> Yes, on the standard (non ecp/epp) parallel ports, all the lines are
>  either input, or output.  None are bi-directional.  W/ 4 or 5 outputs, and
>  over 10 inputs, you obviously CAN have 2 way communication, but that was
>  not what I posted.

On many standard printer ports (going back to the originals) the four
control outputs use open-collector drivers, and a read to the I/O port
will read the voltage on the pin (rather than the latch).  This gives
8 out, 4 in/out, and 5 in.  The only machines I'm specifically aware of
that violate this convention are Toshiba laptops (though I would not be
surprised if there are some more).