Well, the answer is yes and no
It depends on what you are plugging into.
If you are plugging into a switch , hub or router, it will AUTONEGOTIATE, and flip the pairs internally, looking for a link.
If you are using a single cable from laptop to printer PERHAPS
it depends on the device, the driver and the firmware
You will know, if you are HALF WAY THERE if you get a link light when you plug in
Then you get to fight the "unidentified network" battle (windows 7, 8 & 10)
You will not communicate UNLESS the pc is satisfied you are on a recognized network
To get around this, set a static ip on the printer, and set the ethernet on the laptop to the same subnet
IE: laptop 192.168.0.10
Subnet 255.255.255.0. (Always set subnet to this, unless you understand binary math)
No gateway needed
Printer 192.168.0.15
Subnet 255.255.255.0
No gateway needed
At this point, if you open a command prompt & ping 192.168.0.15 you should send 4 packets & GET FOUR REPLIES, no lost packets
You are ready to put that ip in your rip and start printing