IEEE 1284 Experts. You will find a detailed technical introduction to the standard, review a growing list of products that support the new protocols and learn more about the ongoing standards activities of the IEEE 1284.x working groups.
The Extended Capability Port, or ECP, protocol was proposed by Hewlett Packard and Microsoft as an advanced mode for communication with printer and scanner type peripherals.
As technology progressed and the need for greater external connectivity increased, the parallel port became the means by which you could connect higher performance peripherals.