How to Redirect Lpt1 to Usb Printer in Windows 7

Chapter vii – How to capture the parallel port’s output (PRN:, LPT1:, LPT2: … LPT9:) and serial port’s output (COM1: … COM9:)

On Unix and Linux systems, redirecting the impress output to a file is a very easy job, only on some one-time DOS or Windows Console Way applications, the programmer did not give the end user this ability.

In this case you can redirect the COM or LPT output to a file for Printfil,
fifty-fifty if a serial or parallel printer is physically connected to that port
(for case a Windows-only Laser printer), and
even if the COM or LPT port is not physically installed on the PC
(on new machines, serial ports and parallel ports are no more included nowadays, since USB ports replaced them).

Printfil can capture a COM or LPT port on whatever Windows NT-based arrangement (Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows eight, Windows ten, Windows eleven, Windows Server 2000, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022).
On
Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows ME
y’all tin capture LPT ports too, simply y’all cannot capture COM ports.

If Printfil detects a
DOSBox
version installed that supports the chosen LPT port or COM port (DOSBox
MegaBuild half dozen, DOSBox
SVN Daum,
vDos,
vDosPlus, and
DOSBox-x
for parallel ports), it asks you lot if you want to automatically configure it to capture the port even in that emulated DOS environment.

In the DOS age y’all were express to utilize iii parallel ports (max), each one of them could connect a printer (so 3 printers max. could be used on a unmarried PC). With Printfil you no more have such limit, considering
even by capturing a single LPT port, that data tin be forwarded to any Windows printer
installed in the Control Panel (so,
even if the DOS program prints to LPT1: only, its print jobs can be sent even to 300 or 3000 different printers).

Normally then you no more need to setup the DOS program to print to dissimilar LPT ports to manage different printers; only get out it press to LPT1: (for instance) and permit Printfil “accost” the final printer (for example past enabling the “Choose” option in its own configuration dialog to ask the end user for the destination printer each time a job has been captured, or by the optional CFG file to ship the job to a specific printer without user intervention, as described in Chapter 3).

Anyway, Printfil allows fifty-fifty to
capture multiple parallel ports and serial ports simultaneously on the same PC. To practise so, you have to
run different Printfil copies simultaneously on the PC, as described on Chapter 13, each one used to capture a single LPT port or COM port.

Fashion 0: How to capture an LPT port or COM port

Capture Mode 0 is the standard style to capture a LPT port or COM port on newer 32/64 bits Windows systems (Windows NT and later versions)

Yous just accept to select the LPT port or COM port in the Configuration -> Standard Printfil’s dialog (you can access it by right clicking the Printfil’due south trayed icon, in the bottom correct corner, near the Windows clock)

Printfil will capture all data sent to that port past a DOS program or Windows program and volition store them in the file specified in the “File to Cheque” configuration field, than that file will be forwarded to the Windows printer which is called in the same configuration dialog.

All this happens automatically. Y’all only have to ensure that the “File to Check” field contains a
valid
file proper noun. You tin get out the default value, or you can setup information technology as (for example)
[due east:TEMP]\Printfil.txt, which makes the Printfil.txt file created in the temporary directory (TEMP) of the user who is actually running Printfil.

To
capture different parallel ports and serial ports simultaneously, each Printfil copy running on the PC volition have to redirect its ain LPT port or COM port to a different temporary file (for example
[e:TEMP]\LPT1.txt
and
[e:TEMP]\LPT9.txt) to avoid mixing or overwriting dissimilar print jobs.

Style 1,2,3: How to capture a LPT port on older Windows systems

Capture Mode 1, ii and 3 are normally used
only on Windows 9x/ME.

On newer Windows systems, Mode 0 is the best option, even if information technology’southward possibile to setup the capture as follows even so, fifty-fifty in these systems (but it’s not practical).

In this modes, to capture the LPT output you have to
create the “Printfil” virtual printer, equally described on the adjacent chapter, and so Printfil can automatically capture information sent to the LPT port you choose in its own configuration dialog.

The virtual printer redirects the LPT output to a temporary file on deejay, which is also set in the “File to Check” selection in the Standard Configuration dialog. This mode, subsequently the file has been created by the virtual printer, information technology’s automatically captured by Printfil and sent to the Windows printer chosen in the aforementioned configuration dialog.

Equally each unmarried “Printfil” virtual printer tin can capture a single LPT port to a unmarried temporary file, to
capture different LPT ports simultaneously
each unmarried Printfil copy running on the PC volition have to use a unlike virtual printer. Each virtual printer plainly must take a different proper noun, declared in the
PFPrinter
selection (please encounter Chapter 4)

The
3 unlike capturing modes
works in unlike ways. Mode 1 tin show an error message if the configuration is not right, but it’s much more dependable past Windows and then Mode 2 or 3, which uses a directly connection to the “Printfil” virtual printer.
Mode two and 3 are particularly useful if some Microsoft security hotfixes are installed on your Windows arrangement
(for instance KB885835), which could block the capture in Mode 1, by showing an mistake message.

In all the three modes however,
Printfil uses the Windows networking services to capture the parallel ports.
In item way,
File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks
must be enabled in your network configuration.

If your PC is not networked, then yous have to create a
Local LAN connexion
by installing the
Microsoft Loopback adapter
virtual network card (the drivers are included into your Windows CD-Rom – By the following link you can access the FAQ page which explains
how to install the Microsoft Loopback Adapter
pace by step).

This method also solves
the
Media Sensing
problem
on the about recent Windows versions. This new Windows feature allows connections to shared printers only when the network is physically continued (to avoid bad cables etc.), just on some situations this could crusade issues. For example, even though your network configuration is ok, but your PC is not
physically
connected (say a laptop), Printfil tin’t connect to the “Printfil” virtual printer to capture the LPT output.

If you lot do not want to add together the
Microsoft Loopback adapter
to your network configuration, notwithstanding you tin disable the
Media Sensing
feature, as described on Microsoft’due south website:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-united states;239924