Fact 1. Most modern desktop and laptop computers do not have Parallel or Serial Ports.
Fact 2. Many embossers still in use do not have a USB port.
So how can you connect your Parallel/Serial embosser to your computer?
If you have a desktop PC, one of the simplest ways is to add a suitable expansion card which provides the Parallel or Serial port you need.
Another option is to purchase a "USB to parallel cable." Once again, an Internet search should result in a wide choice of local suppliers.
In the following example, we have used a cable, Part Number A94BF, purchased from Maplin (http://www.maplin.co.uk). The installation process may vary with alternative makes and models, but in principle should be the same or similar.
Follow the manufacturer's installation instructions to install the cable.
Note: This process is normally specific to a particular USB port. You should choose a USB port which you will always use to connect your embosser. Before you add a printer as documented below, make sure you first close DBT (you want to launch DBT after this step so that DBT will notice the new printer driver you just installed).
You now need to "Add a Printer," which is done in the normal way in Windows. However, you should select "Local Printer," and specifically NOT ask Windows to detect the printer automatically.
You will then be asked to select a printer port. From the drop down list of ports, look for "USB### (Virtual Printer Port for USB)," where ### will be a USB port number. If more than one USB port appears in the list, and the newly purchased cable for this purpose was the last thing you connected to the computers USB ports then choose the port with the highest number.
At the next dialog, you will be asked to select a printer. In this case, from the Manufacturer list select "Generic," and from Printers list select "Generic /Text Only" as shown below.
You will be asked to name your printer, and at this point, we suggest you enter a meaningful name by adding "(Brailler on USB Port)" - or the like - to the name suggested by Windows.
Eventually, the process will ask if you wish to print a test page. We suggest you answer "Yes". Provided you have selected the correct port, this test will emboss about two pages of test data. What is important is that you get output, not the braille details. The braille is likely to be untranslated.
You are now ready to set your embosser up inside DBT. The full instructions for configuring a new embosser are covered in Global: Embosser Setup. However, there is one additional point to add to that discussion. In the General Tab, Output Options section of that dialog, you must select your newly installed embosser using the "Send to Printer" selection as shown below.
We suggest you test the installation with a short document to ensure that you have correctly configured your embosser.