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Printing from Vintage PCs with modern printer.

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pinkdonut666

Experienced Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
195
Location
Alberta Canada
I've been think about this for awhile, but can't seem to find much through google so i figured I'd talk about this here.

I like many of us here have alot of Vintage PC's, but what i don't have is any vintage printers, and to be perfectly honest i don't really want any.

Unless I found something like a genuine vintage IBM Printer for free, I really don't wanna take up space with retro printers.

ANYWAYS the point of what i'm asking: is there any way to print from a vintage computer with an LPT port to a new USB or network printer?

not even necessarily directly. If a newer windows computer could somehow capture the LPT output of the older machines, then the newer machine could talk to the network printer no problem.

is that possible? I have to admit i know basically nothing about the parallel/ LPT interface and how it works but I am reading wikipedia etc while bored at work.
 
There's an outfit:

https://www.retroprinter.com/

That sells a parallel port shield that sticks onto a Raspberry Pi-style computer and can capture LPT output and convert it in various ways. (It can strip plain text, emulate an Epson or PCL printer, etc.) That's a simple plug-and-play solution.

I've been thinking of trying to set up something like this myself using serial instead of parallel, just for for laughs. (Since serial ports are standard and don't require any hardware other than a null modem cable) I've been using a serial Applewriter II printer with my Tandy 1000 for laughs because it's the only old-school printer I have lying around that works; using a serial port instead of parallel poses some minor inconveniences but most software will work, and some of what doesn't allow direct configuration for serial will work if you use MODE to redirect LPT1 to COMx. The parallel port capture device above uses various open-source pieces to do its work (including the Epson protocol translator) so in principle it probably wouldn't be that hard to just tinker it together. Haven't actually gotten around to it yet, though.
 
pinkdonut666 said:
ANYWAYS the point of what i'm asking: is there any way to print from a vintage computer with an LPT port to a new USB or network printer?
Click to expand...
Can't your vintage computer see the 'shared' network printer?

pinkdonut666 said:
not even necessarily directly. If a newer windows computer could somehow capture the LPT output of the older machines, then the newer machine could talk to the network printer no problem.

is that possible? I have to admit i know basically nothing about the parallel/ LPT interface and how it works but I am reading wikipedia etc while bored at work.
Click to expand...
Have you tried... 'Print to File'? You could then use that file to print from another machine.
 
Stone said:
Can't your vintage computer see the 'shared' network printer?
Click to expand...

I assume the OP doesn't actually have a network on the vintage computer in question.

In principle at least if you can capture print jobs to a file then can print them to a printer that supports simple TCP port print job submission by using nc.exe from the mTCP suite. even on an 8088 PC with a network card. This is assuming that the printer is capable of making sense of the output from your program, of course. Off the top of my head I don't know of any software that can automatically redirect lpt1 to a file under pure DOS. Not saying it doesn't exist, just haven't seen it. * EDIT: A somewhat awkward recipe for capturing LPT output to a file and redirecting it to an LPR protocol network printer under DOS for a PC with a supported packet driver.

Obviously if the computer is capable of running more modern software then you could, for instance, use the network capabilities of Windows for Workgroups 3.11 to create virtual LPT ports and send printer output to a Windows printer share. At this point, though, you'd probably need to set up a SAMBA server or older Windows version as an in-between for sharing the printer, and there's still the matter of driver compatibility. (Many? Most? network printers can still at least do rudimentary PCL emulation, though, and Postscript is still out there too.)
 
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Well, the only good way to print those Print Shop banners is with a tractor feed printer and continuous form paper. :)

One can never have too many printers! But if you had to choose one for "vintage" use, I'd just suggest an Epson printer (IBM graphics printers are rebadged Epson MX 80s and were were also rebadged by many others) and perhaps share it with a printer port switch box.

For any 9x era stuff an later, networking is the way to go. There were LPR clients and generic drivers for most printers.

DOS can use printer networking as well, although networking clients like MS Lanmanager are pigs.

Non-PC stuff would require something completely different.
 
Eudimorphodon said:
There's an outfit:

https://www.retroprinter.com/

That sells a parallel port shield that sticks onto a Raspberry Pi-style computer and can capture LPT output and convert it in various ways. (It can strip plain text, emulate an Epson or PCL printer, etc.) That's a simple plug-and-play solution.

I've been thinking of trying to set up something like this myself using serial instead of parallel, just for for laughs. (Since serial ports are standard and don't require any hardware other than a null modem cable) I've been using a serial Applewriter II printer with my Tandy 1000 for laughs because it's the only old-school printer I have lying around that works; using a serial port instead of parallel poses some minor inconveniences but most software will work, and some of what doesn't allow direct configuration for serial will work if you use MODE to redirect LPT1 to COMx. The parallel port capture device above uses various open-source pieces to do its work (including the Epson protocol translator) so in principle it probably wouldn't be that hard to just tinker it together. Haven't actually gotten around to it yet, though.
Click to expand...

this actually sounds like exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for! if only i wasn't a total n00b who has less than zero experience with Raspberry pie and arduino stuff -_-

I really appreciate the link and i will have to look into setting it up
 
pinkdonut666 said:
Because my IBM 5150 is going to be on my home network...

I'm talking XT and 286 hardware which is the majority of my PC collection.
Click to expand...

My 5170 is definitely on my home network. That’s how I get files to a computer with a 360K floppy drive the easiest way.

I think someone here rewrote the 3com 3c509 drivers to work on 8088 too, so there isn’t any reason your 5150 couldn’t be on the network too.

But you can still get printers with parallel ports. Just google new printers with parallel ports and you’ll find a few.

I’ve got a Laserjet 1300, which while not new by any means, doesn’t really count as vintage either. It’s got a modular port that can add parallel, Ethernet, or even WiFi to compliment the usb that I actually use most of the time.
 
SomeGuy said:
Well, the only good way to print those Print Shop banners is with a tractor feed printer and continuous form paper. :)
Click to expand...

That is actually the killer app that motivated me to wire up the Imagewriter II. Amuses the kids to no end and does a good job terrifying the dog.

The Imagewriter II actually doesn't make a bad printer for DOS outside of the two strikes of connecting via serial and being a *little* scant on the driver front. (The Imagewriter was a repackaged C. Itoh 8510, which isn't as well supported as an Epson printer but isn't a total bust either.) It was worth figuring out the wiring to make it go and it can still do double-duty with the Apple IIs.

A nice plus is the ribbons are still very easy to find. (As are the printers themselves; maybe Apple owners were more likely to hoard them instead of throwing them out.)
 
The MX-80/FX-80 style printer ribbons were very common. Just a few years back Microcenter was still carrying them, but I think I bought their last two. Apparently compatible printers were common in businesses that needed multi-part forms.

BTW, if anyone thinks dot matrix is dead, I've recently had to deal with some brand spanking new dot matrix Star Micronix SP700 point of sale kitchen printers - because thermal paper won't work in hot kitchens!
 
You can buy the ImageWriter ribbons brand new from multiple vendors on Amazon. The list of compatible printers is mind-numbingly long, apparently either C. Itoh used some dirt common preexisting typewriter ribbon or was *very* good at OEM equipment sales.
 
If your printer understands Epson escape codes, PCL or Postscript there is a good chance your vintage computer can print to it.

In my case I have a Brother laser print that understands all three languages. It's Ethernet connected though. To print from a DOS PC I print to a file, then use the "netcat" program in mTCP to send the file to the printer on port 9100. (Many printers use port 9100 for accepting things to print.) Using netcat for printing is lightly discussed here: https://www.brutman.com/mTCP/mTCP_Netcat.html

Here is another previous discussion: http://www.vcfed.org/forum/archive/index.php/t-35293.html

And here: http://www.bttr-software.de/forum/board_entry.php?id=11219
 
pinkdonut666 said:
ANYWAYS the point of what i'm asking: is there any way to print from a vintage computer with an LPT port to a new USB or network printer?
Click to expand...

How much would you pay to be able to print to a USB printer from a legacy LPT port?

If you would be willing to pay around $96 you could buy this LPT2USB-Cable Parallel/LPT to USB Adapter at Amazon or Digi-Key

www.ak-nord.de/parallel-lpt-to-usb-adapter.html?language=en

www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/ak-nord-gmbh/LPT2USB/1851-1024-ND

I have no idea how well that device works, and if there are any compatibility issues. There are probably several other options out there if you look around.
 
mbbrutman said:
If your printer understands Epson escape codes, PCL or Postscript there is a good chance your vintage computer can print to it.
Click to expand...

In one of those threads you quoted you mentioned having an old TSR that could capture LPT output and pipe it to a file, by any chance do you have the name of it? I just tried "lpt2file", a thing I found mentioned in the FreeDOS thread I threw into an edit earlier, but it doesn't seem to work on anything I've tried it with on my Tandy 1000. (When it starts up it says "0k XMS memory allocated"; an XT of course doesn't have XMS so I'm wondering if the utter lack of documentation that comes with the program fails to mention that any print jobs "redirected" have to fit in free RAM and the program does nothing despite loading anyway on an XT.)

Edit: Just found a reference to prn2file, giving that a try.
 
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Eudimorphodon said:
Edit: Just found a reference to prn2file, giving that a try.
Click to expand...

Total success. I configured PC Paintbrush 3 for a Laserjet II on LPT1, ran:

prn2file c:\spool.prn"

loaded the program and printed a .PCX, exited, and ran:

nc -bin -target (ip of an HP Laserjet 500) 9100 < c:\spool.prn

and viola:

netprint.jpg

Computer in question is a mutant Tandy 1000 HX with a rotgut NE2000 clone network card hacked into a homemade ISA riser, so that sets the bar for network printing pretty darn low.
 
gslick said:
How much would you pay to be able to print to a USB printer from a legacy LPT port?

If you would be willing to pay around $96 you could buy this LPT2USB-Cable Parallel/LPT to USB Adapter at Amazon or Digi-Key

www.ak-nord.de/parallel-lpt-to-usb-adapter.html?language=en

www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/ak-nord-gmbh/LPT2USB/1851-1024-ND

I have no idea how well that device works, and if there are any compatibility issues. There are probably several other options out there if you look around.
Click to expand...

my guess is these cables may or may not work depending on the printer. I have a feeling not all printers will support this.

jafir said:
My 5170 is definitely on my home network. That’s how I get files to a computer with a 360K floppy drive the easiest way.

I think someone here rewrote the 3com 3c509 drivers to work on 8088 too, so there isn’t any reason your 5150 couldn’t be on the network too.

But you can still get printers with parallel ports. Just google new printers with parallel ports and you’ll find a few.

I’ve got a Laserjet 1300, which while not new by any means, doesn’t really count as vintage either. It’s got a modular port that can add parallel, Ethernet, or even WiFi to compliment the usb that I actually use most of the time.
Click to expand...

my one printer in the house is a Samsung C430w color laser jet that is connected to the network.

None of my really retro PC's have networking cards (my poor 5150 has no free slots) besides I almost prefer to keep my vintage PC's Air gaped, that being said maybe I need to look into setting up a separate local network for just my retro stuff. Token ring maybe?

I defiantly like the raspberry Pie idea, having a small cube with a cable i can simply connect to whatever PC I'm playing with and have the pie send stuff via wifi is very appealing, I would just have to get off my lazy ass and do it.
 
pinkdonut666 said:
None of my really retro PC's have networking cards (my poor 5150 has no free slots) besides I almost prefer to keep my vintage PC's Air gaped, that being said maybe I need to look into setting up a separate local network for just my retro stuff. Token ring maybe?
Click to expand...
You can setup a parallel port network with the 5150 as the workstation and the other computer as the server.
 
Stone said:
You can setup a parallel port network with the 5150 as the workstation and the other computer as the server.
Click to expand...

I've heard of stuff like that with null modem serial cables and such connecting to a linux box as a terminal... But i'm not sure how much networking i really need to get into on the 5150 :p

jF6WxK9l.jpg


this is my retro computer area such as it is, and my 42U server rack with all the networking crap is at the other end of the basement. There is currently just one 10/100 line coming into this room from the server cabinet.
 
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