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I've got a USB printer (HP LaserJet 1018) connected to my Windows 7 desktop. I also have a USB infrared adapter (Actisys ACT-IR224UN-Li) which presents itself as a raw serial port, currently COM3.

What are my options to have Windows act as a print server listening on this virtual serial port, so that I can print from older devices that use raw SIR infrared?

None of these would be IRDA-capable devices. I would also need to be able to specify no hardware flow control on the port, as this adapter uses those lines to control the baud rate of the IR transceiver.

Most of the devices would be running MS-DOS, so there's definitely no LaserJet 1018 drivers nor bluetooth. RS-232 is an option, though, and they do have some form of "LaserJet" driver in most cases.

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  • Ancient question, still relevant? If so, do the old devices have a printer driver for the 1018? Can you clarify the IR limitations (is making that communication work a part of the puzzle)? Have you ruled out alternate connections, like Bluetooth (via dongles if needed)?
    – fixer1234
    Mar 29, 2017 at 5:28
  • @fixer1234 Not a terribly pressing need anymore, but if there's a simple way to do it, that would be cool. Most of the devices would be running MS-DOS, so there's definitely no LaserJet 1018 drivers nor bluetooth. :) RS-232 is an option, though, and they do have some form of "LaserJet" driver in most cases.
    – db2
    Mar 29, 2017 at 12:51
  • Who knows, this might just tickle the interest of some users old enough to remember this stuff. I don't have high hopes for the IR connection, but there may be a solution to get the job done. I added the information from your comment to bump the question and see if we can put it to bed. :-)
    – fixer1234
    Mar 29, 2017 at 18:04
  • BTW, there is a beta site, retrocomputing.stackexchange.com. Some of this hardware might qualify and the site user base might be a good resource for this.
    – fixer1234
    Apr 2, 2017 at 1:35

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