Printer from any computer?

retiredin2011

I have an HP laserjet 1005 printer connected to my computer via a parallel port so to print to it the computer it is connected to must be on all the time.


I can't even let it fall asleep.


This computer is running Windows 8.1 32 bit, the printer will not work with windows 8.1 64 bit ( driver for 64 bit OS do not exist it took me long enough to get it to work with Windows 8.1. )


However one of my grandkids has a 64 bit laptop that will not connect and print to the printer but since he only needs to print occasionally we just transfer the file to my computer and print from it.


Is there any way I can make my printer a stand alone printer so that it will print from any source regardless of whether it is 32 bit or 64 bit Windows?


Preferably free or very cheap.
I do have an old Windows XP laptop I could utilise if necessary.


We use the laser printer because I have a large amount of toner for it and most of the printing is in black and white.


Mostly recipes from the internet and because of the club I am in a lot of reports and balance sheets.

GRM

According to HP as well as parallel it supports USB. If you connect it to your PC via USB I would expect you to be able to share the printer from within Windows and the grandkid's laptop should be able to print to it - if your PC is on.

If you want a solution that doesn't require a PC to be on all the time then one option would be to buy a print server. Your connect the print server to the printer and your wireless network and now you have a wireless printer. Available from about £25 on Amazon etc.

emptybox

GRM wrote: »

According to HP as well as parallel it supports USB. If you connect it to your PC via USB I would expect you to be able to share the printer from within Windows and the grandkid's laptop should be able to print to it - if your PC is on.

If you want a solution that doesn't require a PC to be on all the time then one option would be to buy a print server. Your connect the print server to the printer and your wireless network and now you have a wireless printer. Available from about £25 on Amazon etc.

I don't think a USB cable would make any difference to network sharing?
Certainly I've shared a parallel connected printer over the network in the past.
I think the OP's problem is a lack of a driver for it on the 64bit laptop?

GRM

OP, have you tried this driver?

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareCategory?os=4158&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&sw_lang=&product=3435676#N187

securityguy

Pretty much any of these will do the job:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/b?ie=UTF8&node=430577031

retiredin2011

HP LaserJet P1005

Wrong printer.

Tried them before

retiredin2011

Pretty much any of these will do the job:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/b?ie=UTF8&node=430577031

Can one of these print from my printer if there are no available drivers on the computer?

If the computer I am printing from cannot print using the drivers available how can one of these print?

GRM

Have you tried installing drivers for a standard HP4? I'm sure a 10 year old HP LaserJet would be able to understand a basic driver.

diable

Jet Direct box.

Wee_Bargain_Hunter

Google Cloud Print may help http://www.google.com/cloudprint/learn/

retiredin2011

Have you tried installing drivers for a standard HP4?

I would if I could find them