Options for colour printing for DOS machine with SCSI printer

[Lotz-A-Landies]

A friend has a automotive diagnostic machine which is currently fitted with an old HP Deskjet colour inkjet SCSI printer. After 20 years the printer is worn out and cartridges difficult to acquire.

The machine is DOS based but upgrading the sensors and programming to a later platform prohibitively expensive and unjustified.

We have thought about having the machine overhauled, but that wont solve the cartridge problem.

What options are there for colour printing for a DOS system with SCSI/serial interface?

[Graeme]

I use DOSPRN to allow old DOS programs to print on Windows printers.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Hi Graeme

Are you running the DOS program in a DOS window within a windows operating system?

This program is a on a DOS operating system probably on an old 386 PC

[Graeme]

Yes, just using a DOS window. DOSPRN provides translation tables for what were popular DOS printer command sets.

I usually have DOSPRN pointing to a PDF printer to avoid having to unnecessarily waste paper or to allow the reports to be emailed.

[theresanothersteve]

As I understand it you are looking for a colour printer that can plug in the back of your old box...

If you cannot source a printer economically, do you still have the installation disks for the software? If so, can the software be installed on a newer box that can connect to a newer printer, even if you have to use a virtual PC to install?

You should be able to locate a printer with old interfaces, but I would expect them to be very expensive...

[incisor]

virtualising the dos printer port will be a problem..

most recent versions of windows don't support it natively... nor do the printers generally speaking

so you will definitely need third party software to do it...

don't go much on your chances but you best hope i would think is something using an old style printer emulation eg ibm proprinter, epson esc or native postscript.

be a nice project......

[Graeme]

It appears that DOSPRN is free these days so should be a simple task to install it on a windows system then try running the program asis. I have programs that o/p bold, italics, condensed print etc which are supported by DOSPRN's HP PCL definitions. I have set DOSPRN to use any Windows printers that we've ever had, which have been various colour laser printers for about the last 15 years. I still maintain my various DOS programs, having never bothered to rewrite them for Windows.