A magnetic-stripe card, with an associated card-reader, provides the apparatus supporting a method to change the configuration of a printer, scanner, or, other peripheral device in a stand alone environment or in a networked environment. A network may be defined as “two or more devices communicating”. The method comprises programming the card with selected configuration data, such as character-font selection, serial baud-rate, or, in the case of a scanner, document-rotate, auto-stamp, scan-resolution, duplex-scan ON/OFF, and other parameters. The card may be swiped at a slot in the peripheral device directly, or through a portable reader, or, even from a reader permanently connected within a LAN. Data on the card alerts the device to be reconfigured of its intent by way of resident utility software on the device, and, within the host, if present. When the transaction is accepted, the data is transmitted to the selected device to rewrite selected configuration parameters. Another very useful feature of this method would be the operator's ability, with his or her own personal magstripe card to “customize” the device to his or her preferences, even to disable the device to other operators. The magnetic swipe-card's limited data space is well suited to the small amount of data required for configuration changes, since many of the configuration parameters are only 1 or 2 bits wide.