Are there any printers that are compatible with parallel ports?

Q Although I have a Windows 7 PC, I still use an old Acorn Archimedes Risc computer for one or two tasks. For printing, it uses a parallel port output and, until now, I have always been able to find a printer to suit.

Unfortunately, my present printer has just given up the ghost. Is there any way I can run a modern printer from a parallel port?
Don Singleton

A USB to parallel cables do exist – Maplin sells a USB to printer cable for £25. This would allow you to attach a modern computer with a USB output to an old parallel printer. But trying to find a commercially available adapter that will attach an old parallel-outputting computer to a modern USB printer will be a fruitless task.

There are many reasons for this, not least of which being that parallel outputs don’t have sufficient power to carry USB signals. This could be fixed with a bit of circuitry and an external transformer but, as the market for such a gadget would be close to zero, you won’t find such a product in mass production.

If you are determined, you may be able to seek out an Acorn enthusiast who also happens to be a dab hand with a soldering iron that could rig something up – but don’t get your hopes up.

A better bet would be to visit Ebay and pick up an old parallel printer that is still in working order. We found dozens when we looked, with prices starting from a few pounds.

Longer term, you could consider installing emulator software on your PC that will recreate the Archimedes computer within Windows – and you would then be able to print using a USB printer attached to the PC.

Getting any Archimedes applications you own into this emulator could be a challenge in itself (you would need a 3.5in floppy disk drive attached to your PC, for starters), but it’s an avenue to consider – here is a list of Archimedes emulators.