Do you have an old printer which uses parallel port but you need to connect it to your new notebook which doesn’t have a parallel port but USB ports? Here are two solutions.

First, if you are lucky, most of the printers actually have a standard 36-pin Centronics parallel port on the circuit board, what you need to do is just to get a very common USB to Parallel printer cable (USB to C36 Parallel Male) and replace the old cable; it may work on most printers.

Second, here comes the problem if the port at the printer is a 36-pin mini Centronics parallel port. A standard USB to Parallel printer cable won’t help. You cannot connect it because the port on the printer is smaller. This usually happens on HP (Hewlett Packard) old printer. I have encountered HP LaserJet 1100 which has this problem.

I went to a shop selling HP products looking for mini Centronics cable, the boss gave me six words, “Don’t waste money, it won’t work!” He also suggested me to get a new printer. How am I going to tell my customer? I continued to look for other solutions and understand that the mini Centronics port is uncommon. My suppliers also told me there is no solution. I tried my luck at a computer shop which I seldom step my foot into because the IT parts are very expensive there, but I have got a solution. There is no need to waste time to order the mini Centronics cable /adapter and wait for it to arrive. I have got a “common-and-not-difficult-to-find-thing” to solve the problem.

The easiest solution is to get a USB to 25-pin Parallel female cable (USB to DB25F). DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR OLD CABLE, but join the old cable and the new cable together. I have tested it and it works successfully on HP LaserJet 1100. This method makes the printer cable longer.

There are many other solutions such as using a Centronics to mini Centronics adapter, but you may not find them in the market easily, as I said earlier that the mini Centronics port is not common. I guess only the older HP printers were using it. From what I read from forums, the printer may fail to work if it is using this type of adapter.

If you have tried all possible solutions but your printer is still not working because of driver problems or other issues, I suggest you to get a new printer with USB port. Hehe… :p