Printers are connected to salespoints in one of three ways: over a network, by a direct serial connection (USB, FireWire, etc.) or by a direct parallel connection. When connected over a network, the driver is installed on the computer that is used to connect the device to the network and on the computer (salespoint) that is outputting to the device. When the device is connected directly to the computer (salespoint) that is outputting to the device, the driver is installed only on the computer (salespoint).

 

Note: In some cases the device is “network ready,” which means that it connects directly to the network without the need for an intermediary computer. In these cases the driver is installed only on the computer (salespoint) accessing the device over the network.