USB Printer Cable Vs. USB to Parallel Printer Cable
Printers connect to computers in a variety of ways. Originally, printers connected to computers through serial or parallel connections. In the mid-1990s, printers started coming with USB (Universal Serial Bus) connectivity. As fewer and fewer computers come with standard parallel ports (removing those ports has helped to make laptops increasingly smaller), printer makers have had to adapt and offer either USB printers or USB-to-parallel adapter cables.
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Significance
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USB printer cables allow a computer to connect to a USB printer directly with a common USB cable. Parallel printer cables allow a computer with only USB ports to connect to a parallel printer that uses pin connectors.
Benefits
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USB connections are the standard for connecting external devices to a computer. Everything from computer mice and keyboards to MP3 players, camera, scanners, and printers now use USB connections. A USB connection port takes up less space on both the computer and the device (physically speaking), and USB 2.0 technology is generally seen as faster than parallel connections.
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Solution
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Users with older parallel-port printers cannot use their existing parallel cable to connect to newer computers that lack parallel ports. The solution is to purchase an additional cable known as a USB-to-Parallel adapter (or converter) that connects one end to the parallel port on the printer or device and the other end that connects to a computer's USB port.
Additional drivers are also sometimes needed and come with the adapter or as downloads online to make this conversion function.
Potential
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USB is by far the standard for connecting devices to modern computers. USB connections are also faster than parallel connections, according to printer manufacturer HP. USB cables can be used with many different devices that have similar USB connections. USB connections also lack the pins that could become bent or snapped off on parallel printer cables.
Considerations
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A parallel printer port on a computer is limited to one device at a time. There is no way to expand the number of printers or devices that can connect to a single parallel port. However, a USB port can theoretically support up to 127 devices (including printers) on a single port by using splitters (or "hubs").
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