines.
C:\Drivers\PRINTER1\#Printer1#LPT1:
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C:\Drivers\PRINTER2\#Printer2#LPT2:
C:\Drivers\PRINTER3\#Printer3#LPT3:
Three printer drivers are installed in this sample – Printer1 (linked to LPT1 port), Printer2 (linked
to LPT2 port) and Printer3 (linked to LPT3 port).
LANG – Setting the PrnInst Language
Use this parameter to define the language used in the Printer Installation Wizard. The
application always uses the default Windows operating system language. Default language is
defined in Control Panel -> Regional and Language Options.
Use this parameter to specify other languages for the Printer Installation Wizard.
NOTE If you omit this parameter, the default language is used.
Syntax
/LANG=xxx
xxx - language ID
Language Language ID
Chinese – Simplified SCH
Chinese – Traditional CHI
Croatian CRO
Danish DAN
Dutch DUT
English ENG
Finnish FIN
French FRA
German GER
Greek GRE
Hebrew HEB
Hungarian HUN
Italian ITA
Japanese JAP
Korean KOR
Lithuanian LIT
Polish POL
Portuguese POR
Russian RUS
Slovak SVK
Slovenian SLO
Spanish ESP
Swedish SWE
Thai TAI
Ukrainian UKR
Sample
PrnInst.exe /LANG=GER
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UNINSTALL – Uninstall Printer
Use this parameter to run the PrnInst in the uninstall mode. You will see the list of installed
printer drivers. Select one or more drivers and remove them.
Syntax
/UNINSTALL
Sample
PrnInst.exe /UNINSTALL
UNINSTALLPRN – Uninstall specific printer
Use this parameter to uninstall a specific printer driver from the system.
NOTE Provide the exact printer name (as installed). To be sure, copy the printer name from
Control Panel
-> Printers & Faxes.
Syntax
/UNINSTALLPRN=xxxxx
xxxxx – the exact printer name you wish to uninstall
Sample
PrnInst.exe "/UNINSTALLPRN=NiceLabel-Printer"
UNINSTALLALL – Uninstall all Printers
Use this parameter to uninstall all printer drivers from the Windows system.
WARNING This action erases the entire range of installed NiceLabel printer drivers from the
system.
Syntax
/UNINSTALLALL
Sample
PrnInst.exe /UNINSTALLALL
NOLICENCE – No License Display
Use this parameter to start the application in a mode where no NiceLabel printer driver license
and warranty information are displayed during the installation.
Syntax
/NOLICENCE
Sample
PrnInst.exe /NOLICENCE
NOCERT – Do not Force Driver Certification when Installing a Driver
Use this parameter to prevent the PrnInst from using the certification installation if the driver
has not been digitally signed. Even if the driver has been certified, the installation remains as if a
normal non certified driver would be installed.
Syntax
/NOCERT
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Sample:
PrnInst.exe /NOCERT
DIR – Change Start Browsing Path
Use this parameter to specify the location of the drivers. This is the path that the application will
use to browse for the printer drivers. The default location is the folder and subfolders, from
where the application is started.
NOTE DIR must always be the first parameter in the command line.
Syntax
/DIR=xxxxx
xxxxx - full path from which to start searching for .INF files
Sample
PrnInst.exe /DIR=C:\Drivers\
PREINSTALL – Preinstall Driver Package
Use this parameter to preinstall the printer driver on the system. Windows will automatically find
the driver needed when the user connects the printer.
Syntax
/PREINSTALL=xxxxx
xxxxx - full path pointing to the .inf file
Sample
PrnInst.exe /PREINSTALL=C:\Drivers\SAMPLE_DRIVER\SAMPLE_DRIVER.inf
UNINSTALLPACKAGE – Uninstall Driver Package
Use this parameter to uninstall the printer driver from the system. Windows cannot
automatically find the driver of the printer, because it was removed from Windows Driver
Storage.
Syntax
/UNINSTALLPACKAGE=xxxxx
xxxxx - full path pointing to the .inf file
Sample
PrnInst.exe /UNINSTALLPACKAGE=C:\Drivers\Nice\NiceLabel-printer.inf
INSTALLPORTMON – Silent Installation of Port Monitor
Use this parameter to silently install a port monitor from the printer driver distribution. When
using this command, do not use any other commands from the command line list. Note that this
installation does not install the printer driver, just the Port Monitor.
Syntax
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Parallel port type
/port=mmmmm [/reception=nnnnn] [/receptionInterval=ooooo]
[/transmission=ppppp]
Specific port types
[/download=rrrrr] [/printingTimeout=qqqqq] [/downloadTimeout=sssss]
aaaaa – port name that will be displayed in port list
bbbbb – type of port <LAN, LPT, COM>. Parameter is omissible, depending
on Port Monitor.
ccccc – name of the Port Monitor being installed. Port monitor name can
be found in information installation (.inf) file. Omissible if there is
only 1 port monitor.
ddddd – folder location of the information installation file containing
Port Monitor. Search for installation information files is subfolder
recursive. Omissible if there is only one information file in Printer
Installation Wizard folder (or subfolders).
LAN Port
eeeee – ip address of printer on the network.
fffff – printer s network port number. Parameter is omissible, depending
on Port Monitor.
COM Port
ggggg – systems COM port number (example for COM3: value is 3)
hhhhh – baud rate of serial port in bits per seconds (valid values: 100,
300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 14400, 19200, 38400, 57600, 115200,
128000, 256000)
iiiii – data bits parameter for serial port. (Valid values: 5, 6, 7, 8)
jjjjj – parity parameter for serial communication. (Valid values: none,
odd, even, mark, space)
kkkkk – stop bits parameter. (Valid values: 1, 1.5, 2)
lllll – flow control parameter (Valid values: xonxoff, hardware, none)
LPT Port
mmmmm – systems LPT port number (example for LPT1: value is 1)
nnnnn - reception timeout for LPT port when download function is enabled.
Parameter is omissible. Default value is 500ms.
ooooo – reception interval for LPT port when download function is
enabled. Parameter is omissible. Default value is 200ms.
ppppp – transmission for LPT port when download function is enabled.
Parameter is omissible. Default value is 3000ms.
Specific Ports
rrrrr – enabled port specifics for downloading to printer. Omissible,
default values is disabled. (Valid values: 0 - disabled, 1 - enabled)
qqqqq – printing timeout value in milliseconds for port specific
communication. Omissible, default values is 50ms.
sssss - download timeout value in milliseconds for port specific
communication. Omissible, default values is 7000ms.
Sample
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PrnInst.exe /INSTALLPORTMON –inf=c:\temp\driver\ "/monitor=Advanced Port
Monitor" /name=NewLanPort /ip=192.100.021.005 /port=9100
PrnInst.exe /INSTALLPORTMON /inf=c:\temp\driver\ "/monitor=Specific Port
Monitor" /ip=192.100.1.1 /type=LAN
PrnInst.exe /INSTALLPORTMON "/monitor=Specific Port Monitor"
/name=MySerialPort /type=COM /port=3 /baudRate=128000 /dataBits=8
/Parity=Even /flowControl=none /StopBits=2
PrnInst.exe /INSTALLPORTMON "/monitor=Specific Port Monitor"
/name=MySerialPort2 /type=COM /port=1 /baudRate=19200 /dataBits=8
/Parity=none /flowControl=Hardware /StopBits=1.5
PrnInst.exe /INSTALLPORTMON "/monitor=Specific Port Monitor"
/name=MyParallelPort /type=LPT /port=3
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Online Self-help
You can find the latest builds, updates, workarounds for problems and Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) on the product web site at www.nicelabel.com.
For more information please refer to:
l Knowledge base: http://www.nicelabel.com/support/knowledge-base
l NiceLabel Support: http://www.nicelabel.com/support/technical-support
l NiceLabel Tutorials: http://www.nicelabel.com/learning-center/tutorials
l NiceLabel Forums: http://forums.nicelabel.com/
NOTE If you have a Service Maintenance Agreement (SMA), please contact the premium
support as specified in the agreement.
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Americas
+1 262 784 2456
[email protected]
EMEA
+386 4280 5000
[email protected]
Germany
+49 6104 68 99 80
[email protected]
China
+86 21 6249 0371
[email protected]
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