Parallel port cable - All the same? What do they cost?

[Muse]

Are they basically all the same these days? Is one as good as another? What kind of prices are out there? I went into CompUSA a year or so ago and got SERIOUS sticker shock when I looked at some of their cables. Real ripoffs. I can go to a computer show and probably get the same stuff for 1/3 the price. What's a good price for PP cables? Thanks.

 

[Bartman39]

With most printers being USB (thinking you need a parallel for one) the price of them should be cheap... No more than $5-7...?

You might try the buy sell trade forum and get one for shipping...?

 

[DeschutesCore]

Straight printer cables are cheap and can be picked up for around $5.99 for 6 feet. Bi-directional (bi-di) cables are quite a bit more and run around $24+ for 10 feet. Your printer will dictate what you need.

If you spent 40 bucks on your printer, you usually only need the standard cable. Multifunction printers / scanners / copiers usually require bi-directional, but with USB so popular, this issue is almost completely moot.

DC

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: DeschutesCore
Straight printer cables are cheap and can be picked up for around $5.99 for 6 feet. Bi-directional (bi-di) cables are quite a bit more and run around $24+ for 10 feet. Your printer will dictate what you need.

If you spent 40 bucks on your printer, you usually only need the standard cable. Multifunction printers / scanners / copiers usually require bi-directional, but with USB so popular, this issue is almost completely moot.

DC

This printer is an Epson 740i and cost somewhere between $100 - $200 I think almost 3 years ago. It can use a USB or // port connection but the box I'm connecting it to right now is AT and only accommodates // port. The manual says for // port use a "high-speed, bidirectional, IEEE-1284 compliant // cable (6 - 10 feet long); the cable must have a D-SUB, 25-pin, male connector for your computer and a 36-pin, Centronics compatible connector for the printer." It's an inkjet and hasn't been used in over 2 years so there may be issues with dried ink, etc. for which I will scour the manual, etc. Anyway, it's color and my laserjet isn't, so I'd like to try it. Actually, the reason I want to connect it now is that I removed the // port on the box trying to troubleshoot my sound card and now I can't get Windows 95 OSR2 to reinstall the // port. I figure that if I can get W95 to install the printer it will automatically reinstall the port. Good thinking, eh?

 

[ObiDon]

6-foot bidirectional cable

6-foot IEEE-1284 cable

Nice prices, good shipping rates!

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: ObiDon
6-foot bidirectional cable

6-foot IEEE-1284 cable

Nice prices, good shipping rates!

Thanks!! Really great link.