Why do scanners come with USB cables and Printers don't ?

13Gigatons

Diamond Member
Apr 19, 2005
7,461
500
126

Seems it's just a sad attempt to get people to buy overpriced cables at Best Buy and Circuit City.
 

TechnoKid

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2001
5,575
0
0
USB 2.0 cables are, what, about $3 shipped online for a 6 ft length, i dunno why they dont include them with the printer, prob because everyone has a different desktop layout, and would need different lengths.
 

Mani

Diamond Member
Aug 9, 2001
4,808
1
0
1. Little to no margin on printers (sometimes even negative)

2. Has become standard practice in the industry for printers so customers expect it and printer manufacturers see no benefit to including it.
 

13Gigatons

Diamond Member
Apr 19, 2005
7,461
500
126
Originally posted by: TechnoKid
USB 2.0 cables are, what, about $3 shipped online for a 6 ft length, i dunno why they dont include them with the printer, prob because everyone has a different desktop layout, and would need different lengths.


15 foot cable runs $4 shipped.
 

Cobalt

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2000
4,642
1
81
Mine came with a USB cable... But that might be because it's a combo fax/printer/scanner/coppier. :eek:
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,268
126
I have a Canon 950, and it came with cable. Maybe because I buy "upscale" printers compared to the 50 buck specials? I dunno.
 

Colt45

Lifer
Apr 18, 2001
19,720
1
0
so they can burn the crap out of noobs that pay $25 for a printer cable
 

BillyBatson

Diamond Member
May 13, 2001
5,715
1
0
i dunno, i know some parallel printer cables use to cost a lot, our belkin one like 5 years ago was $25 but i dunno how much they went for online at the time. USB cables though even best buy will have a $10 cable which isn't much but it just seems sub $100 printers still don't come with cables yet a $50 scanner does? bah
 

Calin

Diamond Member
Apr 9, 2001
3,112
0
0
USB cables are easier to make that parallel ones - just that if everyone sells printers without cables, there is no reason to start adding cables (a 1$ cost) into the package. Add that 1$ for hundreds of thousands of printers, and you get a nice bonus for the CEO
 

Sphexi

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2005
7,280
0
0
Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider
I have a Canon 950, and it came with cable. Maybe because I buy "upscale" printers compared to the 50 buck specials? I dunno.

Bingo. People expect some sort of fantastic "deal" going with the cheapo model, not realizing that it's so cheap because they yanked out the cable, any decent amount of ink, paper, and extras. It's a throw-away printer. I have plenty of USB cables kicking around from other devices, I'm using an external harddrive cable on my PSC1210 right now, works fine.
 

rudder

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
19,441
86
91
Originally posted by: Sphexi
I have plenty of USB cables kicking around from other devices, I'm using an external harddrive cable on my PSC1210 right now, works fine.

Shens, how the hell did you get an external hard drive cable to work with a printer?
 

shilala

Lifer
Oct 5, 2004
11,437
1
76
Originally posted by: rudder
Originally posted by: Sphexi
I have plenty of USB cables kicking around from other devices, I'm using an external harddrive cable on my PSC1210 right now, works fine.

Shens, how the hell did you get an external hard drive cable to work with a printer?

Because it's a usb external hdd, is my guess.
/Mr. Obvious
 
Aug 23, 2000
15,509
1
81
I remember when I worked at CompUSA I would tell people, if you by this printer, I'll sell you the cable for my cost. ($25-$30 retail cable was $3 at cost I told them it was $7). I did this because we had a Best Buy next door so we had to out sell them. I ended up selling a lot of printers to people, and the fact that they saved $20 on the cable, they would turna around and buy $20 in ink or paper or power stips ect, so in the end, we still made profit and made our sales numbers look better.
I also used to sell the 3 year warranty/printer cable/paper kits that were $50, for $25 if the person spent $50 in consumables.
 

Mucho

Guest
Oct 20, 2001
8,231
2
0
Originally posted by: 13Gigatons

Seems it's just a sad attempt to get people to buy overpriced cables at Best Buy and Circuit City.

I saw a guy bought a HP printer for $39 and the USB cable for $29 at Future Shop a few months ago.
 

bubbadu

Diamond Member
Aug 30, 2001
3,551
0
0
Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider
I have a Canon 950, and it came with cable. Maybe because I buy "upscale" printers compared to the 50 buck specials? I dunno.

I am pretty sure at staples we sold the i950 and it definitly didn't come with a cable. I actualy have never seen a canon come with one.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
Originally posted by: rudder
Originally posted by: Sphexi
I have plenty of USB cables kicking around from other devices, I'm using an external harddrive cable on my PSC1210 right now, works fine.

Shens, how the hell did you get an external hard drive cable to work with a printer?

hahahahahahahahahah

oh man.

this is great.

hahahahahahaha
 

So

Lifer
Jul 2, 2001
25,923
17
81
Originally posted by: waggy
Originally posted by: rudder
Originally posted by: Sphexi
I have plenty of USB cables kicking around from other devices, I'm using an external harddrive cable on my PSC1210 right now, works fine.

Shens, how the hell did you get an external hard drive cable to work with a printer?

hahahahahahahahahah

oh man.

this is great.

hahahahahahaha

:laugh:
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
Originally posted by: cobalt
Mine came with a USB cable... But that might be because it's a combo fax/printer/scanner/coppier. :eek:

so did i. But then i also wanted a USB printer. I had my Samsung laser printer hooked up with the printer cable. So i made sure my HP PSC 2110xi was USB. jus twish i would would have gotten one with a fax machine.

But i got a HP laserjet 5si (for $15!WOOT!) wich is a network printer so i now have a free printer port! yeah!


My father closed up a small car dealership he owned in town. They had a really nice HP all in one laser machine. Really really nice. hopeing he will give it me for cheap!
 

Cobalt

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2000
4,642
1
81
Originally posted by: waggy
Originally posted by: cobalt
Mine came with a USB cable... But that might be because it's a combo fax/printer/scanner/coppier. :eek:

so did i. But then i also wanted a USB printer. I had my Samsung laser printer hooked up with the printer cable. So i made sure my HP PSC 2110xi was USB. jus twish i would would have gotten one with a fax machine.

But i got a HP laserjet 5si (for $15!WOOT!) wich is a network printer so i now have a free printer port! yeah!


My father closed up a small car dealership he owned in town. They had a really nice HP all in one laser machine. Really really nice. hopeing he will give it me for cheap!

I have the HP PSC 2210 all-in-one. :)