How to Network Printer Sharing | Electrical Academia

This lesson will provide an introduction on How to implement Network Printing. Examples of how to share printers and connect to shared printers are described.

Networking Printing

Sharing printers is a huge savings of money and resources for businesses and home users alike. There are three common ways to share a printer:

1. Share a locally hosted printer over the network
2. Directly connect to printers shared over the network
3. Connect to a server or print server sharing printers over the network

Using 802.11 and Bluetooth standards, hosts can connect to wireless printers. For wireless printers to use Bluetooth, both devices must have Bluetooth capabilities and be paired. These wireless printers have pre-installed wireless NICs that are configured to connect to an access point or a wireless router. Some wireless printers allow for printing from mobile devices.

Print Servers

A print server is a hardware or software device that connects printers to client computers over a network enabling numerous users to access a single printer. A print server has three functions:

1. Provide clients access to print resources

2. Manage print jobs stored in their queue until the printer is ready for them and then spooling the print information to the printer

3. Provide feedback to users

Hardware print servers are devices, not computers, that physically connect to printers that do not have built-in network capabilities. The printer is hardwired to the print server that then shares the printer over the network.

Software print servers are computers that have built-in software, making them capable of sharing printers over the network. This is the most common type of print server.

Sharing a Printer in Windows XP

To share a printer in Windows XP, file and print sharing must first be enabled. It can be accessed from the general tab on the local area connection:

1. Click Start > My Network Places > View Network Connection in the left column >right- click on the Local Area Connection icon > Properties
2. Under the General tab, check File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks > OK
3. Note: A reboot may be required

Once this is turned on, the printer can be shared by right-clicking on the printer and selecting share this printer:

1. Click Start > Control Panel > Printers and Other Hardware > Printers and Faxes
2. Select the printer to share
3. Select Share this printer
4. Select Share this printer from the Sharing tab, and enter the printer’s name
5. To verify that sharing was successful, look for a “hand” under the printer icon in the Printers and Faxes folder. The “hand” indicates is a shared resource.

Figure 1: Screen displays how to enable File and Printer Sharing

Sharing a Printer in Windows Vista

To share printers in Windows Vista, double check that file and print sharing is enabled:

Click Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings
Expand the Home or Work network profile
If printer sharing is off, go to File and printer sharing, select Turn on file and printer sharing, and then click Save changes
Note: It should be enabled by default.

A computer can then be configured to accept print jobs to a local printer:

Click Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Printers
Right-click the printer to share and choose Sharing – The Printer Properties dialog box will open
Select Share this printer, and enter the printer name
To verify that sharing was successful, go to the Printers window and verify the printer has a share icon under it, indicating that it is a shared resource

Sharing a Printer in Windows 7

File and print sharing is also turned on by default Windows 7, but it’s a good idea to double check.

Click Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings
Expand the Home or Work network profile
If printer sharing is off, go to File and printer sharing, select Turn on file and printer sharing, and then select Save changes

A computer can then be configured to accept print jobs to a local printer:

Select Start > Devices and Printers
Right-click the printer to share and choose Printer Properties (the Printer Properties dialog box opens)
On the Sharing tab, select Share this printer and enter the name of the shared printer
Select Render print jobs of client computers to have client process the print job instead of the print server (local computer)
Select List in the directory to make it easier for users to locate and install printers
Click OK
To verify that sharing was successful, go to the Devices and Printers window and verify that the printer has a share icon under it, which indicates it is a shared resource

Connecting To a Shared Printer in Windows XP

To connect to a shared printer in Windows XP, follow these steps:

Click Start > Control Panel > Printers and Faxes > Add a Printer
The Add Printer wizard appears > Click Next
Select a printer attached to another computer or a network printer
When the Specify a Printer wizard opens
1. Select Browse for the printer to search for a printer
2. Choose Connect to this printer and type the name of the printer to specify a printer by name
3. Select Connect to a printer on the Internet or on a home or office network and type the location of the printer in the URL box to specify a printer by location
After selecting the printer, click Next
Set the printer as the default printer, and test it > Click Finish
Printer appears in the Printers and Faxes window

Connecting To a Shared Printer in Windows Vista and 7

To connect to a shared printer in Windows Vista or Windows 7, follow these steps:

Click Start > Devices and Printers > Add a Printer
When the Add Printer wizard opens, select Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer
Select the printer from the list of shared printers > click Next
Give the printer a name > click Next
Set the printer as the default printer, test it, and obtain additional drivers > click Finish
The new printer is displayed and ready to use

Additional Printer Drivers

Users who connect to a shared printer may not have the required driver installed on their computer, especially if the user is using a different operating system than the computer that is hosting the shared printer. If the drivers are available on the Internet, Windows can automatically download and install the correct drivers. Additional drivers can be added from the printer properties window:

Click the Additional Drivers button to select an operating system that is being used
When OK is selected, Windows will ask for those additional drivers

Network Printer as Local

There may be a time when a network printer does not have a print server, or the print server malfunctions. In this case, a user can connect directly to a network printer without using a print server. To set up a network printer as a local printer, follow these steps:

Click Start > Devices and Printers > Add a Printer
When the Add Printer wizard appears, select Add a Local Printer
Create a new port and set the type as Standard TCP/IP Port > click Next.
Enter the IP address of the network printer > click Next (it will automatically detect if the drivers are available or ask the user to locate them)
Enter the Printer name > click Next
It will then test the connection and ask if the printer should be shared > click Next
The printer can be set as the default printer and test it > click Finish

Summary

In this lesson, you learned important concepts about relating to Network Printing. Keep the following in mind:

Network printing adds additional configuration steps for the administrator. The main requirement is to share a printer. This printer can be directly attached to a machine or be controlled by a print server. The latter can be implemented in software, such as on a Windows server, or in a hardware device that is attached or installed in a printer.
There are specific procedures to share a printer and to connect to a shared printer in all versions of Windows. Additional or new print drivers may be required in order for the printer to function properly.