Printing to parallel-printer from USB?

[Masa]

Hi,
I´m new to this groups, so please no flames.

The situation is as follows:
I have an old PC with XP Pro and a Laserjet 4L. But that PC is rather
old and doesn´t fill my needs any more, so my intentions is to buy a
PC with Vista and lots of RAM. The situation then is that I have no
parallel-port, only some USB:s.

The qustion arises: Can I just set it up as usual with a USB->
parallel cable and be happy?

TIA
Masa

 

[Andrew Rossmann]

[This followup was posted to comp.periphs.printers and a copy was sent
to the cited author.]

(e-mail address removed)>, (e-mail address removed)
says...

The situation is as follows:
I have an old PC with XP Pro and a Laserjet 4L. But that PC is rather
old and doesn?t fill my needs any more, so my intentions is to buy a
PC with Vista and lots of RAM. The situation then is that I have no
parallel-port, only some USB:s.

The qustion arises: Can I just set it up as usual with a USB->
parallel cable and be happy?

There are some USB-to-parallel adaptors. If you are running Vista, be
certain that drivers are available. Some are a bit flakey under Vista.
Even so, some printers don't work well with them, although I think your
Laserjet is basic enough to work.

If it's a regular PC with PCI slots, you can buy a parallel port card,
which would certainly work. If you order a computer on-line or whatever,
you may be able to have it installed for you if you don't know how to
install a PCI card. Driverwise, I think you would be stuck with whatever
Vista comes with.

Another possiblity is a network adaptor. You might find an old one cheap
on Ebay or similar.

 

[measekite]

You can build a new computer yourself.  You would get what you want.  If you do not want to do that you can purchase a parallel card for about $20 or so at a place like Frys.  It fits in a slot and you will not have a problem. 

Masa wrote:

Hi, I´m new to this groups, so please no flames. The situation is as follows: I have an old PC with XP Pro and a Laserjet 4L. But that PC is rather old and doesn´t fill my needs any more, so my intentions is to buy a PC with Vista and lots of RAM. The situation then is that I have no parallel-port, only some USB:s. The qustion arises: Can I just set it up as usual with a USB-> parallel cable and be happy? TIA Masa

 

[Stuart]

And my advice would be to go ahead and buy/assemble a nice new computer
with a fast processor and lots of RAM but stick with XP and avoid Vista
like the plague.

--
Stuart Winsor

From is valid but subject to change without notice if it gets spammed.

For Barn dances and folk evenings in the Coventry and Warwickshire area
See: http://www.barndance.org.uk

 

[Michael Johnson]

Hi,
I´m new to this groups, so please no flames.

The situation is as follows:
I have an old PC with XP Pro and a Laserjet 4L. But that PC is rather
old and doesn´t fill my needs any more, so my intentions is to buy a
PC with Vista and lots of RAM. The situation then is that I have no
parallel-port, only some USB:s.

The qustion arises: Can I just set it up as usual with a USB->
parallel cable and be happy?

Why not install an LPT port PCI card in the new computer? They are dirt
cheap and probably cost less than a USB to parallel adapter.

 

[MisterMax]

Hi,
I´m new to this groups, so please no flames.

The situation is as follows:
I have an old PC with XP Pro and a Laserjet 4L. But that PC is rather
old and doesn´t fill my needs any more, so my intentions is to buy a
PC with Vista and lots of RAM. The situation then is that I have no
parallel-port, only some USB:s.

The qustion arises: Can I just set it up as usual with a USB->
parallel cable and be happy?

TIA
Masa

You'd better check HP's driver to see if they have one for the 4L on
Vista. They have one for my LJ1200, but it's "generic" and doesn't let
me print on both sides.


- Max


--
Tips for Healthy Brain Aging from the Alzheimer's Disease Center at Penn - -
* Cognitively stimulating activities - Read, do crossword puzzles, play
cards or a board game every day.
* Education - Take a class or attend lectures. Advise the next
generation to stay in school.
* Exercise - Talk to your doctor about designing an exercise program,
even as simple as walking, geared just for you. Individual sessions
should be at least 30 minutes long.
* Avoid head injury - Always buckle your seatbelt. Wear a helmet when
biking.
* Good nutrition - Eat a heart-healthy diet; it may benefit your brain
as well.
* Cholesterol and blood pressure - Maintain your cholesterol and blood
pressure within normal limits.

 

[Boskey]

You'd better check HP's driver to see if they have one for the 4L on
Vista. They have one for my LJ1200, but it's "generic" and doesn't let
me print on both sides.


- Max

The OP will soon find out Vista only provides a generic driver for his LJ 4L
just as you did for the LJ1200. I had a similar problem with my Samsung and
my wife's Vista laptop. I tried out Fine Print and it works pretty well.
http://www.fineprint.com/products/fineprint/index.html

 

[rebel]

something in HTML for a text-only forum ...

If you really want people to read your crap, may I recommend you learn to avoid
posting in HTML

 

[Peter]

[This followup was posted to comp.periphs.printers and a copy was sent
to the cited author.]

(e-mail address removed)>, (e-mail address removed)
says...

The situation is as follows:
I have an old PC with XP Pro and a Laserjet 4L. But that PC is rather
old and doesn?t fill my needs any more, so my intentions is to buy a
PC with Vista and lots of RAM. The situation then is that I have no
parallel-port, only some USB:s.

The qustion arises: Can I just set it up as usual with a USB->
parallel cable and be happy?

There are some USB-to-parallel adaptors. If you are running Vista, be
certain that drivers are available. Some are a bit flakey under Vista.
Even so, some printers don't work well with them, although I think your
Laserjet is basic enough to work.

If it's a regular PC with PCI slots, you can buy a parallel port card,
which would certainly work. If you order a computer on-line or whatever,
you may be able to have it installed for you if you don't know how to
install a PCI card. Driverwise, I think you would be stuck with whatever
Vista comes with.

Another possiblity is a network adaptor. You might find an old one cheap
on Ebay or similar.

I have read that Vista doesn't like printer ports on add on cards. Try
to get a motherboard with it built in.

 

[Andrew Rossmann]

I have read that Vista doesn't like printer ports on add on cards. Try
to get a motherboard with it built in.

I have a cheap Startech single port PCI card, and Vista recognized it
automatically and installed driver without having to use any CD. It's
identifed as a MosChip parallel port. I don't use it for actual
printing, though. It's for programming a JP1-based remote control.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

I have a cheap Startech single port PCI card, and Vista recognized it
automatically and installed driver without having to use any CD. It's
identifed as a MosChip parallel port. I don't use it for actual
printing, though. It's for programming a JP1-based remote control.

Ditto. I have an old SIIG CyberParallel PCI card controlling an equally old
Canon BJC-1000 printer. They worked fine in XP and they work fine in Vista.