Windows 8 In Depth

Printing from MS-DOS Applications

Most DOS applications can print only to LPT ports. If you want to use a printer that is on a USB port or is out there somewhere on a LAN, you must share the printer (even if it’s just attached to your own computer and you’re not using a network) and then issue the command

net use lpt2: \\localhost\sharename

from the Command Prompt window, replacing sharename with the name you used when you shared the printer. Direct your DOS program to use LPT2. (You can use LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3, but you must select an LPT port number that does not have an associated physical LPT port in your computer.) Some MS-DOS applications know how to send output directly to networked printers using a UNC share name, so you don’t need to ...