Virtual Printers in Printer INF Files
Important
The modern print platform is Windows' preferred means of communicating with printers. We recommend that you use Microsoft's IPP inbox class driver, along with Print Support Apps (PSA), to customize the print experience in Windows 10 and 11 for printer device development.
For more information, see Modern print platform and the Print support app design guide.
A virtual printer is a print destination, such as a fax server or electronic document, that is not a physical printer. Because a virtual printer does not have a hardware ID, it must be represented in your printer INF file by a null hardware ID.
To insert a null hardware ID in an INF file, add a second comma in the models section of the INF between the Install section name and the Compatible ID. The following example shows how to create a null hardware ID for the indicated fax printer.
"Objectworld Fax Printer"=OWFAX,,Objectworld_Fax_Printer
For more information about virtual printers in INF files, see DriverCategory in Printer INF File Entries.