I need to make a Canon F30 MultiPass currently installed on a USB port (running under Windows 98 SE) capable of printing to the LPT1 port as well - WITHOUT reinstalling the entire printer solely on the parallel port. Any suggestions how to do this please?

This unit is a multi-function combination printer and scanner. I would prefer to do something like a Novell networking style "printer port capture" type of solution. I would like the scanner to still be able to function under the USB port for faster scanning from Windows applications. At the same time I would like to be able to print to LPT1 as if from a Dos type program. Is this type of solution available?

I can't set this printer driver to do BOTH Dos and Windows printing, from within the Canon driver itself. I can't get a newer version of the software that needs a parallel port LPT1 printer setup. It is an ancient, but very specialized software program.

Thanks in advance to anyone who helps

Not sure if I'm competely following what you're attempting to do...

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=381274&CatId=76

If you're looking to capture/scan using the F30 you should then be able to select the parallel port printer as your output through the USB/Parallel adapter...

I have an HP multi-function that I use to scan and when going to file>print, the Windoze dialogue box offering the output options...I oft times use my HP Laserjet5 (this is a parallel printer) but I don't know why you couldn't do the same with the USB/Parallel adapter...

Your question sounded much more complicated than my initial response...after rereading your query, indeed, I suspect that it is...

I'm wondering if this might offer a possible solution:

http://www.dosprint.com/

Sorry I re-read my original post and some things weren't very clear....

1. The Canon F30 can be set up on physically on either parallel *OR* USB ports. It has both physical ports on the printer, and the driver of course supports both.

2. It is currently setup to use the USB port on Win98 SE - the driver allows setup on USB port *OR* LPT1 port - not both at the same time.

3. The specialty software is old and can only print to a parallel printer port LPT1. The software cannot easily be replaced, and I need to find a solution that can accommodate this.

4. I would prefer to keep the unit functioning on the USB port in Windows for lots of reasons, but that spercialty software requires a parallel port printer.

Is there any way around this? Maybe something like how under Novell networking - the output to a local LPT1 port was captured to send to a network printer.

I am checking out the DOSPRINT link and that looks like what I need but I will have to try it on the client's machine...will let you know if it works. Thanks for the info!

If LPT 1 is using an IRQ, probably IRQ 7, then the simple solution would be just set it up through the parallel port for both Windows and DOS. It's keeping the IRQ tied up anyway, so that would be the simplest way to go, unless you have a really good reason to insist on using USB for Windows usage.

The problem I think you'll run into is that USB didn't exist when your DOS program was written, so there is no information in that program to instruct it as to how to use USB as a printer port.

Yea I *can* just make it parallel again.

Yep the old program has no clue what USB is.

This Canon multifunction machine is used heavily in a small office - it is used a lot for scanning, copying, printing, and faxing - the specialty dos program isn't used as frequently - was trying for a more elegant solution than just switching it.

If I remember correctly - the LPT1 isn't even installed - left it that way to free up an IRQ <G>. But that would be easy to fix too.

Thanks for all the suggestions folks.... :)

I think i have the opposite problem.

MPC190 which is solely USB connected (it has no parallel / serial connector ports) The Windoze software shows it connected to LPT1, not surprisingly It won't print. How in all the dead god's names do I fix this.

800 mhz AMD machine
Winxp Pro Sp1 NOT Sp2

Kiwimac

KIWIMAC: If you go into the printer's properties - it will show where the printer is connected - on which port - simply change it from LPT1 to USB - it might say Epson USB port or such too. I don't have an XP machine in front of me but it is start, control panel, printers and other hardware - highlight the printer itself - then right-click and choose properties - it will be in those driver settings some where...

For the rest of us - I still have my USB/parallel problem - set the printer up under the LPT1 port in windows and it still won't print from that old dos program - I did find another solution - using a NET USE command ? the printer is shared for the network (even though not technically used on the network in the office) so am going to try that - the DOSPRINT program didn't solve it either :(

I am pretty sure this will never work. The old memory banks tell me the Canon Miltipass series does NOT provide dos support.

I have a small DOS office management program I wrote and tried to make it work with a multipass printer. It wouldn't, just as canon predicted.

You basic test would be:

1) Set the printer up to lpt1

2) go to a dos prompt

3) at the prompt type dir>lpt1 or dir>prn

do you get the directory to print.

If you do it may work, if it doesn't call it a day.....