Connecting printer: usb or parallel

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I have the option of connecting my epson C84 printer to my new Dell 4700
hundred either parallel or USB. Which is preferable and why?
 
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Either works. USB is marginally faster. I usually decide depending on
whether I need the USB port or not. If I do, then I use parallel. If I
don't, then disable the parallel port and use USB



<shayne@cyburban.com> wrote in message
news:9vchi19oi6bq1b59f8igbssr9b2hqu3s88@4ax.com...
>I have the option of connecting my epson C84 printer to my new Dell 4700
> hundred either parallel or USB. Which is preferable and why?
 
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"Tom Scales" <tomtoo@softhome.net> wrote in message
news:Td3We.69235$p_1.55355@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
> Either works. USB is marginally faster. I usually decide depending on
> whether I need the USB port or not. If I do, then I use parallel. If I
> don't, then disable the parallel port and use USB
>


In addition, installing the unit USB will give you 'hot plugging'
capabilities that parallel will not.
 
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S.Lewis wrote:

<<snipped>>

> In addition, installing the unit USB will give you 'hot plugging'
> capabilities that parallel will not.


A parallel printer can be "hot-swapped" or "hot-plugged".
However, the printers should be off-line or powered off
when switching them around. Remember the parallel port
switchers of days past?
 
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"Mistoffolees" <mistyfac01@danang.rvn> wrote in message
news:11ii6tj84oviq93@news.supernews.com...
>
> S.Lewis wrote:
>
> <<snipped>>
>
>> In addition, installing the unit USB will give you 'hot plugging'
>> capabilities that parallel will not.
>
>
> A parallel printer can be "hot-swapped" or "hot-plugged".
> However, the printers should be off-line or powered off
> when switching them around. Remember the parallel port
> switchers of days past?
>


Not unlike KVM switches or the like? Honestly never used one.

I guess I've just gotten lazy to the point that I like XP notifying me when
recognizing a hot-plugged USB device....

Never tried it with a (previously installed) LPT model.


Stew
 
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shayne@cyburban.com wrote:
>I have the option of connecting my epson C84 printer to my new Dell 4700
>hundred either parallel or USB. Which is preferable and why?

Go with USB, easier interface, hot-plugging, faster, usually much less
trouble. Just follow the instructions carefully, sometimes you must
install the driver disk before connecting the printer (for instance).
 
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"William P. N. Smith" wrote:
>
> shayne@cyburban.com wrote:
> >I have the option of connecting my epson C84 printer to my new Dell 4700
> >hundred either parallel or USB. Which is preferable and why?
>
> Go with USB, easier interface, hot-plugging, faster, usually much less
> trouble. Just follow the instructions carefully, sometimes you must
> install the driver disk before connecting the printer (for instance).

While USB is, theoretically, faster than parallel, I'm not sure the
speed increase would ever be reflected in printing.

Notan
 
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shayne@cyburban.com wrote in news:9vchi19oi6bq1b59f8igbssr9b2hqu3s88@
4ax.com:

> I have the option of connecting my epson C84 printer to my new Dell 4700
> hundred either parallel or USB. Which is preferable and why?


If the PC and the printer both have parallel ports, I prefer to use
parallel just to free up the USB ports.

Lots of things these days will want a USB port, but only the printer (or
maybe an old ZIP drive or really ancient tape backup) will use the parallel
port.

- FM -
 
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Well, maybe the very fastest printers benefit from the bigger faster USB data
pipeline, but your run-of-the-mill sub-$100 inkjet generally goes no faster.

The very fastest printers tend to be networked (Ethernet) for better sharing,
anyway... Ben Myers

On Thu, 15 Sep 2005 07:13:03 -0600, Notan <notan@ddress.com> wrote:

>"William P. N. Smith" wrote:
>>
>> shayne@cyburban.com wrote:
>> >I have the option of connecting my epson C84 printer to my new Dell 4700
>> >hundred either parallel or USB. Which is preferable and why?
>>
>> Go with USB, easier interface, hot-plugging, faster, usually much less
>> trouble. Just follow the instructions carefully, sometimes you must
>> install the driver disk before connecting the printer (for instance).
>
>While USB is, theoretically, faster than parallel, I'm not sure the
>speed increase would ever be reflected in printing.
>
>Notan
 
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"maybe an old ZIP drive or really ancient tape backup will use the parallel
port." Ouch! Wash your mouth out with soap! Those atrocious devices often
never worked right to begin with. :) ... Ben Myers

On Thu, 15 Sep 2005 11:14:21 -0500, Fred Mau <fred-dot-mau@comcast.net> wrote:

>shayne@cyburban.com wrote in news:9vchi19oi6bq1b59f8igbssr9b2hqu3s88@
>4ax.com:
>
>> I have the option of connecting my epson C84 printer to my new Dell 4700
>> hundred either parallel or USB. Which is preferable and why?
>
>
>If the PC and the printer both have parallel ports, I prefer to use
>parallel just to free up the USB ports.
>
>Lots of things these days will want a USB port, but only the printer (or
>maybe an old ZIP drive or really ancient tape backup) will use the parallel
>port.
>
> - FM -
 
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ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers) wrote in
news:4329ae6f.17069191@nntp.charter.net:

> "maybe an old ZIP drive or really ancient tape backup will use the
> parallel port." Ouch! Wash your mouth out with soap! Those
> atrocious devices often never worked right to begin with. :) ...
> Ben Myers


True, quite true.

But I see a lot of old colorado tape units come through the local
dismantler, which tells me a lot of places are only just now getting around
to discarding them. Or maybe they've been sitting unused for the last 10
years and they're getting tired of looking at them.

I don't think I've used a Colorado parallel port backup myself since the
OTHER George Bush was president.

- FM -
 
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Maybe the Dept of Homeland Security needs some of the Colorado parallel tape
drives to modernize its operation. I hear that a large shipment abacuses just
arrived there... Ben Myers

On Thu, 15 Sep 2005 13:20:20 -0500, Fred Mau <fred-dot-mau@comcast.net> wrote:

>ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers) wrote in
>news:4329ae6f.17069191@nntp.charter.net:
>
>> "maybe an old ZIP drive or really ancient tape backup will use the
>> parallel port." Ouch! Wash your mouth out with soap! Those
>> atrocious devices often never worked right to begin with. :) ...
>> Ben Myers
>
>
>True, quite true.
>
>But I see a lot of old colorado tape units come through the local
>dismantler, which tells me a lot of places are only just now getting around
>to discarding them. Or maybe they've been sitting unused for the last 10
>years and they're getting tired of looking at them.
>
>I don't think I've used a Colorado parallel port backup myself since the
>OTHER George Bush was president.
>
> - FM -
 
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ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers) wrote in
news:4329e4b7.964603@nntp.charter.net:

> Maybe the Dept of Homeland Security needs some of the Colorado
> parallel tape drives to modernize its operation. I hear that a large
> shipment abacuses just arrived there... Ben Myers


You're actually not too far off - a lot of the surplus I see around here
comes from USDA and US Forestry Service. Last year I picked up an old Data
General Model 1 laptop (circa '85 or so) that judging by the timestamps had
been used by the forestry service as recently as '04.

And no one will ever accuse the USDA of wasting money on IT resources. The
reason they can't keep track of Mad Cow and E Coli is that they're probably
waiting on an update to their CP/M VisiCalc software. Yesterday I saw a
KayPro - A KAYPRO - that had a USDA inventory # on it.

On the other hand, the biggest wasters of IT money seem to be Hospitals.
I've recently picked up some hospital-surplus Dell and NEC flat panel
displays for $20 each that had absolutely nothing wrong with them. And
those PowerEdge servers that I've been buying the hard drive cages for,
came from hospitals. At least the hospitals have the common sense to
destroy the hard drives - which the Feds seem to lack - I just wish they'd
leave the cages and/or rails.

- FM -
 
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