Two printers off one pc?

Warbie · 30 Jul 2006 at 17:36

Excuse me for being a noob, but is this possible? (i'm sure it is). My dad has two printers that he wants to connect to one pc. It's quite an old system and has one serial port.

Will we need some extra hardware/cables?

Any advice will be appreciated

SiriusB · 30 Jul 2006 at 17:38

You can install multiple printers [you'll just have to choose which one in Print dialogs]. However you might need some kind of serial to USB adapter or something.

If one or both were USB this would be much simpler lol

SiriusB

Warbie · 30 Jul 2006 at 17:44

Cheers for that. I'm pretty sure both are serial.

I'll have a look for an adapter.

SiriusB · 30 Jul 2006 at 18:09

I have absolutely no idea if they exist or not so don't try too hard to find one

SiriusB

semi-pro waster · 30 Jul 2006 at 18:13

If both are serial then you can/could get switch boxes but I don't know if they still exist any more. Last time I saw one it was under £30 but I haven't seen any for a while.

Corasik · 30 Jul 2006 at 19:33

Are you sure they are serial? Serial printers were never that popular with PC's. Older printers are normally Parallel, with newer models offering USB interfaces.

I believe its still possible to buy USB -Parallel ports.

utherpendragon · 30 Jul 2006 at 19:36

Make sure you check compatibility of USB->Parallel converters. As with USB->Serial converers they aren't 100% compatible with all peripherals.

Warbie · 30 Jul 2006 at 20:03

Corasik said:
Are you sure they are serial? Serial printers were never that popular with PC's. Older printers are normally Parallel, with newer models offering USB interfaces.

I believe its still possible to buy USB -Parallel ports.

You're probably right - i'll go double check.

unde4d · 30 Jul 2006 at 21:39

You really need to be sure what type of interface the 2 printers are using. I'd presume they are both using Parallel Ports, and you'll be relying on the compatibilty of a Parallel to USB adaptor for the 2nd printer, which can be hit&miss.

I'd go as far as suggesting a print server. D-Link have a print server which looks like it's right for you - checkout the D-Link DP 300+. It's got 2x Parallel Ports, & 1x Serial Port. This might be an expensive option (£70ish), but if you have a couple of PCs/Laptops in the same house, then it might be handy. I've never used D-Links print server (I dont particularly trust D-Link products), but if they are anything like HP's JetDirects, then they should be easy to setup.

img · 30 Jul 2006 at 21:43

or you could get a second pci parallel port card for about £25. easier if old pc and then dont need to worry about converters or other boxes.

HangTime · 30 Jul 2006 at 23:08

Personally I'd just switch the parallel cables over depending on which printer I wanted to use.