Turning legal pleading into an ASCII file

B

Bev

How can I turn a Word Legal Pleading Template called lined and numbered into an ASCII file and preserve the the line numbers and page numbers and also remain double-spaced?????
 
G

garfield-n-odie

Hi, Bev. Try printing it to a text file using a Generic/TextOnly printer driver.
 
B

Bev

Huh?? you're talking to a "dummy" here. I need step by step how to do this. And I don't actually have to print this to paper. I just have to be able to save it in ASCII format to a disc. It is what is used by attorneys to review transcripts of court proceedings. They use the "ASCII Disc" somehow with their software programs.
 
G

garfield-n-odie

Hi, Bev. Conventional printing means outputting to paper. But you can print to a FILE too. Printing to a text file using a Generic/TextOnly printer driver will produce an ASCII file on your hard drive or floppy disk. Step by step...
1. Open your legal pleading file in Word.
2. Click on File | Print.
3. In the "Printer Name" box, select "Generic / Text Only". This should be a choice, but if it isn't, you will have to install it in Windows (Start | Control Panel | Printers | Add Printer) before you can print to it.
4. Check the "Print to file" box.
5. Click on OK.
6. You will be prompted to enter the filename for your ASCII file. Enter the name of your choice. Note the default folder where this ASCII file will be saved. If you want to save the ASCII file to a different folder than the one shown, you can browse to the new folder from this menu.
7. Open and proofread the ASCII file to make sure the formatting is acceptable, and that no special characters in the text were lost during conversion to ASCII.
 
B

Bev

Oh, you were right! "Generic/Text Only" wasn't a choice in the "Printer Name" box. And so I went to Control Panel/Printer/Add Printer but then what? Where do I get this "Generic/Text Only" printer driver from in order to install it??? I told you I am a "dummy" -- sorry.....
 
G

garfield-n-odie

Are you sure it's not a choice in the Printer Name box? This printer is installed by Windows automatically, and should be there unless you purposely deleted it. Try clicking on the little black downward-pointing triangle at the right end of the Printer Name box. You should see a list of several printers to choose from.
 
B

Bev

The only choices in the Printer Name box are: EPSON Stylus C60 Series;DocuCom PDF Driver;Panasonic Fax/Phone;PaperPort Black & White Image;PaperPort Color Image;PaperPort Color Image;PaperPort PDF. I hope I'm not doomed and there is a way to get the Generic/Text Only printer driver back to the list of choices.......
 
A

Andy

Bev,
Try printing it to a text file using a Generic/TextOnly printer
driver.

I've had no luck at all with that approach. The text is scattered all
over the place.

Try "Save As", and select "Plain Text (*.txt)" as the "Save as type:".
Make sure you select "Insert Line Breaks, End lines with CR/LF",
probably also should select "Allow Character Substitution" since this
will take care of non-text characters like right and left quotes
(turns them into regular quotes).

I don't think your double spacing will be kept though. If not, load
the text file into Word, and do a Search and Replace, replacing all
the End of Paragraph marks (now there is one at the end of each line -
they're the same as the CR/LF) with TWO End of Paragraph Marks.

If you do this a lot, I'd write a macro to do the Search and Replace.

Maybe they don't need the double spacing in their text file - often
that's taken care of while printing.

Have fun!

Andy
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

In that case you will need to install the printer. In the Printers folder,
double-click on Add Printer. This will invoke the Add Printer Wizard. Choose
"Local printer," decline Windows' offer to auto-detect your printer and
select LPT1 as the port. Eventually you'll get a list of printer
manufacturers. Select Generic, then Generic / Text Only, and complete the
Wizard.



Bev said:
The only choices in the Printer Name box are: EPSON Stylus C60
Series;DocuCom PDF Driver;Panasonic Fax/Phone;PaperPort Black & White
Image;PaperPort Color Image;PaperPort Color Image;PaperPort PDF. I hope I'm
not doomed and there is a way to get the Generic/Text Only printer driver
back to the list of choices.......installed by Windows automatically, and should be there unless you purposely
deleted it. Try clicking on the little black downward-pointing triangle at
the right end of the Printer Name box. You should see a list of several
printers to choose from."Printer Name" box. And so I went to Control Panel/Printer/Add Printer but
then what? Where do I get this "Generic/Text Only" printer driver from in
order to install it??? I told you I am a "dummy" -- sorry.....can print to a FILE too. Printing to a text file using a Generic/TextOnly
printer driver will produce an ASCII file on your hard drive or floppy disk.
Step by step...should be a choice, but if it isn't, you will have to install it in Windows
(Start | Control Panel | Printers | Add Printer) before you can print to it.Enter the name of your choice. Note the default folder where this ASCII
file will be saved. If you want to save the ASCII file to a different
folder than the one shown, you can browse to the new folder from this menu.acceptable, and that no special characters in the text were lost during
conversion to ASCII.to do this. And I don't actually have to print this to paper. I just have
to be able to save it in ASCII format to a disc. It is what is used by
attorneys to review transcripts of court proceedings. They use the "ASCII
Disc" somehow with their software programs.numbered into an ASCII file and preserve the the line numbers and page
numbers and also remain double-spaced?????
 

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