How to Network a Parallel Port Printer?

"Jim Thompson" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

...Jim Thompson

Well, HP has a nice solution: The HP Jetdirect 170x. They have more, more expensive solutions as well. My local computer store has much cheaper parallel printer servers. (About 50 Euro). Personally I fired up an old WIN98 engine with some adapter cards. It served me well for the printers. The scanner gave some problems however.

petrus bitbyter

Buy a 50 foot (or whatever it takes, that was the longest one I recall seeing when I bought a 25 foot one last year to solve a similar problem) parallel printer cable, unless you have some other reason to want to network it - but if the logical PC as print server is not also going to live in the closet, it still might be the cheaper solution.

If that seems like an expensive solution, shop better - some places charge way too much for cables.

Jim, what server are you using, if any?

Everything is plugged into an 8-port router (SMC Barricade) right now.

...Jim Thompson

My SMC router has a parallel port for a printer to be used as a network printer.

did you look on the back and see if it has a P-port? mine does. of course, I only have a 8 port with a WAN port, but I also have a 9 pin serial port for an external dial up modem :) I was using that before I got high speed at the house. Got kind of slow how ever, when the kids wanted to down load MP3's and all.

network?

way.

it into a

P60 wasn't that also known as the "fire hazard" :) that *was* just a joke (although true), sorry could not resist , robb

So does my Barricade, but I want to move some of this pile out of my office ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Use the Net Use command in a DOS box from windows.

Share the printer on the windows box it is on.

Give it a share name.

The code:

For starters, type "net use ?" without the quotes of course.

for coding it, type:

Net use LPT1 \\\\sharename

You also delete it later. It may default to persistent, which takes that physical local port out of your control.

Then all print jobs sent to LPT1 on that machine go to the shared printer over the net.

You have to have that printer's driver set in place, and nothing actually attached to LPT1 (if so, use LPT2).

Yes. Standard windows share functions usually work great.

My NET USE suggestion allowed us to even use DOS apps which typically specifically look for things attached directly to specific ports.

Either way, a dedicated box to print from is the right way. He could also use it as a mail gateway, and stop all the local machine hack attempts that way.

Yes, if he is on a wireless LAN, there are plenty out there. Most won't allow the HP utility functions or print job feedback communications to occur though.

A dedicated PC to serve through a short cable is cheaper than some cables I've seen.

Get longer net cabling and move the router and the printer out of proximity then.

Well, the simplest way is to put it on a computer with a printer port and then network share it.

The most simple way is to buy a wireless or ethernet print server ($40 to $100 or so), and send the print jobs to it's address. There are other similar options that also don't require the printer to be connected to a computer.

Jim I use a TrendNet 10/100Mbps Parallel Print Server TE100-P1P hooked up to an HP DJ890C printer and no problems.

Purchased at SWS Electronics here in Tucson. Also have a USB to Network server as well. I had to change the address on both of them to the local networks addressing. Dave Foreman

I got nothing against that but it depends on how you define 'simple', I guess. and if the computer is there you plug it in for no cost and that, to me, is simple.

I have been using print servers for many years now for POS printers. Seen them come and go. If I can offer one piece of advice, go with dlink. They have been the most reliable units I have used, and trust me I have seen many thousands go out the door over theyears.

Thousands? Want to exaggerate a bit more for us?