A recent Texas Instruments insert in an engineering magazine describes the SN65HVS882 chip that can accept eight parallel inputs and serialize the digital information for an MCU's SPI port. Nothing ...
This converter may help if just the serial port on a personal computer is free, whereas the printer needs a parallel (Centronics) port. It converts a serial 2400 baud signal into a parallel signal.
This is just a general question. I know, obviously, that there are RS-232 "serial ports" and IEEE 1284/Centronix ports "parallel ports," and that these are "digital" connections. Then you have things ...