How to get a USB printer available in client OS

[MarisaG]

I'm trying to get my USB printer in Virtualbox (Host OS is Ubuntu) working in the client "Win2k" instance. Nothing I do seems to make it available. Anyone have any tips on how to do this? BTW my Virtualbox is latest release...

[mpack]

Do you have Win2K drivers for that printer? Otherwise there's no way to get it working.

A printer doesn't have to physically attached to the PC that uses it, so sharing it as a network printer from the host is probably a lot easier than trying to access a USB device from a 2-decades old OS. But, without drivers it's just a big paperweight.

[MarisaG]

Do you have Win2K drivers for that printer? Otherwise there's no way to get it working.

A printer doesn't have to physically attached to the PC that uses it, so sharing it as a network printer from the host is probably a lot easier than trying to access a USB device from a 2-decades old OS. But, without drivers it's just a big paperweight.

I was trying to use the Hp Laserjet drivers in win2k, but I can't see the printer at all. Pointer to a site where to get a networked printing driver for Ubuntu?

[scottgus1]

Pointer to a site where to get a networked printing driver for Ubuntu?

This question sounds quite suitable for Google et al.

I have jumped the gap over lack of printer drivers by printing to PDF in the driverless OS then printing the PDF in the drivered OS. Even wrote a script to make the PDF-print part automatic, any PDF showing up in a share folder gets printed.

[mpack]

Pointer to a site where to get a networked printing driver for Ubuntu?

There's no such thing as a "networked printer driver" in the sense you probably mean. I.e. I don't think you'll be able to find a "HP Laserjet Network Driver".

Printer Sharing happens at two levels: a generic communications level which provides the basic connection (e.g. USB, Ethernet, other), and a miniport driver that provides the actual HP Laserjet functionality. The same printer driver is used regardless of how the connection is made.

There should be an option in your host to share printers on the network at that generic device level: and hopefully it can share printers a la Windows otherwise there's no way a Win2K guest will see one shared by Linux. I'm assuming this isn't a problem, since Linux has been providing Windows compatible network interfaces since forever, in fact I'm assuming it needs to be a SAMBA share.

Then, once comms level access to the printer is sorted out, you need that HP Laserjet Win2K miniport driver so that Win2K knows how to use that printer. No doubt there's a website somewhere that hosts old HP printer drivers.

[MarisaG]

Pointer to a site where to get a networked printing driver for Ubuntu?

This question sounds quite suitable for Google et al.

I have jumped the gap over lack of printer drivers by printing to PDF in the driverless OS then printing the PDF in the drivered OS. Even wrote a script to make the PDF-print part automatic, any PDF showing up in a share folder gets printed.

Interesting! You willing to share that script?

[scottgus1]

Here you go. It's VBscript for Windows, but I'm sure a Python version could be made.

pdfprint multicopies.zip

(1.5 KiB) Downloaded 6 times

[MarisaG]

Here you go. It's VBscript for Windows, but I'm sure a Python version could be made.

pdfprint multicopies.zip

Thanks! I'll give it a look. Trying to get MS-Bob to be able to print as a guest install. I'm crazy I know...