Redirect LPT to USB

Is there any way for that app to "print to a file" or "print to disk" so you can then send the file directly to USB printer? Or can you import that saved file into Word, Excel, etc and print it from one of those apps?

 

Ron

In the Windows world, you can redirect the port. Your administrator should be able to do this for you.

Thanks for the response, Ron.  The app actually creates a text file and prints it, but when I try to print it from Notepad it sorta blows up -- columns get out of line, etc.

 

Since the user has to do this, I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible for them.

tr4, I am a local administrator on the computer and haven't figured out how to do that.

What is your computer world made up of?

Can you just have a dos machine for this task? You could run   something like

http://www.georgpotthast.de/usb/

to use a usb  printer with dos

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks tr4.  I fear that a utility wouldn't be allowed by our home office, but I may run it by them. 

The environment is XP Professional on a Microsoft WAN. 

 

The link, http://www.georgpotthast.de/usb/, took me to DosUSB with licensing for individual use and pricing for commercial applications.  Unfortunately, in our environment, getting approval for it would be more painful than just finding them an old parallel printer to use. 

 

A very easy way to solve the problem is to share the printer and use Net Use to send output to LPT2, but sharing would have to be installed, and that too is forbidden. 

 

It gets frustrating, but I gotta follow the rules.

 

I'm back at that location tomorrow and plan to see what would need to be done to print the file with Notepad or something.

 

I sure appreciate your efforts. 

That's not a utility, it is an OS. For a standalone pc if your people won't allow a dos pc on the lan.

There are no guru's in the home office that can set this up? I think it may be easier to do if you hook the printer to a network print server and do it that way. Sill cannot give you any more details as I have no idea of what your enviorment is.  

If the output file is just .txt, you could Edit>Insert File in Word or maybe Excel and format the text, as needed, there before printing it.

 

I don't suppose they'd allow you to install a PCI parallel port card in that PC and attach an old-fashioned parallel printer?  Naw! ;)

 

Ron 

 

 

What's sad is that it's got a parallel port on the motherboard, but they bought this USB printer, and now I'm trying to figure out how to make it work without breaking any rules :smileymad:

 

It'd be so easy if I could just share the danged printer. 

Sometimes it's easier to get forgiven than it is to get permission. ;)

<>

<> Ron

 

 

Yep, but I've just about used all my forgiveness up :smileytongue:

Do you not use print servers?

The printer has a NIC and USB, so I could put it on the network if there were another jack in the office.  I could use a little switch and just plug the printer and computer into the same jack, but we can't use switches in the offices.  She wants the printer in her office, so my whole goal has been to direct connect this to her computer without breaking any rules or going to a lot of expense.  I was hoping for a native XP command that would simply tell the computer to send output from LPT2 to that printer.

 

I'll just tell her today that she can send output from that one program to a network printer a little further away, she can have that office cabled with another jack, or she can find an old parallel printer.

 

Thanks for all the input.

 

 

 

 

It does have a parallel port, but she's acquired a USB printer and wants it in her office.  She did print to a network printer fairly close to her office, so I've explained the options, which include using the new printer for Word, Excel, etc. and printing from this old app to the printer she's always used.  I try to do what my users would like, but sometimes it just doesn't happen.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions, but there appears to be no way avoid either breaking the rules or spending money.  I won't break the rules (evaluation soon ;o), and she won't spend the money.  So we're at a stand off.