Solid-state dye-doped polymer is an attractive alternative to the conventional liquid dye solution. In this paper, the laser characteristics of Coumarin 1 (C1)-doped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) rods modified with ethyl alcohol (EtOH) are studied under nitrogen laser excitation in a transverse pumping configuration and the variation of gain of the dye in solid medium for different pumping powers are studied. The gain of Coumarin 1 in solid medium is compared with the gain of Coumarin 1 in liquid medium and it is observed that the gain of the dyes in the solid environment is less than that in the liquid environment. The photobleaching of dye in polymer medium under nitrogen laser excitation is also studied by keeping the rod in a fixed position and by rotating the rod about its cylindrical axis. It is observed that the photobleaching rate is faster when the rod is in a fixed position.