Dave W wrote:
I would like to connect a Canon BJ-10sx to a Windows 8.1 64bit laptop.
The printer has a parallel input, for which I have a USB to parallel
converter. The converter works fine for another printer which declares
its name.

There is no 64bit driver for the Canon, but I have installed a driver
for another printer which should work with the Canon. But as the Canon
can't send back data to the computer, the computer can't recognise it
to match with the substitute driver, the parallel port LPT1: does not
appear in Control Panel, and "No printer attached" appears under
Universal Serial Bus Controllers when the adapter is plugged in.

Is it therefore impossible to connect this Canon?

USB to printer connector converters are not
USB to parallel port converters.

The difference is, the USB Class driver only runs the
converter in one mode, suitable for printers. The other
three parallel port modes are not accessible through that
driver.

I have a "real" parallel port, and it's on a PCI Express card,
and I operated a JTAG scanner off it. The driver in that
case supports all four modes. There aer PCI versions of
cards like that too. What I lack, is a sample of the USB
to printer converter (unidirectional driver).

This means that a printer connected to one of those
converters, must be happy to be run unidirectionally.

In Windows, there is an additional ceremony, that involves
a relatively large download, containing old drivers for a
variety of printers. Using that option, you might just find
the correct driver for the job.

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-i...ter-windows-10

"Open Settings.
Click on Devices.
Click on Printers & scanners.

Click the "Add a printer or scanner" button.

Wait a few moments.
Click "The printer that I want isn't listed" option.

Select the "My printer is a little older. Help me find it" option.

Select your printer from the list.
Click the Next button.

Type a name for the printer.
Click the Next button.

Select the Do not share this printer option.
Click the Next button.

Click the "Print a test page"

Click the Finish button.
"

I've not tested this, but multiple people have referred
to this method in the past, and they tell me "there is a
large download when the old printers come in", so perhaps
there will be a delay before one of those steps proceeds.

For one old printer, a dot matrix, if you know the name
equivalent, some other dot matrix driver functions as a
"generic" and can make your crusty dot matrix work. There's
really no limit to the ingenuity people put into this stuff.

If you don't put nose to grindstone, there'll be no result.

There are also universal drivers, one created for PostScript,
one created more recently for PCL. Which is another way to
get older devices working. I've used one of those for a
"Print to File" driver, but the results were less than
stellar, as the damn driver used "bitmaps" for the prints.
And that's a sucky way to do it (only good for printing,
no good for document re-purposement).

It's a DIY group - if someone here can't make it work, then
by definition it must be impossible.

Paul