5 Best Printers With Parallel Port
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Key notes
- Printers that are designed with a parallel port are very rare nowadays due to the newer connectivity standards from the industry.
- In this article, we will guide you to find the best printer with the old parallel port you can buy on the market.
- Whenever you want to get new hardware or software, check our Buying Guides to find the best deals.
- If you need more printer information, visit our Printers Hub for other similar tutorials.
In computing, a parallel port is a type of interface used to connect peripheral devices, like printers. Here is how the interface looks like:
The parallel port was introduced in the 1970s by Centronics Data Computer Corporation and was the standard for printers before USB.
Prior to the USB standard, the computer’s motherboards were built with parallel ports for printers and other devices.
Fortunately, even if the parallel interface has become obsolete, you can still find printers with this connection type in today’s market.
What are the best printers with a parallel port?
Epson Stylus C88+
- High image quality
- Individual ink cartridges systems, replace only the one you need
- Auto-switch between interfaces
- The average amount of space for paper in the tray
Epson Stylus C88+ is an inkjet color printer, that can print borderless photos at a maximum resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi.
You can print up to 23 ppm (page per minute) for black & white pages and up to 14 ppm for color. Furthermore, the input paper tray holds put up to 120 sheets at a maximum paper size of 8.5×14 inches.
With Epson Stylus C88+ to is possible to connect 2 computers at the same time, one using the parallel port and the other to the USB port.
This color printer, small and compact, is the best option for use at home, with an older PC and even with a newer one.
Epson LX-350
- Compact design that fits on any desk
- Highly resistant to dust and humidity
- Low power consumption
- Compatible only with Windows OS
Epson LX-350 is ideal for front and back office environments needing continuous paper or multi-part stationery.
With this printer, you get speeds up to 347 cps (characters per second), allowing you to print bulk amounts of documents in a short time interval. It has a work capacity without failure for up to 10.000 hours, making it very reliable.
If you need a durable printer, easy to integrate with your system, Epson LX-350 is a great choice.
Zebra ZD500t
- Prints 6 inches/second at 203 dpi
- Best for large companies
- Compact design
- More expensive
Zebra ZD500t is another great thermal printer, used for labels, that comes with additional connectivity options.
It works exactly like its sibling, Zebra GX430t, but you can integrate it on your network due to its ethernet port. This is a great feature because multiple users can print labels at the same time.
Except for the ethernet port, it also has a display which gives you some additional configuration options directly from the printer.
If you think that in a near future you’ll connect the printer to your enterprise systems, Zebra ZD500t is the best printer for labels that you can buy.
Lexmark MS310dn
- Compatible with all popular OS
- 800 pages in the input tray
- Great resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi
- No Ethernet or Wi-Fi technology
The Lexmark MS310DN printer is an affordable monochrome laser printer that has a lot to offer.
As for print speed, you can print up to 35 ppm thanks to the fast dual-core 800 MHz processor. It is also guaranteed to print 2500 pages per month without breaking.
If you need a printer for your small office, MS310dn is a great candidate because it creates high-quality prints.
Zebra GX430t
- Prints 4 inches/second at 300 dpi
- Low running costs
- Compatible with Windows and Mac
- Limited to printing labels and small items
Zebra GX430t is a monochrome printer used for printing labels, barcodes, receipts, and wristbands.
The printer uses thermal transfer technology, which means that you don’t have to install a toner because it doesn’t use ink to print. It uses a ribbon of either resin or wax, making the cost of printing almost zero.
Due to its small size, it is compatible with media rolls that have a one-inch core, a maximum diameter of 5 inches, and a maximum width of 4.25 inches.
If you want to create labels only, then this printer is one of the best with a parallel port.
The parallel port interface has almost completely been replaced by the newer communication standards like USB, ethernet or Wi-Fi.
However, if you have an older device, this guide will certainly help you to buy a printer that suits your needs.
If you have any suggestions don’t hesitate to contact us by using the comment section below.
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