can I use laser printer with old dos programs

[gerrybuddy]

I am using several dos-based programs including quicken 6, wordperfect
5.1 and a billing program at my office. The programs serve my needs
well and I know how to use them very well. I really do not need or to
change the software. I have several Panasonic dot-matrix printers at
home and at work. I am considering getting a laser printer to replace
at least one of these. Can I use these dos programs with the laser
printer? I have heard of somehow setting printers to emulate an Epson
FX 80, but I have no idea if this will work or how to do this. Thanks.

 

[Dave]

best bet is first check in the program setup to see if it supports a
laser directly... if so your set... if not, then you will need to check
the printer you are contemplating buying to see if it has an emulation
mode that would suffice.

 

[Don Phillipson]

I am using several dos-based programs including quicken 6, wordperfect
5.1 and a billing program at my office. The programs serve my needs
well and I know how to use them very well. I really do not need or to
change the software. I have several Panasonic dot-matrix printers at
home and at work. I am considering getting a laser printer to replace
at least one of these. Can I use these dos programs with the laser
printer? I have heard of somehow setting printers to emulate an Epson
FX 80, but I have no idea if this will work or how to do this. Thanks.

Some laser printers still "emulate" DOS printers, e.g. my
Brother 1050 can emulate the IBM ProPrinter, Epson FX80
and HP Laserjet IIP.
Each DOS app requires its own printer configuration,
usually done via menus within the app.
So you need to be sure that (for each separate app),
your hardware offers one of the emulations for which
the app is configurable.

 

[measekite]

DOS WAS GOING STRONG WHEN THE HP LASERJET I CAME OUT.

 

[zakezuke]

I am considering getting a laser printer to replace

at least one of these. Can I use these dos programs with the laser
printer?

Many lasers support HP emulation. You'll have to look for it but they
do exist. There are also lasers that support dot matrix emulation, esp
many an older one. The real question is how complex are the documents
you are printing. Are they just plain text 10 cpi, or a single font,
or does the size change throughout the printed documents. If so then
your life is easier. Oh and lasers that support plain text do require
a form feed to eject the page from the buffer. You can spot this if
after you print on the dot matrix the page stops moving after the last
line is printed, I.e. does not eject close to the perferation marks.

Many a USB print can be used, but only as a network printer. You can
tell dos, even regular old school dos, to use a network printer and
this network printer can be somewhere else or the local printer running
under windows. I can give more details on that if needed.

To this day I see many a laser setup to print plain text from
terminals, old dos software and such. You can spot these when they are
specificly using courier 10cpi and the laser output looks like a spiffy
high quality typewriter.

 

[Davide Guolo]

gerrybuddy,

I use these dos programs with the laser
printer?

yuu may want to have a look at Printfil, which was designed to allow
character based applications printing to Windows printers.

You can test it before purchasing the laser printer, by downloading and
installing the free trial you can find at http://www.printfil.com

You can configure Printfil to print to any Windows installed printer (for
example Ms-Fax) and test all your DOS applications. If your DOS print jobs
are shown correctly on the Printfil's preview window (or printed correctly
on the Ms-Fax printer), then you can purchase the laser printer of your
choice.

Kind regards,
Davide Guolo
--------------------------------------------------------------
Printfil - Windows Printing System for Applications
http://www.printfil.com
Odbc4All - Connection to ODBC Data Sources for any Application
http://www.guolo.com/odbc4all
--------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Sue D Nim]

Depends on the printer. I've used WP 5.1 using an WP HP LJ5 driver on my
Laserjet 1100. You may need to download a compatible driver somewhere, tho.

 

[Joel Kolstad]

yuu may want to have a look at Printfil, which was designed to allow
character based applications printing to Windows printers.

Thank you! This is EXACTLY the kind of program I was looking for about a year
ago and failed to discover!

 

[Stan Birch]

I am using several dos-based programs including quicken 6, wordperfect
5.1 and a billing program at my office. The programs serve my needs
well and I know how to use them very well. I really do not need or to
change the software. I have several Panasonic dot-matrix printers at
home and at work. I am considering getting a laser printer to replace
at least one of these. Can I use these dos programs with the laser
printer? I have heard of somehow setting printers to emulate an Epson
FX 80, but I have no idea if this will work or how to do this. Thanks.

With a laser, you have to set the software output to Laserjet or
Laserjet II; also known as PCL5 printer language. For it to work from
DOS, you will need a printer that has PCL5 incorporated in the printer
hardware, i.e. a printer that can be used with DOS, Mac, Linux, etal.
Some of the cheaper laser printers do not have PCL5 hardcoded into the
printer, but instead rely on the Windows Printer Driver to supply the
necessary info.

I'm still using the 1985 version of dBase III+, which doesn't
incorporate printer drivers; so they have to be programmed into the
program. No big deal . . . just a matter of incorporating a few simple
ESC codes into an output routine.

Don't imagine this would work with an inkjet though, because I assume
that they don't have any built in fonts, and may be similar to Win
Printers in that regard. Anyone with any knowledge of interfacing DOS
programs with an inkjet printer? Do inkjets have internal fonts?

 

[budgie]

With a laser, you have to set the software output to Laserjet or
Laserjet II; also known as PCL5 printer language. For it to work from
DOS, you will need a printer that has PCL5 incorporated in the printer
hardware, i.e. a printer that can be used with DOS, Mac, Linux, etal.
Some of the cheaper laser printers do not have PCL5 hardcoded into the
printer, but instead rely on the Windows Printer Driver to supply the
necessary info.

I'm still using the 1985 version of dBase III+, which doesn't
incorporate printer drivers; so they have to be programmed into the
program. No big deal . . . just a matter of incorporating a few simple
ESC codes into an output routine.

Don't imagine this would work with an inkjet though, because I assume
that they don't have any built in fonts, and may be similar to Win
Printers in that regard. Anyone with any knowledge of interfacing DOS
programs with an inkjet printer? Do inkjets have internal fonts?

Don't know the answer to the question in that form, but our HP690C's ask "do you
want to be able to print from DOS?" when installing, so clearly there is a DOS
capability either native or in the supplied driver suite for that machine.
Ditto out HP-LJ5L's.

 

[Stan Birch]

Don't know the answer to the question in that form, but our HP690C's ask "do you
want to be able to print from DOS?" when installing, so clearly there is a DOS
capability either native or in the supplied driver suite for that machine.
Ditto out HP-LJ5L's.

That might not involve anything beyond re-directing LPT1 to a USB
port. ? That's basically what I have to do with printing from DOS,
which only recognizes LPT1; and doesn't know anyting about USB.

 

[budgie]

That might not involve anything beyond re-directing LPT1 to a USB
port. ? That's basically what I have to do with printing from DOS,
which only recognizes LPT1; and doesn't know anyting about USB.

Maybe we're talking about different subjects. I have two types of HP printers -
laser 5L and inkjet 690C. Both print direct from DOS apps.

 

[Davide Guolo]

Stan,

I'm still using the 1985 version of dBase III+, which doesn't
incorporate printer drivers; so they have to be programmed into the
program. No big deal . . . just a matter of incorporating a few simple
ESC codes into an output routine.

Don't imagine this would work with an inkjet though, because I assume
that they don't have any built in fonts, and may be similar to Win
Printers in that regard. Anyone with any knowledge of interfacing DOS
programs with an inkjet printer? Do inkjets have internal fonts?

some inkjet printers are DOS compatible (usually the oldest models or the
more expensive new ones) as well as the Laser printers.
Anyway there are more and more Inkjet and Laser printers nowadays which are
Windows-only (AKA GDI). This means they NEEDS an input flow generated by the
Windows driver (something like an image).

When Printfil works in GDI mode, it reads an ascii print job file as input
and send it to the Windows Printing System (through the Windows printer
driver), after converting the Escape sequences in the right GDI "effects".
In this way the same print job can be sent to any printer which has a
Windows driver, independently by the supported emulation (if any), including
GDI and virtual printers (Fax modems, PDF writers etc.)

In DB3 you only need to:

SET DEVICE TO PRINT
SET CONSOLE OFF
SET PRINTER ON
SET PRINTER TO ("File.txt")
....
.... Your statements
....
SET PRINTER OFF
SET CONSOLE ON
SET DEVICE TO SCREEN
SET PRINTER TO

Or you can let Printfil capturing the LPT output directly.

You can find more info and a free trial to download at our web site.

Kind regards,
Davide Guolo
--------------------------------------------------------------
Printfil - Windows Printing System for Applications
http://www.printfil.com
Odbc4All - Connection to ODBC Data Sources for any Application
http://www.guolo.com/odbc4all
--------------------------------------------------------------

 

[measekite]

That might not involve anything beyond re-directing LPT1 to a USB
port. ? That's basically what I have to do with printing from DOS,
which only recognizes LPT1; and doesn't know anyting about USB.

Why waste time with outdated OS. Try CPM or RSTS

 

[measekite]

Don't know the answer to the question in that form, but our HP690C's

That is ready for the trash can.

 

[measekite]

Depends on the printer. I've used WP 5.1 using an WP HP LJ5 driver on my
Laserjet 1100. You may need to download a compatible driver somewhere, tho.

Oh that explains everything

 

[measekite]

WHEN DOS WAS GOING STRONG HP CAME OUT WITH THE LASERJET. SINCE IT
WORKED THEN I AM SURE IT WORKED NOW.

 

[Stan Birch]

That might not involve anything beyond re-directing LPT1 to a USB

Maybe we're talking about different subjects. I have two types of HP printers -
laser 5L and inkjet 690C. Both print direct from DOS apps.

Not being familiar with a lot of printer model numbers, I didn't
realize that one was an inkjet. So it sounds as if at least some
inkjets have internal fonts. Thanks.

 

[Stan Birch]

Stan,

In DB3 you only need to:

SET DEVICE TO PRINT
SET CONSOLE OFF
SET PRINTER ON
SET PRINTER TO ("File.txt")
...
... Your statements
...
SET PRINTER OFF
SET CONSOLE ON
SET DEVICE TO SCREEN
SET PRINTER TO

I'm not experiencing problems printing to a PCL5 printer from DOS. The
printer driver I wrote for dBase is a bit more versatile in able to
provide formatted output:

******************************************************************************
PROCEDURE RESET_PRD *** ROUTINE FOR GIC LIST 910204 ***
******************************************************************************
@prow(),COL() say "(10U(s128t10vpsb12H" && SET LASERJET PRINTER TO
12 PITCH
* "&l8C(s12H"
SET MARGIN TO 0 && SET PRINTER MARGIN TO 0
RETURN

******************************************************************************
PROCEDURE PCENTRE *** CENTRE PRINTER STRING ***
******************************************************************************
PARAMETERS ROW,string
store int(48-(len(string)/2)) to col
@PROW()+ROW,COL say string
RETURN
******************************************************************************
PROCEDURE QCENTRE *** CENTRE ? PRINT STATEMENTS - 5:06pm May
08,1991 ***
******************************************************************************
*EXAMPLES OF PROCEDURE USAGE TO PRINT TO SCREEN OR PRINTER WITH A ?
STATEMENT
* DO QCENTRE WITH "&NAME"
* DO QCENTRE WITH HEADER2
* DO QCENTRE WITH "ASSETS"
******************************************************************************
PARAMETERS STRING
STORE 0 TO TAB
IF FLAG=0 && IF PRINT OFF
STORE INT (40-(LEN(STRING)/2)) to TAB
ELSE && IF PRINT ON
STORE INT(48-(LEN(STRING)/2)) to TAB
ENDIF
?SPACE(TAB)
?? STRING
RETURN
******************************************************************************
PROCEDURE RESET_PRD *** SET PRINTER TO 12 PITCH 9:30am Mar 09,1991
***
******************************************************************************
SET DEVICE TO PRINT
@PROW(),COL() SAY "E" && RESET PRINTER
@PROW(),COL() SAY "(10U(s128t10vpsb12H" && SET LASERJET PRINTER TO
12 PITCH
@PROW(),COL() SAY "&l6E" && SET TOP MARGIN TO 6
LINES
@PROW(),COL() SAY "&l66F" && SET PAGE LENGTH TO 66
LINES FROM TOP OF PAGE

* "&l8C(s12H"
SET DEVICE TO SCREEN
RETURN
******************************************************************************
PROCEDURE SET_PRD *** SET PRINTER FORMAT TO 1" MARGINS Mar 09,1991
***
******************************************************************************
SET DEVICE TO PRINT
@PROW(),COL() SAY "E" && RESET PRINTER
@PROW(),COL() SAY "(10U(s128t10vpsb12H" && SET LASERJET PRINTER
TO 12 PITCH
@PROW(),COL() SAY "&l6E" && SET TOP MARGIN TO 6
LINES
@PROW(),COL() SAY "&l58F" && SET TEXT LENGTH TO 58
LINES FROM TOP OF PAGE
SET DEVICE TO SCREEN
&&beginmod:0 "^[(10U^[(s128t10vpsb12H" && 12 pitch courier
&&beginmod:0 "^[(10U^[(s128t12vpsb10H" && 10 pitch courier
&&beginmod:0 "^[(10^[(s128t15vpsb8.3H" && 08 pitch courier
&&beginmod:0 "^[(10U^[(s130t8.5vpsb16.66H" && 16 pitch linePrinter
RETURN

This works okay for now, while PCL5 printers are still available.

 

[measekite]

WHAT A WASTE. GET A REAL COMPUTER WITH WINDOWS AND ACCESS AND THEN

FILE
PRINT

In DB3 you only need to:

SET DEVICE TO PRINT
SET CONSOLE OFF
SET PRINTER ON
SET PRINTER TO ("File.txt")
...
... Your statements
...
SET PRINTER OFF
SET CONSOLE ON
SET DEVICE TO SCREEN
SET PRINTER TO

I'm not experiencing problems printing to a PCL5 printer from DOS. The
printer driver I wrote for dBase is a bit more versatile in able to
provide formatted output:

******************************************************************************
PROCEDURE RESET_PRD *** ROUTINE FOR GIC LIST 910204 ***
******************************************************************************
@prow(),COL() say "(10U(s128t10vpsb12H" && SET LASERJET PRINTER TO
12 PITCH
* "&l8C(s12H"
SET MARGIN TO 0 && SET PRINTER MARGIN TO 0
RETURN

******************************************************************************
PROCEDURE PCENTRE *** CENTRE PRINTER STRING ***
******************************************************************************
PARAMETERS ROW,string
store int(48-(len(string)/2)) to col
@PROW()+ROW,COL say string
RETURN
******************************************************************************
PROCEDURE QCENTRE *** CENTRE ? PRINT STATEMENTS - 5:06pm May
08,1991 ***
******************************************************************************
*EXAMPLES OF PROCEDURE USAGE TO PRINT TO SCREEN OR PRINTER WITH A ?
STATEMENT
* DO QCENTRE WITH "&NAME"
* DO QCENTRE WITH HEADER2
* DO QCENTRE WITH "ASSETS"
******************************************************************************
PARAMETERS STRING
STORE 0 TO TAB
IF FLAG=0 && IF PRINT OFF
STORE INT (40-(LEN(STRING)/2)) to TAB
ELSE && IF PRINT ON
STORE INT(48-(LEN(STRING)/2)) to TAB
ENDIF
?SPACE(TAB)
?? STRING
RETURN
******************************************************************************
PROCEDURE RESET_PRD *** SET PRINTER TO 12 PITCH 9:30am Mar 09,1991
***
******************************************************************************
SET DEVICE TO PRINT
@PROW(),COL() SAY "E" && RESET PRINTER
@PROW(),COL() SAY "(10U(s128t10vpsb12H" && SET LASERJET PRINTER TO
12 PITCH
@PROW(),COL() SAY "&l6E" && SET TOP MARGIN TO 6
LINES
@PROW(),COL() SAY "&l66F" && SET PAGE LENGTH TO 66
LINES FROM TOP OF PAGE

* "&l8C(s12H"
SET DEVICE TO SCREEN
RETURN
******************************************************************************
PROCEDURE SET_PRD *** SET PRINTER FORMAT TO 1" MARGINS Mar 09,1991
***
******************************************************************************
SET DEVICE TO PRINT
@PROW(),COL() SAY "E" && RESET PRINTER
@PROW(),COL() SAY "(10U(s128t10vpsb12H" && SET LASERJET PRINTER
TO 12 PITCH
@PROW(),COL() SAY "&l6E" && SET TOP MARGIN TO 6
LINES
@PROW(),COL() SAY "&l58F" && SET TEXT LENGTH TO 58
LINES FROM TOP OF PAGE
SET DEVICE TO SCREEN
&&beginmod:0 "^[(10U^[(s128t10vpsb12H" && 12 pitch courier
&&beginmod:0 "^[(10U^[(s128t12vpsb10H" && 10 pitch courier
&&beginmod:0 "^[(10^[(s128t15vpsb8.3H" && 08 pitch courier
&&beginmod:0 "^[(10U^[(s130t8.5vpsb16.66H" && 16 pitch linePrinter
RETURN

This works okay for now, while PCL5 printers are still available.