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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) USB Printer for Q&A? (Read 4851 times)
wildwood
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USB Printer for Q&A?
Nov 24th, 2004 at 10:21pm
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Have installed and setup Sesame on my new laptop. Have it working almost perfectly with just a bit more tweaking when 1.1 is released. Since I have been a Q&A user for over 16 years its hard to let go so I had my hard drive partitioned to accommodate Q&A but the laptop has only a USB port and Q&A only recognizes a LPT port or a Com port. My printer is an old reliable HP laserjet for which I got a USB to parallel cable. So I cannot print from Q&A 4.0, any suggestions??

Peter
  
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Bob_Hansen
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Re: USB Printer for Q&A?
Reply #1 - Nov 25th, 2004 at 12:07am
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Untested suggestion:

1.  Purchase PDF995
2.  Install PDF995.
3.  Install Adobe Acrobat Reader if not already on system.  (Version 6+ needs MSIE version 6.  Version 5.1 does not).
4.  Capture LPT1 to PDF995 printer.
5.  Open PDF document and  print to USB port.
There is a free version of PDF995 to download so you can test this out.

If using WINXP, may have to use NET USE to do a Capture on the printer.  From a Command Prompt (DOS Window) enter:
Quote:
NET USE LPT1: \\MachineName\PDF995Printer /PERSISTENT:YES


It is possible that when you print from Q&A, the output will go directly to the PDF file,and open up Adobe Acrobat with the output displayed.  Now just need to click on File Print, and sent to printer on USB port.

Does involve "double" printing, but it may work for you.
  


Bob Hansen
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Re: USB Printer for Q&A?
Reply #2 - Dec 2nd, 2005 at 4:04pm
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Bob,

I wanted to revisit this because I can make use of the information you've provided.  I checked out www.pdf995.com and they offer a suite of 3 programs (Pdf995, PdfEdit995  and Signature995 ).  Are all three needed to accomplish what you have suggested, or just one of the programs?  If so, which one?

Thanks.
  
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Bob_Hansen
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Re: USB Printer for Q&A?
Reply #3 - Dec 2nd, 2005 at 10:36pm
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Just need PDF995, not the suite.....

And PS. it is possible to have Q&A print to a USB printer on the same system.  Just set that up last week for one of my accounts.
  


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Re: USB Printer for Q&A?
Reply #4 - Dec 5th, 2005 at 2:48pm
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I still use Q&A and print using:

NET USE LPT1:\\path\printer name/PERSISTENT:YES 
 
Used with Windows 2000 & XP.  Works great.
  
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Re: USB Printer for Q&A?
Reply #5 - Dec 5th, 2005 at 3:11pm
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Quote:
it is possible to have Q&A print to a USB printer on the same system.  Just set that up last week for one of my accounts.


That's exactly the situation I'm looking at.  But in the "Printer" configuration for the printer (a Lexmark 6170) it is connected to a USB port, not an LPT or COM.  How do I tell Q&A 5.0 to recognize the USB port?  (LPT1 is directed to a HP Laserjet on a Novell Network.  The poor guy has to run upstairs every time he prints the driving directions to a customer.)
  
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Bob_Hansen
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Re: USB Printer for Q&A?
Reply #6 - Dec 5th, 2005 at 5:08pm
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After the USB printer is set up, then change it so it can be Shared.  Then use Net Use for LPT2 as shown above, referencing the same local machine as a shared resource.  Use the Persistent switch so this only needs to be done once.  And set up Q&A printers to use LPT2 vs. LPT1

Example....
local computer name is "MY PC"
set up printer on local computer and share it, named  "USB Printer".  Note that this is the Shared Name, not the name shown in the Printers windows.

Now go to DOS prompt and enter
NET USE LPT2: \\MY PC\USB Printer /PERSISTENT:YES

Also note that you may have to do this for every user of the PC, logged in as that user, if loging into Windows 2003 server, because the Net Use settings follow the users profile, and each user needs to have this set.  But this will be one time only for each user if the Persistent switch is used.
  


Bob Hansen
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Re: USB Printer for Q&A?
Reply #7 - Dec 5th, 2005 at 5:42pm
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I think I see what you're getting at, but in my case I would actually need LPT1, because LPT2 and 3 are looking elsewhere.  Here's the batch file that currently starts up the user's (John) Q&A program

Code
Select All
cd\QA_5
net use lpt3 \\miara_1\Invoice
net use lpt2 \\miara_1\Workorder
net use lpt1 \\miara_1\Laser
c:\qa_5\QA1.exe -PC:\QA_5\userpath -M0
net use lpt1 /delete


All 3 of the printers referenced are on the Novell network.  Workorder and Invoice are Epson dot matrix printers which print NCR forms.  Laser is the HP Laserjet, and it is the one I would like to replace with the user's attached USP inkjet printer.

So, after I set John's printer to "share", should line 4 read:

Code
Select All
NET USE LPT1: \\JOHN'S PC\PRINTER /PERSISTENT:YES


What does the persistent:yes switch do?
  
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Re: USB Printer for Q&A?
Reply #8 - Dec 5th, 2005 at 7:44pm
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"/persistent:yes" makes the Net Use "capture" change permanent so it does not need to entered everytime you start up.

But note that the last line in the batch file is deleting the setting for lpt1 that is set earlier.  I think you need to remove the line that deletes lpt1 setting.  Other Windows programs will print to LPT1 normally without deleting the Net Use function.  These Net Use settings are only to capture output destinations from DOS programs.

If you go to dos prompt and enter the Net Use commands with the /Persistent switch, then those lines can be removed from the batch file completely.

But all these comments above are optional; what works best for you is the right answer. 

The sample you asked about for line 4 looks good to me.  Good luck.
  


Bob Hansen
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Re: USB Printer for Q&A?
Reply #9 - Dec 5th, 2005 at 8:13pm
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OK, well, I tried it (without the "Persistent" switch, for now) and here's what happened.....

The Q&A "print spec" seemed to run fine...until line 66 (the last line of the page).  Then it hung for about 30 seconds.  Finally got the "page printed OK" message.

But...the printer never activated, never seemed to receive anything handed into it's queue.  Zilch.

I then tried renaming the computer (I wasn't happy with the old name anyway) in case it was trying to print to somewhere else on the network, and tried again.  Still no printout, even though Q&A thinks is has printed, after a long wait.

I think I'll drop it for today, maybe try again later in the week when I'm in a better frame of mind (a snowy Monday is weighing heavily on my motivation today).

Thanks for your help, Bob!
  
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Re: USB Printer for Q&A?
Reply #10 - Dec 5th, 2005 at 10:57pm
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Now you are dealing with a different problem.

It sounds like you are printing to the USB printer.  Now the issue is print drivers.

You have a Lexmark printer that is not listed in the Q&A printer selection.  You will have to do some Trial and Error stuff. 

I have set up a connection to a Lemark6132 printer but I have told Q&A that  LPT1 (the USB port now) is HP LaserJet (Portrait).

You may also have some success using Basic Vanilla as the printer vs. Hp Laser Jet.

Also check to see if your printer will emulate other printers that may be on the list of printers in Q&A.  In that case, set the emulation mode on the printer and select that model from the Q&A printer lists.

Q&A Version 5 also has more printer drivers than version 4.0.  If you are using version 4, it will accept the 5.0 file just by copying the newer file.
« Last Edit: Dec 7th, 2005 at 1:18am by Bob_Hansen »  


Bob Hansen
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Re: USB Printer for Q&A?
Reply #11 - Dec 6th, 2005 at 5:50pm
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Quote:
Now you are dealing with a different problem.

It sounds like you are printing to the USB printer.  Now the issue is print drivers.

You have a Lexmark printer that is not listed in the Q&A printer selection.  You will have to do some Trial and Error stuff.


Agh! I didn't even think of that!  Q&A still thinks it's looking for a Laserjet 5P (which, as far as it knows, is a Laserjet 4/4L).

Thanks, I'll play with the settings and see if I can get anything to work.
  
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Re: USB Printer for Q&A?
Reply #12 - Dec 28th, 2005 at 7:52pm
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If you are running XP, go to the Network Connections icon or "My network places" icon on the desk top, right click and find properties. Find "Local Area  Connection" and right click on it. Go to properties. In the "This connection uses the following items:" and find  "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft networks". Enable file and print sharing.

Go to the Start buttton and "Settings" and "Printers and Faxes" find the USB printer and right click on it and enable "sharing". The second TAB at the top of the page and select sharing. Enable the second button from the top (Share this printer) and enter the "Share name:" This would be the name of the USB printer. You should now see a hand under the printer that you want to share.

Then try your print in Q&A.

PS. Make sure that in your Net Use statement you use the same name as you used in the "Share TAB" for your printer name.
  
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