Printing to your PC with a Parallel Printer

Printing to your PC with a parallel printer means your PC is directly connected to your printer via hardware, i.e. a parallel cable that goes directly from the back of your PC to your printer.  Usually your printer will come with software that will contain the drivers for your printer.  Windows systems may also contain the appropriate driver on the hard drive, or you may be required to insert your Windows discs to install the drivers from.

Students printing from their residence hall rooms or apartments will be printing with a Parallel printer.

The most frequent problems encountered with a parallel printer are driver related.  Often times, simply deleting the printer and reinstalling it will fix the driver.  To do this follow these directions:

1. Click on the "Start" menu and go directly to the "Printers" option.  If it not listed, click on the  "Control Panel" and open the Printers folder from there.

2. Highlight the name of your parallel printer and delete.

3. Make sure your printer is connected to your computer and restart the machine.  Most Windows systems will recognize and install your printer automatically.

4. Go back to the printers folder to see if your printer has been reinstalled.  If not, click on the "Add New Printer" icon and follow the instructions.

5. Once you get to this list of printers, select the appropriate one.  If it is not on the list, click on the "Have disk" button and insert the CD or Floppy that came with the printer.  If you no longer have the media, you can almost always obtain the drivers from the printer manufacturers Web site.

If your printer is still not working, there may be a hardware issue.  Please contact the UTS Help Desk for extensive troubleshooting at x1-4700.