using an old, non-USB printer with a newer 'puter

[the_bird]

OK, simple question, someone has to know the answer...

I have an older printer that works great. Have extra ink, it's pretty efficient, had to just throw it away (it's an HP). But, it's old enough where it's pre-USB, it only has a serial port.

New 'puter, of course, doesn't have a serial port, only USB.

Short of dropping some coin on a new printer (which I don't want to do unless absolutely necessary, extra coin goes towards kegging ), is there any way of hooking an old, serial-only printer up to the new 'puter? Is there some kind of go-between device, some kind of emulater or modulator or transmogrifier or whatever that can make this happen pretty cheaply?

 

[krispy d]

$40.00 fix (maybe too much seeing how you can get a decent printer for under $100.
http://www.ramelectronics.net/HTML/usb_printer_cable.htm#UP6C

$10.00 version not sure what the difference is
http://www.buyextras.com/setousbco.html?gclid=CK-jpofDtosCFQU6UQodviQCzg

$2.00 ebay version (my choice!)
http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-to-DB25-25-...2281948QQihZ001QQcategoryZ51286QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Blender]

Is it a serial port or a parrallel port printer? Either way there are converters, especially for the parrallel versions. Here is just one.....http://www.usbgear.com/765162.html

 

[todd_k]

you mean it's an old HP printer and it's not printing out jibberish and spewing out page after page of blank paper? that's odd......

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

you mean it's an old HP printer and it's not printing out jibberish and spewing out page after page of blank paper? that's odd......

He needs it to pick stocks, he can't tell you the difference.

 

[2nd Street Brewery]

Yup get a cheap USB to Parallel adapter and go for it. Now if it is Serial then dump it because that printer would suck

 

[EdWort]

By the time you get a USB to serial adapter and fiddled with it, you could have bought a brand new fast inkjet for less than $100. Sometimes it pays to bite the bullet and step into the new technology. You can get a Samsung ML-2250 laser printer for about $150 and it works great. Printers have gotten so cheap as it's all about the ink cartridges.

Here's an HP Deskjet printer at Fry's for $39.99 and it has a USB interface.

I donated all my old printers to Goodwill long ago. I have a few PCs I have to take in as well now.

Donate, take the tax deduction.

 

[todd_k]

dump the HP and get a Canon. I have a Canon Pixma iP4200 and I love it. Got it a couple years ago at CompUSA. I originally was looking for an all-in-one but decided to get this one for printing my doc's and photos and I bought an Epson scanner to go with it.

 

[the_bird]

Actually, it probably is parallel, not serial. Have to count the pins to check. A $10 solution is what I have in mind; any solution costing more than $20 results in a new printer being acquired.

 

[Glibbidy]

you mean it's an old HP printer and it's not printing out jibberish and spewing out page after page of blank paper? that's odd......

Wow, I thought mine HP was posessed when it started doing that when I decided to print out this years tax return. I guess it isn't an anomoly, it's an HP!

 

[Rick91981]

As mentioned, they sell adapters.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812156005


Cost you $14 shipped. And Newegg will get it to you pretty fast.

 

[the_bird]

As mentioned, they sell adapters.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812156005


Cost you $14 shipped. And Newegg will get it to you pretty fast.

That looks like a perfect solution to me. Beauty, thanks!

 

[todd_k]

Wow, I thought mine HP was posessed when it started doing that when I decided to print out this years tax return. I guess it isn't an anomoly, it's an HP!

I had 2 HP printers that started doing that crap. I don't understand why a printer needs to make so make noise before printing something from Notepad and then spew out 20 pages of nonsense. That's why I got a Canon.

 

[the_bird]

I've never had a single problem with an HP... that's pretty much all we use in the office, that's all that I've owned at the house. Of course, I'm also not in the habit of using Notepad

 

[Rick91981]

I had 2 HP printers that started doing that crap. I don't understand why a printer needs to make so make noise before printing something from Notepad and then spew out 20 pages of nonsense. That's why I got a Canon.

Sounds like a corrupted driver. If this happens to anyone else, go to their website and download the latest drivers for your model.

 

[kornkob]

And delete the existing driver. HP laser printers are freaking rock solid. I've seen more than one old school LJ 3 printing clean and clear.

 

[todd_k]

no, sorry, tried that more than once. HP just sucks ass.