Replace 20 year old printer cable with more modern one?

L

Laramie

Registered User
Messages
531
We have a 20 year old PC in the house with a 20 year old Epson printer attached. We cannot seem to print from the internet anymore for some reason through the old PC.
We also have modern laptops and WiFi in the house. We want to effectively make partly redundant the 20 year old PC and attach our laptops to the old Epson printer. (PC still useful for Word documents). The problem is we have a 20 year old cable going from the printer that cannot plug in to the laptops.
Is there a new cable that I can purchase that will have a USB port at one end and the old fashioned chunky bit at the other end? Or is there some sort of device that I can plug in to the old printer and then get a double ended cable with USB ports at both ends that can in turn plug in to it?
I don't want to spend much money on this.
 
I'd probably get rid of the printer as you can buy a new inkjet for around 50 euro.
Your 20yr old Epson has in all likelyhood only a parallel port IEEE1284 interface, which are usually no longer available on computers manufactured in the say last 10 years or so, as USB pretty much made it redundant.
Anyway, if you don't want to dump the old printer there are interface converters available for reasonable small money like this one at amazon that you could use.

A small warning though that there is a risk that it might get tricky to get those converters working with the Vista's, Windows 7+8's - make sure you double check the product description.
 
Last edited:
Better still get a Wifi enable printer (approx €100-€200) and then you have no need for any cables. I would also get rid of the 20 year old PC. Keeping the PC for Word documents makes no sense. If you don't have Microsoft Office on your laptop you can get a Student Edition for approx €100.
 
Guns N Roses said:
Better still get a Wifi enable printer (approx €100-€200) and then you have no need for any cables. I would also get rid of the 20 year old PC. Keeping the PC for Word documents makes no sense. If you don't have Microsoft Office on your laptop you can get a Student Edition for approx €100.
Click to expand...

+1 for the Wifi printer. I set it up earlier this summer and it works a treat. We can now print from anywhere in the house and from any device!
 
www.cartridgegreen.ie

I got a wifi printer and unlimited ink for a year at this place. Another option is ink refills 5 euro for life. Ive already used up about 50 euro worth of ink and am going to call in and get another ''free'' refill. It's got to be better than buying a not that cheap printer and forever expensive ink elsewhere.
 
newirishman said:
... Anyway, if you don't want to dump the old printer there are interface converters available for reasonable small money like this one at amazon that you could use.

A small warning though that there is a risk that it might get tricky to get those converters working with the Vista's, Windows 7+8's - make sure you double check the product description.
Click to expand...
+1 on the above. Another issue you may face is getting compatible printer "driver" software for a more modern version of Windows than you have installed on the old PC
 
Thanks. I also have a more modern printer but the same problem in reverse, it won't work with the old PC. I have 20 years of everything in the memory of my old PC so I think I will just move it to a corner together with it's old companion and only use it if I have to access "that" letter that I wrote in 1995 to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council that I am still waiting for a reply to.
 
Laramie said:
Is there a new cable that I can purchase that will have a USB port at one end and the old fashioned chunky bit at the other end? Or is there some sort of device that I can plug in to the old printer and then get a double ended cable with USB ports at both ends that can in turn plug in to it?
I don't want to spend much money on this.
Click to expand...
A Parallel to USB cable might do what you need, available from ebay (£4.19 delivered) and [broken link removed] ($4.16 delivered) amongst others.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top