Parallel port/interface refers to a standard 25 pin (D25) connector found on most (if not all) PCs, commonly used for connecting a printer.

A standard parallel port transmits 8 data bits at a time, as opposed to a serial port which transmits data one bit at a time.

Due to the speed advantage (up to around 150KBps a second) over the serial port, parallel ports are commonly used for printers and even small networks.

ECP (Extended Capability Port) and EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port) are both implementations of the parallel standard, they both offer faster data transfer (up to 2Mb/sec) and are commonly supported in modern PCs.

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