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Review on πŸ–¨οΈ C2G USB to Parallel Printer Cable with DB25 Adapter - Connect Printers to Computer USB Ports - 6ft Cable with Durable Molded Connectors - Model 16899 by Mike Malvo

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Works with iMac and HP Laserjet 4L

I recently switched from PC to iMac. The transition wasn't as smooth as I had hoped. It took me a while to get used to the iMac, and while I really like it for the most part, I still find my iMac freezes and crashes almost as often as my PC - mostly when I have 4-5 programs open and the internet goes at the same time. A little disappointing. However, I like the iMac in general. And there's one thing I love about the iMac. You can plug almost anything into it, and in my experience the computer will almost always recognize it immediately. Here's what happened to my old printer and this cable. When I switched to an iMac, I found that my old HP LaserJet 4L workhorse wouldn't connect to my new iMac because the iMac didn't have a parallel printer port and the printer didn't have a USB port to connect to. So my old printer sat idle for 5 months while I exclusively used my inkjet printer and debated whether to ditch the laserjet and buy something new. Then a friend told me that there are cables that can connect. So I checked here at Revain and indeed there were a few options. I read a few reviews and decided on this cable as another reviewer went through pretty much the same situation I did and got it to work with his iMac. When I received this jumper cable, I plugged it into the end of the printer cable (note: this jumper cable does not plug directly into your printer, you must plug it into the end of the printer cable, which I'm fine with because it adds extra length). On the advice of another reviewer, I plugged the new USB end of this cable directly into the back of the iMac (rather than plugging it into the USB hub I have). And nothing dramatic happened. No window would appear on the iMac telling me a new printer was installed or found or anything like that. crap, I thought. It did not work. I looked at the instructions that came with the cable and there are NO instructions for using this cable with a Mac. There are only instructions for Vista. So now I'm thinking that either this thing doesn't work with the Mac after all, or I need to go online and find a driver, etc. But then, out of curiosity, I opened System Preferences. on an iMac and looked at a replica printer. Surprisingly, my HP 4L was there. Wow, I thought, the iMac didn't tell me anything, just discreetly plugged in my 4L, done. In fact, I opened a Word document and tried to print it with a laserjet and it worked like magic. So I no longer have to throw away my old HP LaserJet 4L. For the $17 I paid for this cable, it was worth it!

Pros
  • GOLS certified
Cons
  • Annoys