Can I use a Serial to USB or Parallel to USB adapter with my Star Micronics printer?

As a top manufacturer of POS printers, Star Micronics offers support for Serial, Parallel, USB, Powered USB, and Ethernet printing*. However, it’s important to note that we cannot provide support for the use of adapters with our printers for two main reasons. Firstly, there are no clearly defined standards for creating adapters that convert one type of connection to another. Secondly, there are too many adapter manufacturers in the market for us to test every one of them.

To ensure that your printer operates properly and at the correct speed, we strongly recommend that you use the appropriate cable. We have taken steps to make it easier for end-users to connect their printers by designing many of our printer models to support swappable interfaces. This means that users can purchase just the interface they need, in case they wish to change connections in the future. Moreover, Star Micronics has partnered with reliable distribution partners that carry all connection cables for our printers.

If you’re using a serial POS printer, you’ll need a specific printer serial cable for communication. This cable is usually not sold in general hardware stores, but you can easily get it from an approved Star Micronics Distributor. On the other hand, parallel printers require a Centronics Parallel cable for communication. Unlike serial cables, these cables can typically be found in general hardware stores or obtained from an approved Star Micronics Distributor.

*To determine which interfaces your printer model supports, please refer to its specifications.