Those parallel to USB converters...will they work on ANY parallel printer?

[NFS4]

I may be switching to a SFF case and one that doesn't have a Parallel port. I see a few of those Parallel - USB adapters on eBay that say that they will work with ANY Parallel printer.

So I could plug in my Laserjet 4000tn and it would work just fine?? How would the drivers work? Aren't the driver based around LPT instead of USB?

 

[Slowlearner]

Yes these cables work fine. I got one from sewelldirect.com for -$20 shipped to connnect a Dell I8600 to a HP laserjet 6Lse, it came with instructions and a CD. In WinXP Home installation was simple and quick - but it was not simply plug and play.

 

[Anubis]

i used one to connect my lexmark to my comp worked fine, how much the selling for on ebay? ill sell you mine

 

[LED]

On most but not all Printers...some you have to get a specific USB adapter and some won't work on XP...at least that's what my Alps 5000MD handed me.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Anubis
i used one to connect my lexmark to my comp worked fine, how much the selling for on ebay? ill sell you mine

They're selling for $.99 + $7.95 shipping on eBay for new ones.

 

[Anubis]

get a new one then

 

[NFS4]

Here's the auction I'm looking at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...sPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

So would I be able to keep all of my functionality with my 4000tn? I mean, will I still be able to keep my printer control panel? I need it b/c I print from all three trays (Tray 1 - envelopes, Tray 2 - plain paper, Tray 3 - shipping labels) with the use of the driver CP.

 

[LED]

Noticed the Drivers on CD are for Win98/ME support...I would ask them 1st about XP Drivers and if it'll work on your Printer

 

[edelbrock]

I had a belkin one which I don't use now because my printer has usb. If I recall correctly I hooked it up to the printer and the computer and installed the printer drivers normally. It recognized everything the same as if you were connecting it via parallel port. So it was pretty much plug and play for me.

 

[redbeard1]

my Laserjet 4000tn

If you have that model, it came with a jetdirect card in it. If it is still there, you can just set it up to IP print.

Oh, and those adapters can be hit or miss on whether they work or not.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: redbeard1

my Laserjet 4000tn

If you have that model, it came with a jetdirect card in it. If it is still there, you can just set it up to IP print.

Oh, and those adapters can be hit or miss on whether they work or not.

Router is upstairs, my PC is downstairs. Can't work that out w/o a wireless printer adapter/bridge. I've ordered the USB/Printer adapter since it's a cheap fix. If it doesn't work, I'll go with the wireless adapter.

 

[redbeard1]

A 5 port linksys switch, using its uplink port for the line from upstairs, and a couple of cat5 patch cables, would allow the printer and your PC to hook up to your network together.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: redbeard1
A 5 port linksys switch, using its uplink port for the line from upstairs, and a couple of cat5 patch cables, would allow the printer and your PC to hook up to your network together.

Drilling holes in a house we're renting isn't really an option

 

[redbeard1]

Ah.....I'm a little slow You're using wireless for your existing connection. I was working under the assumption that you had only one wire run now.

 

[NFS4]

Got the cable in today. Works great!!

 

[bluemax]

Good to hear since there's only about a 60% chance of it working properly. And it only works with printers - NO other parallel device.

I'd have spent the same amount of money and got the Shuttle PC-8 Parallel cable and had a genuine parallel port on your SFF machine.

If it wasn't Shuttle, there's no excuse, the others all use an industry standard parallel header and all you needed was something that's been around from the XT days until almost now - a parallel port header and the cable to plug onto the motherboard. Shuttle's is a special shrunken plug so you need the PC-8 for it.

Hope your USB alternative works as it should, you'll be one of the lucky ones.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: bluemax
Good to hear since there's only about a 60% chance of it working properly. And it only works with printers - NO other parallel device.

I'd have spent the same amount of money and got the Shuttle PC-8 Parallel cable and had a genuine parallel port on your SFF machine.

If it wasn't Shuttle, there's no excuse, the others all use an industry standard parallel header and all you needed was something that's been around from the XT days until almost now - a parallel port header and the cable to plug onto the motherboard. Shuttle's is a special shrunken plug so you need the PC-8 for it.

Hope your USB alternative works as it should, you'll be one of the lucky ones.

Everything works as it should. It's pretty fool-proof.

All I had to do was plug in the USB portion into my computer and it recognized it as a USB printing device. Then I hooked the other end into my printer. Then I went to "Add Printer" and selected "Virtual USB Port" and installed the drivers like normal.

Everything works as if it were a LPT port

 

[LED]

Good for you...maybe I oughtta try one of them on my Alps 5000MD cause my Epson or Belkin USB convertors won't work to well with it after I upgraded toWindows2000/XP...so once again they don't work on ANY parallel printer

 

[fastvideo]

parallel to USB, does it improve the printing speed???

 

[fastvideo]

Originally posted by: fastvideo
parallel to USB, does it improve the printing speed???

does it?????

 

[LED]

Originally posted by: fastvideo

Originally posted by: fastvideo
parallel to USB, does it improve the printing speed???

does it?????

On Paper it does but not on printer Paper as very few Printers can exceed PPort speeds..1 advantage that USB1.1 has over PPort is that it stresses the CPU less while the Pport is more secure.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: fastvideo

Originally posted by: fastvideo
parallel to USB, does it improve the printing speed???

does it?????

Doesn't seem to, but as stated above, CPU utilization is much lower