Dummy Printer in SAP

[former_member358922]

How to create a dummy printer on SAP on Windows?

If a user prints to LP01, it still makes a call to Windows OS and Windows has to tell it no such device exists. Thousands of entries in sp01 have status Error. When hundreds of print outs per minute do this, it stresses the spool work process and the windows server. How to create a printer that won't try to print?

We trained users to uncheck print immediately box, but every week we get several new jobs set up with this same problem. Even when print immeidately checked, I want a printer that won't even try to print.

[former_member585891 · Accepted solution]

Hi Jordan,

You can lock the output devices in SPAD. (SPAD/ <select output device> / Device Attributes tab/ Lock printer in SAP system) This way a spool request should be generated but no printout should be taken.(even with print immediately)

Regards,

Bálint

[former_member358922 · Accepted solution]

Thank you!!! That is perfect.

[former_member358922 · Accepted solution]

Thank you!!! That is perfect.

[Matt_Fraser]

Hi Jordan,

Have you considered just locking the LP01 printer in SPAD? This would force users to choose a real printer if they intend to actually print something.

Another option (or additional option) is to use SU10 to change the default for "Print Immediately" for all or a large subset of your users. You may have some training effort for those who do want to print and become confused when it doesn't happen by default, but this could help solve your issue.

On a side note, are you running the standard SAP_REORG_SPOOL (RSPO1041) job to clean out old and obsolete spool entries?

Cheers,
Matt

[former_member358922]

The print outs are not needed. Many jobs require that you pick a printer even though you have no intention of ever printing it.

Yes, user training or defaulting with print immediately off are options, but need a technical solution. Yes, all housekeeping jobs are running.

[former_member358922]

Any other ideas out there?

Thank you for the link. I used this solution in SAP on Windows. It is slightly better because the print out in sp01 now shows complete instead of error, but it still does makes the expensive call down to the Windows level. We get hundreds of print outs per minute and each one makes a call to the Windows level. The print to nowhere for each print out takes 40 seconds for completion. I am looking for something that can, as quickly as possible, do nothing with the print out. I wish the thousands of users at our company would all uncheck "print immediately" when using this printer, but even with training, this is not happening.

[Former Member]

if you were on LINUX I would say print to /dev/null which means all jobs are send to "nowhere"

Similar situation you can create in windows, please see

http://www.brull.me/e-mds/2014/10/28/create-a-windows-null-printer.html