Printer Communications

Computers and their peripheral devices, such as printers, scanners, etc., communicate with each other using a variety of different communication methods.  For each of these there is a distinct kind of physical setup which can usually be identified by the shape of the connectors at the ends of the connecting wires and the ‘ports’ on the devices being connected.  Cognitive offers a full communication connectivity suite with both Cxi & Ci printer models, and we can use the figure below to identify them.

1. Ethernet:  Most computer networks, including local-area networks such as the one in your office and home, use this kind of connection to tie together all the computers and printers on the network.  Every device on the network has an address which other devices can use to send messages to it.  The advantage of using a network connection is that the C-Series printer can be used by any number of computers on the network.

2. USB-B (Device):  USB, or Universal Serial Bus, is a high-speed connection used to form one-to-one connections between computers and peripheral devices.  There are a few different connectors in the USB family.  A ‘B’ connector such as this is used on the ‘device-side’ of a USB line, while the ‘host-side’ connection, usually a PC, has a slightly different shape (see below).  A ‘B’ connector on a device tells you that the device will be ‘owned’ or ‘used by’ the other device.  Your PC will use your printer.  The advantage of USB is that it provides very fast communication directly to a computer without the need for a network.

3. USB-A (Host): USB-A has the same characteristics as USB-B; but when you use the ‘A’ port you are indicating that, of the two devices being connected, the printer is the host.   A C-Series printer can host USB devices such as keyboards, keypads, and flash drives.  You can use a keyboard connected directly to the printer to tell it what to print, and you can use a flash drive to upgrade the printer’s software.

4. Serial & Parallel:  Serial and Parallel connections are available on most systems, including older printers.  For integration into existing systems with legacy hardware, you can usually rely on serial and parallel connections where networks and USB hardware are unavailable.  This port requires a Cognitive specific custom serial cable or parallel cable.  For more information, refer to the consumables guide accessories section located at: add link to C-Series software & downloads main page

5. Wireless (802.11x): C-Series printers support the most common kind of wireless network, known as 802.11 (not pictured).  This is the same wireless standard which you are probably familiar with from work, home, and the coffee shop down the street.  It is a wireless ‘version’ of the traditional local-area network which uses wires.  Using 802.11 allows the C-Series printer to be highly mobile even while it’s used by multiple PCs anywhere on the network.  The wireless receiver/transmitter is hidden inside the printer’s casing.

Bluetooth:  C-Series printers support Bluetooth which is another form of wireless connection (not pictured).  Bluetooth usage resembles USB and serial connections in that it is used to form one-to-one connections between two devices, rather than the many-to-many connections of networks.  Bluetooth is commonly used to connect computers with wireless keyboards, wireless mice, and wireless PDAs.  The C-Series printer can use Bluetooth to receive printing jobs from barcode scanners and PDAs, and even PDAs with built-in scanners, in highly mobile applications such as warehousing and shipping.  The Bluetooth wireless receiver/transmitter is hidden inside the printer’s casing.