Printer cables were used to run a line of communication from a computer to a printer. There are different kind of cable used for printing. It is common to printer manufacturers not to include printer cables in the package because of the increasing number of sales among the cable retailers. However, there are a lot of types of printer cables available in the market and what need to be considered is the type of printer cable suits the purchased printer.
One of the many is the USB printer cable. USB printer cable is the most common used technology nowadays when it comes to simplifying wired communication. Printers manufactured 10 years ago are likely to be equipped with USB technology. Some printers when purchased don’t come with USB cables or with spare USB cables. Any USB cord for printer is workable as long as it offers the right kind of plugs. USB is the standard cable choice for printers and a USB printer will have a USB – B port at the back. The cable required to connect to the printer, the USB AB Cable has a standard USB-A connection to plug in your computer. The USB cable used for printers is called USB AB cable, named for the plugs on each end. A flat and rectangular plug is called USB-A while the one in end with a square plug curved with edges is the USB –B.
Another type of cables usually used in printers are the parallel cables. Printers manufacture before USB technology used parallel cable. These cables have wide, flat ends with pins that connect printer’s parallel port. However, majority of printers today do not have a parallel port thus an adapter cable is need to create a wired connection.
In addition, Ethernet ports may exist on the back of the printer. Ethernet ports are usually used in facilitating larger office printer and shared printing. However, this port is not considered as alternative to the USB connection.
