Solve : Duplicate LPT to COM?

1.	Solve : Duplicate LPT to COM?
Answer» Does anyone know about the DOS program which can duplicate LPT output to COM? It should send everything sent to LPT also to COM port. I need duplication, not redirection! Lets say that I have two printers attached: one parallel and one serial, and that I want every print output from any application to be PRINTED to both printers simultaneously. OS is MSDOS 6.22 (no Windows around).The first problem I see is if the printers are different. Years ago I used to do something like that. But noways the printers are much more complicated. Here is the standard way to do that in the old DOS, but not in the Windows. You tell all program to send out put to a file. Then you do a batch program to copy it to both printers It might help if you could explain why you need to do this. Why not just make two copies with one printer? Is this a commercial application? This is the real situation: There is a POS cash register with parallel POS printer. It have to be connected to video surveillance POS capture box which can be connected only to serial printers. POS capture box captures printer output (character print, EPSON format) and sends it to video surveillance application. There are two solutions: - change parallel printer with serial, redirect LPT to COM, and throw away parallel printer - EXPENSIVE ! - find a solution to duplicate all data sent to LPT port to COM and connect POS capture box to serial port. If there is a solution in DOS please send me exact syntaxWhat about using MODE to redirect LPT2 to COM1 and then print to LPT1 and LPT2 Such as: MODE LPT2:=COM1: Then use a print from file that Geek-9pm suggested in 2 instructions one for LPT1 and one for LPT2, and LPT2 will pass the print task to COM1 serial printer. Drivers may still be required, but this should get the data at least from that file to the Com1 port to print maybe.There is a way to hack this. You write a TSR that watches what ever goes to one device and then re sends it to the other device. If you have 100 POS systems to modify, you can PAY a programmer to do the code for you. But if it is a one time shot, just buy an old serial printer. Quote from: DaveLembke on January 12, 2009, 10:09:02 AM What about using MODE to redirect LPT2 to COM1 and then print to LPT1 and LPT2 I was going to suggest that myself, but they want duplication, not redirection. As geek said, for your exact situation without buying additional hardware, a TSR would probably be needed. It might even be true that one has already been written. but here's the thing, one is SERIAL, the other is PARALLEL. how do you duplicate a parallel output to a serial output properly? It's messy, at the very least; one would literally have to learn the SPECIFICS of how the capture box takes input. If it is simply text, it probably can be sent the exact same thing as the Parallel port is told to send. if it needs the exact same stream, then things could get messy. Another solution is, I believe they have parallel to Serial adapters.If you send the print to a File first... then run the print instruction to LPT1 and LPT2, that will duplicate the output of the initial print due to LPT2 redirect to Com1. If they are unable to print to a file, then yes this wouldnt work for replication, but if they can print to file and then call that file to print to both LPT1 and LPT2 ( redirected port ) then it should work. And if there is any graphics ( logos etc ), yes the setup would likely puke as for this would only work best if all ascii due to printing to a file would likely create a file that cant be printed or it would strip the graphic that is unable to be interpreted. I don't think DOS has a "print to file" feature built in.You are correct, DOS PRINT has no switches available to print to file but... there is a TSR available, although I havent used it to RATE how well it works at http://www.computing.net/answers/dos/dos-print-to-file/9514.html This should allow printing to file....Other issue I just realized with the duplicate print is that its great and all about setting up LPT1 and LPT2 to print through MODE redirection of LPT2 to COM1, printing from file, but this process is not automated. Problem being that a print task would go out to file...then nothing would happen. Some service would have to know that the file has changed etc or been created and then print at both devices at both ports. ... Cant believe I overlooked that detail that is an important detail to make this work... Our setup to print at 2 printers for our Food Store uses a VB Script and Windows, which have so much more potential than just DOS.

Answer»

Does anyone know about the DOS program which can duplicate LPT output to COM?
It should send everything sent to LPT also to COM port.
I need duplication, not redirection!
Lets say that I have two printers attached: one parallel and one serial, and
that I want every print output from any application to be PRINTED to both
printers simultaneously.
OS is MSDOS 6.22 (no Windows around).The first problem I see is if the printers are different.
Years ago I used to do something like that. But noways the printers are much more complicated.
Here is the standard way to do that in the old DOS,
but not in the Windows.
You tell all program to send out put to a file. Then you do a batch program to copy it to both printers
It might help if you could explain why you need to do this. Why not just make two copies with one printer? Is this a commercial application?
This is the real situation:
There is a POS cash register with parallel POS printer. It have to be connected to video surveillance POS capture box which can be connected only to serial printers. POS capture box captures printer output (character print, EPSON format) and sends it to video surveillance application.
There are two solutions:
- change parallel printer with serial, redirect LPT to COM, and throw away parallel printer - EXPENSIVE !
- find a solution to duplicate all data sent to LPT port to COM and connect POS capture box to serial port.
If there is a solution in DOS please send me exact syntaxWhat about using MODE to redirect LPT2 to COM1 and then print to LPT1 and LPT2

Such as:

MODE LPT2:=COM1:

Then use a print from file that Geek-9pm suggested in 2 instructions one for LPT1 and one for LPT2, and LPT2 will pass the print task to COM1 serial printer.

Drivers may still be required, but this should get the data at least from that file to the Com1 port to print maybe.There is a way to hack this. You write a TSR that watches what ever goes to one device and then re sends it to the other device. If you have 100 POS systems to modify, you can PAY a programmer to do the code for you. But if it is a one time shot, just buy an old serial printer.
Quote from: DaveLembke on January 12, 2009, 10:09:02 AM

What about using MODE to redirect LPT2 to COM1 and then print to LPT1 and LPT2

I was going to suggest that myself, but they want duplication, not redirection.

As geek said, for your exact situation without buying additional hardware, a TSR would probably be needed. It might even be true that one has already been written.

but here's the thing, one is SERIAL, the other is PARALLEL. how do you duplicate a parallel output to a serial output properly? It's messy, at the very least; one would literally have to learn the SPECIFICS of how the capture box takes input. If it is simply text, it probably can be sent the exact same thing as the Parallel port is told to send. if it needs the exact same stream, then things could get messy.

Another solution is, I believe they have parallel to Serial adapters.If you send the print to a File first... then run the print instruction to LPT1 and LPT2, that will duplicate the output of the initial print due to LPT2 redirect to Com1.

If they are unable to print to a file, then yes this wouldnt work for replication, but if they can print to file and then call that file to print to both LPT1 and LPT2 ( redirected port ) then it should work.

And if there is any graphics ( logos etc ), yes the setup would likely puke as for this would only work best if all ascii due to printing to a file would likely create a file that cant be printed or it would strip the graphic that is unable to be interpreted.
I don't think DOS has a "print to file" feature built in.You are correct, DOS PRINT has no switches available to print to file but... there is a TSR available, although I havent used it to RATE how well it works at http://www.computing.net/answers/dos/dos-print-to-file/9514.html

This should allow printing to file....Other issue I just realized with the duplicate print is that its great and all about setting up LPT1 and LPT2 to print through MODE redirection of LPT2 to COM1, printing from file, but this process is not automated. Problem being that a print task would go out to file...then nothing would happen. Some service would have to know that the file has changed etc or been created and then print at both devices at both ports.

... Cant believe I overlooked that detail that is an important detail to make this work...

Our setup to print at 2 printers for our Food Store uses a VB Script and Windows, which have so much more potential than just DOS.

Solve : Duplicate LPT to COM?

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