How to connect an RJ45 Printer

[bewildered]

Hi, I've been given a LaserJet 4050N printer which works fine on an old
computer using the LPT1 cable - but - the Laptop I normally use doesn't have
an LPT1 port !. How do I configure XP (sp3) and the printer to work using
the RJ45 Ethernet connections between the printer and my router ??. ( the
printer dosen't have USB either ) I've tried to Google a solution - but got
totally lost - please help. bewildered ( John ).

 

[Char Jackson]

Hi, I've been given a LaserJet 4050N printer which works fine on an old
computer using the LPT1 cable - but - the Laptop I normally use doesn't have
an LPT1 port !. How do I configure XP (sp3) and the printer to work using
the RJ45 Ethernet connections between the printer and my router ??. ( the
printer dosen't have USB either ) I've tried to Google a solution - but got
totally lost - please help. bewildered ( John ).

You'll need a device that can act as an interface between your
Ethernet connection and your printer. A computer with the proper port
would work, as would a dedicated print server, again assuming it has
the proper port.

Using the dedicated computer approach, configure the printer to work
with that computer, then share the printer to the rest of your
network.

If you don't need or want another computer, check out print servers:
<http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=387>

 

[Tester]

The easiest way is to connect your printer to a router. then using
another cable connect your laptop to that router (or you could connect
wirelessly to the router). Then you need to install a printer choosing
network printer. Insert the driver CD for the printer and install the
necessary drivers. the program will also allow you to search for the
printer when the driver is installed.

When everything works as expected, you may want to have a static IP
address for the printer so that the router does not need to guess all
the time.

Hope this brief guide helps.

 

[Paul]

Hi, I've been given a LaserJet 4050N printer which works fine on an old
computer using the LPT1 cable - but - the Laptop I normally use doesn't have
an LPT1 port !. How do I configure XP (sp3) and the printer to work using
the RJ45 Ethernet connections between the printer and my router ??. ( the
printer dosen't have USB either ) I've tried to Google a solution - but got
totally lost - please help. bewildered ( John ).

They make USB to printer port cables.

This one is 25 pin DSub shell.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812196222

And this one is Centronics 36 pin, saving an adapter cable.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812196233

The USB protocol stack, has a class code defined, and Microsoft
provides a driver for it. But the parallel port in that case,
is not fully functional (not all modes of operation are supported).
So one of those cables can't be used to control your coffee percolator
or make you toast in the morning. But with a little luck, it
may work with a printer. Do some Googling, to see if anyone
else succeeded in using one of those with the 4050N.

(Failure noted here.)

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Other-...ble-for-Laserjet-PCL-4050-printer/td-p/471071

(Worked for six months here.)

http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Printe...ith-Parallel-to-USB-quit-working/td-p/1131523

I have a parallel port on my machine, which was added by using
a PCI Express card with parallel port chip. And on that one,
I can assign an LPT number to it. I think I might have had to
change the LPT assignment (to LPT1), to get the port to work.
So it is possible to add parallel ports to newer equipment.
My parallel port is used to run a JTAG cable adapter, for
chip programming.

*******

It looks like there are all sorts of I/O options, some of
which are supported by add-in Jetdirect cards.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...Id=18972&prodSeriesId=25475&objectID=bpl06742

Paul

 

[David H. Lipman]

Hi, I've been given a LaserJet 4050N printer which works fine on an old computer using
the LPT1 cable - but - the Laptop I normally use doesn't have an LPT1 port !. How do I
configure XP (sp3) and the printer to work using the RJ45 Ethernet connections between
the printer and my router ??. ( the printer dosen't have USB either ) I've tried to
Google a solution - but got totally lost - please help. bewildered ( John ).

There is no such thing as a "RJ45 Printer".

If the printer has a "RJ45" port it is an Ethernet port and thus it can be labeled a
"network printer" because the HP printer has a JetDirect Print Server installed.

If there is a an LCD display on the printer you would have to go the menu on the LCD
Display and find the I/O port and configure it for TCP/IP.

There are two ways to go about setting up the printer for TCP/IP; Static Address and
Dynamic Address.

The Static IP Address would be *best*.

The first thing to do is to go to your XP Laptop and open a Command Prompt (execute:
CMD.EXE). Within the Command Prompt type; IPCONFIG

It will display something like...
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : my.verizon.net
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.10
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::2e0:18ff:fe7f:7484%4
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1


Now we know the network for the Router, computer and for the HP Printer's JetDirect.

Go back to the LCD display on the printer you would have to go the menu on the LCD Display
and find the I/O port and configure it for TCP/IP.

Set for Manual Configuration

IP: 192.168.1.100
Gateway: 192.168.1.1
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...esId=25475&prodTypeId=18972&objectID=bpj02326


Once you have the TCP/IP Stack setup on the Printer's JetDirect you can test a connection
to it.

Assuming you setup the Printer as; 192.168.1.100
Method 1:
http://192.168.1.100

Method 2:
telnet 192.168.1.100

If you are able to communicate to the printer through either or both above methods then
the printer is properly setup and now you need to setup the notebook.

On the XP Notebook (laptop) go to "Printers and Faxes" --> add printer --> "Local printer
attached to this computer" --> create a new port
Choose; "Standard TCP/IP port"
Printer Name or IP address: 192.168.1.100

Complete that port creation and install the HP LaserJet 4050, Windows XP, printer driver.

 

[bewildered]

There is no such thing as a "RJ45 Printer".

If the printer has a "RJ45" port it is an Ethernet port and thus it can be
labeled a "network printer" because the HP printer has a JetDirect Print
Server installed.

If there is a an LCD display on the printer you would have to go the menu
on the LCD Display and find the I/O port and configure it for TCP/IP.

There are two ways to go about setting up the printer for TCP/IP; Static
Address and Dynamic Address.

The Static IP Address would be *best*.

The first thing to do is to go to your XP Laptop and open a Command Prompt
(execute: CMD.EXE). Within the Command Prompt type; IPCONFIG

It will display something like...
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : my.verizon.net
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.10
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::2e0:18ff:fe7f:7484%4
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1


Now we know the network for the Router, computer and for the HP Printer's
JetDirect.

Go back to the LCD display on the printer you would have to go the menu on
the LCD Display and find the I/O port and configure it for TCP/IP.

Set for Manual Configuration

IP: 192.168.1.100
Gateway: 192.168.1.1
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...esId=25475&prodTypeId=18972&objectID=bpj02326


Once you have the TCP/IP Stack setup on the Printer's JetDirect you can
test a connection to it.

Assuming you setup the Printer as; 192.168.1.100
Method 1:
http://192.168.1.100

Method 2:
telnet 192.168.1.100

If you are able to communicate to the printer through either or both above
methods then the printer is properly setup and now you need to setup the
notebook.

On the XP Notebook (laptop) go to "Printers and Faxes" --> add printer -->
"Local printer attached to this computer" --> create a new port
Choose; "Standard TCP/IP port"
Printer Name or IP address: 192.168.1.100

Complete that port creation and install the HP LaserJet 4050, Windows XP,
printer driver.

Thanks Dave, go to the top of the class! - I couldn't believe how easy it
was - once I configured it using your excellent directions.



Thanks to all who replied.



Bewildered no more.



John

 

[David H. Lipman]

Thanks Dave, go to the top of the class! - I couldn't believe how easy it was - once I
configured it using your excellent directions.



Thanks to all who replied.



Bewildered no more.

YW - thanx for the feedback and Happy Holidays.

 

[Paul]

Hi All
I am having difficulties connecting my hp laserjet 4100n printer to my laptop on windows 7 through the rj-45 cable
Any suggestion would be highly appreciated
Thanks
Rishi

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Printe...rJet-4100N-what-is-the-IP-address/td-p/509103

First you find out the IP address assignment. Printing
a configuration page may tell you.

Then you work on getting the Ethernet port on the laptop,
to be on the same subnet as the printer. You could try
a static address assignment for an experiment.

Paul

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

The 'n' in HP Laserjet 4100n stand for "network". You can't just
connect a netwoked printer to a PC like a centronics parallel or a USB
cable. The computer and printer must exist on a Local Area Network
(LAN) on the sme subnet.

It is possible to use an Etnernet Cross-Over cable to connect a printer
directly to a PC but it is counterproductive.

What do you mean by counterproductive, unless you mean it means only one
PC on the network can use it (which is only counterproductive if he
_has_ more than one PC)?

I assume the normal way would be to connect it to the router; that may
or may not be physically convenient for the OP.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

`A device called a transistor, which has several applications in radio where a
vacuum tube ordinarily is employed, was demonstrated yesterday.' - small
article
on an inside page of The New York Times, December 1947 (Computing 1999-12-16)