Printer Cables

A computer printer is a computer peripheral device that produces a hard copy (permanent human-readable text and/or graphics, usually on paper) from data stored in a computer connected to it

A printer outputs data that is seen on the computer screen. Most printers are used through a parallel port, but some newer ones use USB connections. USB is somewhat faster, but there's not much of a difference for printers. Networked computers usually print to a printer through the network card. The most crucial printer measurement is its dots per inch rating. Although this can be misleading, a higher number is generally better. Printers are best chosen by actually seeing the quality of the printer output

Centronics connectors are standard parallel interface devices for connecting printers to computers. Centronics connectors are named after the printer that first used them and include two rows of flat contacts. Both male and female Centronics connectors are available. Male Centronics connectors have side latches that snap into tabs on the sides of female connectors. Female connectors also have slots to receive pins from male connectors. Typically, Centronics connections consist of a 36-pin male or female connector at the printer or other peripheral, a cable, and a 25-pin parallel port on the computer. Centronics connectors use eight parallel data lines, as well as other lines to read status information and send control signals.