How to configure a Datamax-Oneil Apex printer on Windows 8.1

14/03/2014 itoledo
6 Comments
Blog, Desarrollos Informáticos, Mobile, Tips, Windows 8

If you try to add a Bluetooth Apex printer on Windows 8, you’ll get a message that the “drivers are not available”. The problem is that it never asks for the drivers, and there’s no easy UI option to select a valid driver.

With these instructions you should be able to print from Windows 8 when connecting via Bluetooth.

First, download the latest printer drivers from the official website and uncompress them in a folder of your choice.

Now, right click on the APEX4.INF file and select “Install”.

Now, try to add the printer. You can do it using the Modern UI option, go to Settings->PC->Bluetooth and pair your device.

The problem is, of course, that when going to the “Devices” page, you’ll get a message that says “The driver is not available”:

Here is the trick to fix this: we will add a new, “manual” printer and will that one to print. Go into the desktop Control Panel->Devices and press “Add a printer”:

Choose “selected printer is not on this list”:

Now “Add a local or network printer with manual settings”

Now choose “Create a new port” of type “Local port”:

It will ask you about the port name. Now what kind of port name should we use? Don’t close that window and go to your Bluetooth icon on the System Tray, right click on it and select “Open configuration”:

Go into “COM ports” and look up the outgoing port number that says “APEX4 ‘SPP'”:

So we will use that exact port name! Go into the port name window and write it:

Select the Datamax-O’Neil Apex driver:

Then just press Next until the wizard is finished. Now try to print a sample page and it should work, even on Windows 8 modern UI apps.

If it says that the port is being used, just go to the “Devices and printers” window, right click on your printer (the “Datamax O’neil” one, not the “APEX4” which does NOT work) and go into Printer Properties’ Ports page, here you can add or remove ports as you like, just remember to select the outgoing SPP port and you should be set.

 

 

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