Using windows 3.1 driver on XP

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bill 2
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Bill 2

I have an antique (20 year old) Star Gemini 10X 9 pin printer. Windows XP
does not have support for this printer. I've tried using various other
drivers (IBM pro printer, various Epson and Star drivers) with the same
results. It prints a blank line between each pass.

I'm also not the first person with this problem. Doing a search on google,
many people have had the same problem with other operating systems. Windows
3.1 and windows 95 didn't include a driver for this printer, however someone
hacked together a driver for Windows 3.1. Is there any way to get Windows XP
to use a Windows 3.1 driver?
 
Bill 2 said:
I have an antique (20 year old) Star Gemini 10X 9 pin printer. Windows XP
does not have support for this printer. I've tried using various other
drivers (IBM pro printer, various Epson and Star drivers) with the same
results. It prints a blank line between each pass.

I'm also not the first person with this problem. Doing a search on google,
many people have had the same problem with other operating systems. Windows
3.1 and windows 95 didn't include a driver for this printer, however someone
hacked together a driver for Windows 3.1. Is there any way to get Windows XP
to use a Windows 3.1 driver?
Click to expand...

A few thoughts, which as I don't have the printer may be useless.

At a guess, your spacing problem is due to line endings (CR, LF) not
being what is expected.

Googling found a few pages:
<http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ltapn.html> has some control codes:
condensed {SI} 0F
letter quality {ESC}E 1B 45
reset {FF}{ESC}@ 0C 1B 40

You might be able to use these if you create a new "Generic" printer
and put the relevant codes into the properties.

This page, in Greek, has some software, with source. Maybe the author
can help you if you can't work it out.
<http://www32.brinkster.com/spitoselida/gemx/>

Otherwise, in using dot matrix printers with Windows, except for the
Generic driver, it always uses graphic mode, which is much slower and
often not as crisp as built in fonts.

Instead of using an old Windows driver, maybe you could just run an
old (DOS?)app that has this printer support built in -- I use Word for
DOS to print to a dot matrix, as it supports all the built in fonts
and prints at least 4 times faster than using a Windows (graphic)
driver. You have to use or convert your files to something the old app
can use, of course.
 
Bill 2 said:
I have an antique (20 year old) Star Gemini 10X 9 pin printer. Windows
XP does not have support for this printer. I've tried using various
other drivers (IBM pro printer, various Epson and Star drivers) with the
same results. It prints a blank line between each pass.
Click to expand...

I suspect the printer is set to automatically add a line-feed character
to any received carriage return. If so, you can switch this off, either
with one of the DIP switches or by some other means: on my Star XB24,
it's Auto LF in the Memory Switch mode.
 
thoss said:
I suspect the printer is set to automatically add a line-feed character
to any received carriage return. If so, you can switch this off, either
with one of the DIP switches or by some other means: on my Star XB24,
it's Auto LF in the Memory Switch mode.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response.

I found a manual for the printer:
http://www.star-micronics.co.jp/eng/dl/dl01_02.htm

I set the dip switch according to page 58 of the first part of the Gemini
10X printer.

I set the auto LF off, however it doesn't make any difference.

Any ideas?
 
Check to see if there is a dip switch for line feed. Most dot matrix
printers had a dip switch for this feature. Some drivers needed it and
some didn't, and provided a line feed with the end of line
automatically. You should be able to shut down this "feature" via a
change in the dip switches.

I am looking at the instruction manual for an old Roland/Panasonic
printer I have, and it suggest that one switch (Switch 1-3 in this case)
controls "AUTO FEED XT" in the ON position it is "Fixed internally"
meaning a line feed command is added to each carriage return command
received, or OFF "Performs a carriage return only. Computer must supply
a line feed command."

In your case, the computer driver is doing just that, but your printer
is also providing one, so you are getting two line feeds per carriage
return, hence, an extra line.

Art
 
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