The cable you need depends on the unit. I am not aware of a C171a model from Epson. I have seen it listed as a version of the RX500. In that case you need a USB cable with A/B male ends.
Otherwise, most printers (from about 1997 on) will use a USB cable. This has two male ends - a square end goes into the printer and a rectangular end that goes to the computer (called A/B). For older printers (there may be multiple ports or just one), you may see a parallel port (the cable has a wide rectangular plug on both sides with 36 pins) or serial port (the cable may have DB9 (9 pin), DB25 (25 pin) or both). Often it is called a RS-232 port. For a parallel port connection, you would need one that is designed for scanners and bi-directional communication (USB to parallel adapters are available to connect this to a new computer but you still need the bi-directional version). Similarly, USB to serial adapters are available.
Generally you can tell what cable you need by looking at the back of the unit where the ports are. (Although some all-in ones have the USB cables in other places - routed through the side of the unit but the plug is near where the ink cartridges go.) Then the size and pin counts for parallel or serial tell you what cable to get. There is usually a symbol indicating the cable type as well near each port. USB cables are usually indicated by a tree like symbol with curved branches.
I hope this helps.
Cindy Wells
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