Good To Know About Printer Cables

With today’s technology and with the era of wireless connections, which is so in demand right now, printer cables are somehow nearing the extinction years.  Despite this fact, these connectors are still widely used especially in offices where the demand for a printed output is still very high.  Printer cables come in a wide array of styles and resolutions but you wouldn’t see such cable that are made out of fiber optic cable.  Main reason is that these optic cables are expensive and are generally used for long distance transmission of data.  Fiber optics is compatible for protocols such as ATM, Ethernet, Infiniband, Internet Protocol and Fibre Channel.

So what is the main function of a printer cable?  These cables are used to connect the computer (desktop or laptop) to the printer itself for the purpose of producing and executing printing assignment coming from the computer.

Printer cables have progressed throughout time.  From parallel to serial to what we have now as USB cables, indeed printer cables are also evolving with technology.  Listed below are the types of printer cables.

1.     Parallel Printer Cable – this is common to old generation printers.  This cable has 2 parallel connectors that are in general limited to dot matrix and the older model of inkjet printers.  Although there are still users of this type of cable, it is not as efficient as the newer types of printer cables.

2.     Serial Printer Cable – this type connects the computer to the printer through a serial port.  If you notice a cable with 9 or 25 pins on either end, this is the serial cable.  They are used for high mass printing needs, as they are the fastest cable available today.  Take note that not all computers have the ability or the port to connect to a serial printer cable.

3.     Firewire Printer Cable – this cable is generally used for camcorders or cameras as they transfer data in a faster way and can be easily connected.

4.     USB Printer Cable – so far this is the most efficient printer cable in terms of speed and high mass printing.  You would usually see these cables at home as they are used with on personal ink jet and desk jet printers.  Cheap and yet very efficient, a value for money.

Buying printer cable is not that difficult.  You just have to check the ports of your printer and your desktop or laptop.  Make sure that you measure the length that you need to be able to connect your PC to your printer.  Always ensure that cables are properly installed to avoid any accidents.  Buy high quality and dependable printer cables as this may affect your printing requirements.