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View Full Version : question about usb vs ethernet interface on an hp printer

howdy
24 Feb 2006, 02:59am
hi

i just bought an hp laserjet 3800n which can be connected via upto usb 2 (but cable not included) or ethernet (which i do have a cat6 cable available) , but onthe manual, it says to ensure that the network cable is hp compliant!! what is that? r they referring to regular ethernet cable or that's just their marketing verbage to confuse people? also, between usb 2 interface and ethernet, which connection would be faster or it'd not be relevant because the max print speed for this is up to 22 ppm only; i have looked around but i get different terminology which is so confusing and frustrating; some sites even say that the printer by default comes with a usb 2 cable (which it did not)

please help shed some light

thank u
primesuspect
24 Feb 2006, 03:31am
The "HP compliant" network cable thing is BS. Any ethernet cable will work.

They are not really any faster or slower - the ethernet connection is desirable if you want to share the printer with multiple computers since the printer has a built in print server. If you only have one computer printing to the machine, use the USB.
RWB
24 Feb 2006, 03:31am
Never used a printer that uses ethernet cables, but I'd figure being a printer either USB or a regular ethernet cable should suffice just fine.
howdy
24 Feb 2006, 04:05am
The "HP compliant" network cable thing is BS. Any ethernet cable will work.

They are not really any faster or slower - the ethernet connection is desirable if you want to share the printer with multiple computers since the printer has a built in print server. If you only have one computer printing to the machine, use the USB.

oh ok so basically it's just taking up a port in my router like a pc does, that's all; i have only used hp printers that r the basic models with parallel port and network them as tag along shared resource wtih the pc it's attached to; so this is new for me but it sounds logical enough

thank you guys for responding
tmh88
24 Feb 2006, 04:42am
Either way itl be fine. Dont know which would be faster, but its not like you'd notice the difference. It would be like a few millionths of a second difference between the two probably. I just made that up, but yea you wouldnt see a difference