Network Your Printer - Printer Networking Tutorial

Here's a brief check list to go over before you start:

• All the network, printer, and power cables, are plugged in.
• The network is fine (you can see other computers in Network Neighborhood, etc).
• The printer is installed on the computer you want to share it from.
• You have the drivers for the printer on disk or CD (If you don't you can usually just use a Win98 CD; if that's not an option, there is a Driver Download Page in the Links section where you can pick some up).
• There's something there between your ears.

Okay, let's get started.

• Start on the computer that has the printer connected to it. It's nice if you have administrative privileges, since you can do a lot more; but if you don't, that's just fine.
• Share the printer by going to My Computer->Printers and right-clicking the printer you want to share, then clicking on "Sharing." If you don't see anything that's marked "sharing," right-click Network Neighborhood, properties, and make sure you have file sharing installed (if not, press the "File and Print Sharing" button, and check the printer box.)
• Click "Shared As," type the name you want to give the printer, and press OK
• Okay, then go to the computer that you want to use the printer from.
• Go to My Computer->Printers->Add Printer->Next
• There are two different ways of doing this: most of the time you can do it the easy way, but I assume that the reason you're reading this is because you'd rather do it the fun way.

  Easy Way (For single computers that only use a single account)

  • Click "Add Network Printer", and take it from there, clicking on the computer name and then the name of the printer share when it asks you what printer to use.
  • If the printer's shared on an NT machine, make sure that you have an account on the NT machine for that computer (go to User Manager on the NT computer and add one, (for a win98 single user computer just add the logon account (the one that shows up at startup or what it says next to "Log off" on the start menu))

  Fun Way (for single computers that use multiple accounts (ie. "wired" schools and whatnot))

  • Make sure you're logged on, with admin privilege, to the computer you want to use the printer from.
  • Install the printer as a local printer, and go about it as normal, LPT port, etc.
  • When you're finished, right-click the new printer, properties, details, add new port, and type the name of the share, eg computernamesharename
• Test it out! If it doesn't work, just take a rock or another blunt object and smash it good. Then get yourself one of these nifty pens with a button on the end that pops up the writing tip, or better yet get a pen with a cap, they're even more reliable!

Reprinted with permission from laser-service.com