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DOS parallel output to USB printer? 1

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Snap50

Technical User
Jan 4, 2008
9
US
I have a DOS program that only outputs to an LPT computer port and am looking at a new printer that only connects via USB and network.

Any ideas if it can be made to work?

Would a converter cable keep the signals straight?
Maybe software?
 
USB to parallel cables work perfectly, we use them all the time.
 
Mrregan,

What I need is Parallel to USB at the printer.
The cables I've seen are USB to Parallel, the usb being at the computer.
 
If you can actually physically connect your USB printer to a USB port on your computer, then perhaps all that you need to do is to redirect the logical LPT1: port to the USB printer.

To do this (assuming Windows NT or later):

(a) Set up a logical Windows printer - you may already have done this so that you can print from Windows applications.

(b) 'share' this printer - keep the share name to 8 characters or less.

(c) 'redirect' the LPT1 port to the printer share using the 'net use' command within a command prompt window; e.g.:

net use LPT1 \\mycomputer\myprint

The /PERSISTENT:YES flag may be use to make the association last until 'mycomputer' is rebooted.

(d) Your DOS application's use of LPT1 should hopefuilly then be redirected (assuming that you are just generating a print stream, and not attempting any sort of bi-directional access).
 
SlimJohnD,
I tried to communicate with the USA distributor of that device from their website contact and it appears that the address listed is NG, so that doesn't give me faith enough to commit to sending them money.
Mrregan, that's the same device as SlimJ pointed out.

Thanks for those efforts, but it sounds like a gamble especially since they don't seem to have a legit contact listed.

DansDad,
I tried to redirect windows XP before you posted and it wasn't buying the effort. Just wouldn't recognize the input and just kept refreshing to have it entered again. I tested it to be sure it hadn't really recognized the redirect, but it didn't take. I must have tried it a half dozen times with many different variables.
 
That looks like the supplier, if you're in the US of A. Not cheap at 80 dollars, though.



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