I'm going to replace my current USB A to USB B printer cable because it may have problems (long story). I'm willing to spend some money if it results in a quality cable. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I don't think you can really go wrong with something like Amazon Basics. But, if you want a brand, Belkin is good.

In another thread, joemike "talked down" on the quality of Amazon Basics products.

Anker, which is sold exclusively on Amazon, is frequently mentioned as a good brand.

I looked at Anker's website and, apparently, they don't offer printer cables. They have all sorts of connections (USB A to USB C, for example) but not the one that I need.

Actually, for a printer cable, Amazon Basics is as good as any and better than most.

Thanks for clarifying that.

I guess their quality lessens when there's circuitry involved.

I just ordered this Tripplite cable I'll post back after I get it and use it for awhile to see if there is any difference.

The difference is USB type B connectors are only used for USB 3.0 and 3.1 protocols. That means the maximum data rate is 10Gbps or less. This relatively low speed means much less RF radiation, greatly reduced sensitivity to external factors, and substantially reduced necessity for high-quality engineering, materials, and manufacturing to produce satisfactory results.

When you start dealing with USB C connectors (USB 3.2 (20Gbps) and particularly Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps)) high-quality engineering, materials, and manufacturing (a.k.a. substantially more expensive) becomes essential to obtaining satisfactory results. With cables of all kinds, as in most things, you get what you pay for.

I have been using the Tripplite cable for over two weeks and my problem has not recurred (fingers crossed). With the old cable, the printer would be taken offline at unpredictable intervals. The only workaround was to unplug the cable from the Apple wired keyboard (old style with plastic keys) and plug it in again. This is an uncontrolled experiment, however. When I received the new 6-foot cable (which I had thought was long enough), I found that it didn't reach the keyboard. I had neglected to measure the length of the old cable, which is 10 feet.

Fortunately, the new cable was able to reach my Tripplite USB hub. At this point, I don't know if the issue was with the cable or the USB connector on the keyboard. Another observation is that dropouts from my Thunderbolt-connected external drives (plugged directly into the iMac, not into a hub) seemed to have stopped. Coincidentally, the acquisition of the new cable occurred at the same time that I installed the Supplemental 10.5.6 Update (probably irrelevant).

At any rate, everything seems to be working well (and I hope that I haven't spoken too soon).

It has now been six weeks since I installed the Tripplite cable and the problem has not recurred. I can confidently assume that issue is resolved.