Making printers with USB ports was the best thing the manufacturers did before the advent of wireless printers. Even in these days of digital, we still need hard copies of some things! Some people may not have wi-fi access, but need to use their printer, and should be able to do so. Printers these days are usually equipped with wi-fi capabilities, as well as a USB printer cable. Occasionally, you lose a file in cyberspace, which doesn't happen with a USB port. But I still connect with a USB cable if I don't want my printed material to go over the wireless for some reason. Some new printers now connect through USB 3.0 ports.Īnd the wireless feature is crucial if you want to print from a phone or tablet.
If the operating system doesn't locate the driver automatically, it can usually be installed from a CD that comes with the printer, or downloaded from the manufacturer's Internet site.
If it isn't, a driver will have to be installed: this is a small piece of software that co-ordinates an operating system and a hardware device. In most cases, a printer connected via a USB printer port will be automatically recognized by the computer's operating system. While this set-up works for most printers, it usually isn't suitable for some other devices that can be connected to a parallel port, such as a scanner. This means a standard parallel cable is still needed, running from the printer to the adaptor. It's important to note this is a female socket rather than a male plug. This is usually in the form of a cable which has a USB plug at one end and a 15-pin socket at the other. In set-ups with an older printer that does not have a USB socket, and a computer which does not have a parallel port, an adaptor can be used. While USB cables can power some devices directly from the PC, this usually isn't the case with a USB printer port. The cable is usually a standard USB plug, known as type A, at the computer end, with a square USB plug, known as type B, at the printer end. This name is used simply for identifying the particular USB port being used, rather than it being a special design. Most new printers instead work through a USB printer port.