I have a 4 year old HP895C attached to my desktop via parallel port. It can attach via USB but will only be 1 way. The PC is hardwired to a Linksys W54TRG wireless router, which is attached to my DSL. I have a laptop and another desktop also on this network via wireless.
Can I make my printer available to the second PC and laptop? Do I need more equipment to do this?
I'm not real network educated so use small words :-)
Thanks, Jon
You can share the printer from the system it is attached to. Other option is a wireless print server (but you lose some function since the printer cannot report back ink levels, etc.).
On the computer that is connected to the printer, be sure to enable file and print sharing and SHARE the printer. Right click on the printer and enable sharing. On the other printers, add a printer, but ensure it's designated a network printer. You don't mention which OS each computer is running. If they are all running the same OS, then when you add a network printer, browse to the printer and go from there. If the remote computers are running different OS's than the one connected to the printer, you will need to download OS specific drivers for those computers.
To print from the remote computers, the attached computer must be ON. The only alternative to that is a print server which is generally too expensive for casual home use. Some newer wireless routers, such as the SMC have built in print servers and they are reasonably priced.
Good luck.
"zeppo" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@uni-berlin.de:
Jon, YOu should be able to share the printer to your other PCs using the existing network equipment. Look up file and printer sharing in Help.
Thanks Alan, Jerry and Euan for the info. I was able to share my printer on the desktop PC and verified file and print sharing is enabled.
However when I try to search for it on my work laptop it cannot see it. It only wants to search in the 'Active Directory' of my work companies network, even though I am connected to my wireless network at home.
Do I need to have an 'Active Directory' for my home network? How do I set this up?
Jon
That may be due to different workgroups work and home?
If the system can't automatically find the printer, try adding it manally. Go to the printer listing and click 'add printer'. If you can't browse to it, you may have to manally input the path ( computer-nameshare-name-of-printer)
Did you give it a share name?
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