Understanding Windows SPL and SHD Files and How to Convert Them to PDF with VeryPDF SPL to PDF Converter Command Line

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In Windows printing, documents sent to a printer are first stored as spooler files. These files include SPL and SHD files, which contain raw print data and job metadata. By enabling “Keep Printed Documents” on your printer, Windows will preserve these spooler files. You can then convert them to PDF automatically using VeryPDF SPL to PDF Converter Command Line. This article explains everything in detail.

1. What Are SPL and SHD Files?

SPL Files

  • The SPL (Spool) file contains the actual print content in raw printer format.
  • It may include:
    • EMF (Enhanced Metafile)
    • PCL
    • PostScript
    • RAW printer commands
    • Other printer-specific binary instructions
  • SPL files are not human-readable and cannot be opened by standard PDF tools.

SHD Files

  • The SHD (Shadow) file contains metadata about the print job:
    • Username
    • Document title
    • Page count
    • Printer name
    • Submission time
    • Job ID
  • SHD files are important if you want to create structured output filenames or log print activity.

Normally, Windows deletes SPL and SHD files after printing. Enabling “Keep Printed Documents” allows these files to persist for conversion or auditing.

2. Enable “Keep Printed Documents” on Windows Printer

Steps:

  1. Open Control Panel → Devices and Printers.
  2. Right-click your printer → Printer Properties.
  3. Go to the Advanced tab.
  4. Check Keep printed documents.
  5. Click OK.

Understanding Windows SPL and SHD Files and How to Convert Them to PDF with VeryPDF SPL to PDF Converter Command Line

After this, all SPL/SHD files will be saved in the spool folder:

C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS

You need administrator privileges to access this folder.

Understanding Windows SPL and SHD Files and How to Convert Them to PDF with VeryPDF SPL to PDF Converter Command Line

3. Introduction to VeryPDF SPL to PDF Converter Command Line

VeryPDF SPL to PDF Converter Command Line is a professional tool that can convert SPL, PRN, PCL, EMF, PostScript, and other print formats into PDF.

Executable path example:

E:\SPL2PDF\product_release\spl2pdf_cmd\spl2pdf.exe

Basic usage:

spl2pdf.exe [options] <in-file> [<out-file>]

The tool supports batch conversion, scheduled tasks, and full command-line automation.

4. Key Command Line Options

Some common options include:

Option Description
-width <int> Set page width for PDF
-height <int> Set page height for PDF
-margin <string> Set PDF page margins (e.g., -margin 10x10x10x10)
-rotate <int> Rotate pages (90, 180, 270)
-pdfver <int> Set PDF version (1.0–1.9, PDF/A)
-author <string> Set author in PDF metadata
-title <string> Set PDF title
-openpwd <string> Set open password
-ownerpwd <string> Set owner password
-encryption <int> Set permissions and restrictions
-bookmark <int> Add bookmarks to PDF
-unicode Enable Unicode conversion
-noempty Delete empty pages
-imgcompress <int> Set image compression for TIFF output
-imgbitcount <int> Set image color depth
-multipage Create multi-page TIFF files
-debug Output debug messages
-v Show version info
-h or -help Show usage information

Examples:

spl2pdf.exe D:\temp\sample.spl D:\output\sample.pdf
spl2pdf.exe -margin 50x50x50x50 D:\temp\sample.spl D:\output\sample.pdf
spl2pdf.exe -width 612 -height 792 D:\temp\sample.emf D:\output\sample.pdf
spl2pdf.exe -author "John Doe" -title "Report" D:\temp\sample.spl D:\output\sample.pdf

5. Converting SPL Files to PDF

Step 1: Print documents to printer

  • Make sure “Keep Printed Documents” is enabled.
  • Print your document to a physical or virtual printer.

Step 2: Locate SPL files

  • Go to: 
    C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
  • You will see `.spl` files generated for each print job.

Step 3: Convert SPL to PDF using SPL2PDF

  • Open Command Prompt or PowerShell.
  • Run: 
    E:\SPL2PDF\product_release\spl2pdf_cmd\spl2pdf.exe D:\path\to\job.spl D:\output\job.pdf
  • For batch conversion of all SPL files in a folder: 
    for %F in (C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*.spl) do "E:\SPL2PDF\product_release\spl2pdf_cmd\spl2pdf.exe" "%F" "%~dpnF.pdf"
  • You can also add options for margins, page size, rotation, or PDF metadata as needed.

6. Automation Tips

  • Combine with Task Scheduler to run nightly:
    • Collect all SPL files
    • Convert to PDF automatically
    • Move PDFs to an archive folder
    • Delete original SPL/SHD files
  • Use PowerShell scripts to handle errors, logging, and folder management.

7. Supported Input Formats

VeryPDF SPL to PDF Converter Command Line supports multiple formats:

  • SPL, PRN, EMF, PCL, PostScript (PS), EPS, XPS, PXL, PCL-XL, TSC Label Barcode, WMF

You can convert any of these to PDF with full batch support.

8. Summary

  1. Enable “Keep Printed Documents” in Windows Printer properties.
  2. Print documents to the printer.
  3. Locate SPL files in: 
    C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
  4. Use VeryPDF SPL to PDF Converter Command Line (spl2pdf.exe) to convert SPL files to PDF.
  5. Optionally, automate with batch scripts or PowerShell for nightly conversion.

This workflow ensures complete control over print jobs, allows PDF archiving, and works reliably for both single jobs and bulk print processing.

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