From the command line, you can type DIR >lpt1 (hit Enter) and if the printer is talking to DOS, it should send your current directory to the printer. If you get nothing, try DIR >lpt2 to see if the card is being reported to DOS as being on Lpt2. if not:

Troubleshooting, first move the card to a different slot.

Since this is an add-on card, you should then get a "New hardware found" window in XP as soon as you booted into it after changing the slot. Did you get one? If you did not, you have an IRQ conflict between the card and the original equipment. You may have some other device assigned to the usual LPT1 or LPT2 address. Your add-in card should be set to LPT2 by default, not to Lpt1, because these cards were originally designed as additions to an existing parellel port MB. Check your card documentation, and set the jumpers to LPT2 if it is not. Note the Irq you have assigned to the card via the card jumpers. Put it in the slot, boot, and see if you get the "New Hardware Found" window. if not:

Go into the BIOS, you are looking for a setting that allows you to "assign IRQ to legacy device" which means the motherboard will not attempt to assign it to another device, which is how it gets reported to Windows. Retrieve the IRQ you jotted down. Go into your BIOS, and see if you can find a screen that pertains to IRQ. You may find that the IRQ you are trying to use is set to "Auto", if it is, that's your problem, because MB IRQs get first shot over any add in cards, and it is probably assigning the IRQ you want to something else -change to "assign IRQ to legacy device". My guess is that is your most likely problem because it would cause the exact symptoms you describe.