As I recall, PortTalk is 32-bit. There are some details about getting passthrough working with Windows 7 64-bit at Parallel port passthrough (Windows only) .

Moguera wrote:

One might think that “parallel1=printer” would be correct, but that didn't work for me.

That's because "printer" is for the virtual, emulated printer and not for parallel port passthrough to a real printer.

Moguera wrote:

It will not work with a PCI add-on parallel port card.

You've tested this yourself, have you?

Moguera wrote:

Below are the actual, relevant lines from my DOSBox .conf file:

If you're trying to be thorough, neither the commented "#" lines nor the [printer] section are relevant.

PortTalk must be installed in order to print under Windows 2000 or XP

"parallel1=file dev:lpt1" works for me in XP, no PortTalk required. Your mileage may vary.

"parallel1=file dev:lpt1" works for me in XP, no PortTalk required. Your mileage may vary.

ripsaw8080, I tried your suggestion on a Windows 7 computer. I didn't have time to install a DOS application, so I tried a simple "ECHO zap >LPT1 <Enter>". That printed to a printer connected to an on-board parallel port.

Encouraged by this success, I went back to my Windows 2000 computer and tried your suggestion again. Printing from a DOS application to on-board LPT1 succeeded. Printing to PCI LPT2 also succeeded. Yours is the preferred solution. Hats off to you!

I have the same problem. II have DOS BOS Megabuild, I started to use DOS application and there is a problem with printing. I have Win7 32-bit and I'm wondering why I can't print, I get the same config:

, and nothing happens..

[printer]
printer=true
dpi=360
width=85
height=110
##printoutput=png
printoutput=printer
##multipage=false
multipage=true
docpath=.
timeout=0

[parallel]
##parallel1=disabled
##parallel1=printer
parallel1=reallpt directlpt:378
parallel2=disabled
##parallel2=reallpt directlpt:BC00
parallel3=disabled

I have virtual printer and from dos box it doesn't work. So i started changing config but still nothig ;(

Did you try the line Mr. Ripsaw suggested?

Thank You! It works!

I am currently on WindowsXP and have a Rosewill PCI card with a parallel port set to LPT1 so I can print to a parallel printer. My wife uses an old DOS word processor (FirstChoice), and I am trying to get it to print through DOSBOX with the eventual goal of upgrading to Windows7 and using DOSBOX there.

I have tried both of the parallel port lines above in the DOSBOX conf file, but I can't get the program to print using either one.

The PCI card is set to LPT1, and the program is set to print to a printer on LPT1. I get the error message "printer not ready." Is there something else I can try in terms of configuring the card or the port? I originally had it set never to use an interrupt and then also tried always using an interrupt.

Do I need PortTalk? I have tried installing PortTalk, but I'm not sure if I did it correctly, and it did not seem to help.

BTW, I am able to open FirstChoice in DOS in WindowsXP, and it prints normally. Again, I am doing this so I can upgrade to Windws7.

Any assistance is greatly appreciated, especially if someone knows if this setup could be made to allow printing in Windows7.

SMK

Hi, do you know how to print from Mac OSX? I installed MB6 and changed the printeroutput=printer but there is no print dialog box coming out and also no response from the printer. It works well in Windows 7 64bit by just changing the printetoutput in the config file. Sincerely appreciate anyone advise, please. 😕

All the tips refer to LPT1: but has anybody got any ideas how to make Dosbox print to a USB printer.

Is LPT1 real or emulated?

mikel wrote:

All the tips refer to LPT1: but has anybody got any ideas how to make Dosbox print to a USB printer.

As DOS programs cannot normally print to a USB printer, neither can DOSBox. You may want to try using the virtual printer instead. Alternatively, some people have posted about using DOSPRN instead.

Hi there,

here's what I did to print from DOSBox:

- Installed DOSBox Megabuild (D/L from http://home.arcor.de/h-a-l-9000)
- Settings in dosbox.conf:

1[printer]
2printer=true
3dpi=360
4width=85
5height=110
6printoutput=printer
7multipage=false
8docpath=.
9timeout=1000
10
11[parallel]
12parallel1=printer

With these settings a window will pop up asking you to select a printer. Works without problems here (Windows 7 Pro x64).

Regards -- Markus

Hello guys.

Just upgraded on Win7 64bit with new computers for small company, and have problems - old SW is 16Bit, so I use DosBox. I also need to print, but with no real success. I´ve installed the "printing compatible megabuild" DosBox, but still no success. These are my situations:

1) I can export a file into TXT, and take it with some "picker" waiting for file existence. So it take the file and print it immediately. This works, but not so nice for real usage of the SW. User must do much more to get the file printed, when he exports the file. This is just temporary solution.

2) I can link the DosBox LPT to the printer by mapping it in CMD (net use), I get some printing task to the printer, but the "file" is too small and nothing prints. HP printer is just idle, Samsung printer prints/deletes it after one second and nothing happens physically

3) If I set parralel1 to "printer", printing window appears, I can choose my printer, and send the task to it. Dosbox now starts to create many tasks for each page (result should be on one page), and it prints just one column of the text on each paper. Also mixed codepage problems as 4.

4) As 1 - I can make LPT1 print commant to export the file an pick it by printing SW which prints the file immediately, so it´s no differrence for user using the printing command, but I get bad letters (propably from bad codepage setting of the output), so it prints bad result.

Can anybody help me please to push or exploit one of those solutions to success?

It sounds to me like you have a unique situation.

Have you looked at Printing & clipboard-exchange - kludgy workaround for DOSBox under Windows ?

Yeah, I must have something extra every time. This is just a dream, and if you dream the same one, this is caused by Matrix…
There is missing just a little (codepage or unwanted letters on the output text file?) to have success with some solutions I posted.
I watched the link, I will try that in late evening (middle Europe), but I have no clue what is going on in that thread. I guess I´ll get it at the time of installation and config 😀.
Thanks anyway, will report my results.

Back here. No success. Those instructions are not applicable on my situation and app. I can just run the DosBoxPrinter.exe and then I´m done. Can´t go further with instructions or I just don´t understand how to work with it.

If you want more help, you're going to have to give a lot more detail than that. What don't you understand? What sort of application are you trying to print from? What kind of printer support does the application have? Does the application have any kind of "print to file" support? What makes you think there's a "bad codepage setting", anyway?

I am just unable to go with instructions. Not possible to make this in the application I use:

To print from a DOS game that supports PostScript output, set the output print file in the game to "P:\OUTPUT.PS".

Don´t have a game, and don´t have an app which can be set this way. Actually it can some way - I can export the file in the app anyway, so that way I don´t need to use more apps to do that as described. I´d like to fire the print button (LPT1) in the app and just print as I did in Windows XP....

Well. The application is for accounting. I need to print invoices, bills and so on. Printer support - don´t know. It just found basic printer in Win XP and printed to it. It is 16 bit dos-like app, so I guess it even has its own printing scripts, emulations and stuff like this for LPT output (printed with USB printers on Win XP without problem).I Can look for configs, ini/txt/cfg files of the software for details, but am not good programmer otherwise I would not be here.
The accounting app can print to a file, and when it does it, it does it well.
I can pick the file without user action and print it instantly. Only problem is, that classical printing a file was like "hit F6 then you are done" and print/export to a file is like "settings > export > to a file > path > name > export > hit enter" to get the job done. Unacceptable in real life for user.

Bad codepage setting thought is based on that our language uses special characters, which are crippled/changed for different letters or aliases in few parts of the file printed trough dosbox printing emulation or export. Once it(export to file) does the app itself, everything in the exported file is OK. Once I try to link LPT to a printer or a file in Win7, i get crippled output...

Solved by "monkey" way. Found and installed winprint, applied right settings, and the app exports print command output also as a file, while also picks it and prints immediately. Very powerfull app for noobs indeed.
THX anyway, I know it is not easy with me 😀