About Printer Cables

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By Josienita Borlongan
eHow Contributing Writer

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Printer cables enable communication between the computer and the printer. You can connect printers to a server, a standalone computer, a shared desktop computer or a docking station. Printer cables come in different connector types as well as different lengths.

Function

Printer cables allow data and image transmissions. Data cannot transfer nor go through between the computers and the printer without the printer cables.

Features

Firewire/USB Cable
A printer consists of connector "A" and connector "B," both connected to each other by a cable. Either connector can be made of USB, serial, parallel or firewire adapters on either or both ends. Therefore, you may find a printer cable that has both connectors "A" and "B" made of USB, or one connector made of USB and the other made of serial adapter. The serial adapters come with 6-pin male and 4-pin female connectors one on each end. The 6-pin male will connect to the back of the computer and the 4-pin female will connect to the back of the printer.

Types

Serial Cables
There are different types of printer cables--serial cables (RS-232, EIA-422), parallel cables, USB (Universal Serial Bus) cables and firewire cables. The most commonly used printer cables for home computing are the USB printer cables. They are easy to use and only require to be plugged in. You do not need to tighten any screws as in parallel and serial cables. However, in bigger printing needs, such as in multi-user companies, the serial cables or parallel cables are very common. Cables can go from 2 feet up to 25 feet long, in some cases even longer.

Considerations

25-foot Printer Cable
Some printers used in home offices and small businesses do not come with serial or parallel cable connection capability. For the home or small business, you may not need to get a huge printer, It does not mean you cannot buy a huge printer for your home or small business, however, if you know you will only need to print very few pages, then a smaller printer will do just fine. Determine how many people and devices will share the printer. Some users who have dual computers can use a Belkin box to connect the printer using the printer cable in order to use the printer for both computers. You can also set up a print server to connect the server with the printer cable with the printer and set up the other computers to share with suing the server through networking. Determine the distance of the location of the printer from your computer. You would need to buy a longer cable based on the distance.

Warning

Staple Gun
Make sure to choose the correct length of printer cables to connect your computer to the printer. Your printer cable should not hang or dangle in the middle of a room, where it can cause accidents. Allow enough space for the printer cable to bend at the corner of the wall and then use a staple gun to secure them in place. You can also buy wire covers and protection so that the cables do not interfere with the flow of traffic, thereby improving the overall appearance and preventing pets from chewing on them.