Whether you’re part of a large corporation
or a small workgroup, or even if you’re a home user with just two
computers, network printing is a great time and money saver. Why
connect a printer to each computer when it will spend most of its time
idle? By not having to buy a printer for each user, you can spend the
money you save more constructively on faster, higher-quality, and more
interesting printers. You might add a color photo-quality printer or a
transparency maker to give your network users more output choices.
Because
the software comes with Windows 7, and you can hook computers together
for about the cost of a movie ticket, printer sharing alone is a good
enough reason to install a network.
The
best part is that, from the user’s standpoint, using a network printer
is no different from using a local printer.
Windows can directly
attach to printers shared by any computer that supports Microsoft
Networking services, whether it’s running Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000,
NT, 98, or 95; Windows for Workgroups; OS/2, or even the Samba service
from UNIX. Windows can also connect to networked printers that use the
LPR or other TCP/IP protocols.
Using a Shared Printer
To
use a shared printer, you have to set up an icon for the printer in
your Devices and Printers window. The easiest way to do this is to
browse or search your network for shared printers, following these
steps:
1. | Click Start, Computer. (Actually, any Windows Explorer window will work: Computer, Documents, and so on.)
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2. | In
the left pane, click Network. Locate the computer that is sharing the
printer you want to use. (On a large network, you can use the Search
box to help find it.) Double-click the computer icon.
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3. | Double-click the icon for the printer you wish to use.
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4. | Windows
will try to get the printer’s driver software from the computer that is
sharing the printer. Click Install Driver if you trust the owner of the
other computer. Windows may also automatically locate and install a
driver, if the driver software is “signed” (that is, certified as
having come directly from the stated manufacturer without any
modification). Click Cancel if you can’t trust the other computer; in
this case use the procedure that immediately follows this one, so that
you can select your own driver software.
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Tip
If
you will use this printer most or all of the time, open Devices and
Printers, right-click the printer’s icon, and select Set As Default
Printer. |
You
might want to verify that you can actually use the printer and that its
output is correct. To do so, open Devices and Printers, right-click the
printer icon, and select Printer Properties. Click Print a Test Page to
ensure that the network printer is working correctly.
Note
You might find that you do
have access to the printer’s Printer Properties dialog box. Don’t make
any changes without the permission of the printer’s owner. It’s
considered bad form to change the hardware setup of someone else’s
printer without permission. |
That’s
all there is to it. You can now use this printer just like any other
Windows printer printers, too. The only difference is that the remote computer’s administrator might not have
given you management privileges for the printer, so you might not be
able to change the printer’s properties, or delete print jobs created
by other users.
An alternative way to add a printer is with the Add Printer Wizard, using these steps:
1. | Click Start, Devices and Printers, Add a Printer.
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2. | Select Add a Network, Wireless or Bluetooth Printer.
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3. | Windows
7 displays a list of printers that it knows about, such as ones that it
finds shared within the same workgroup. If the printer you want to use
is listed, select it, then click Next, and proceed with step 5.
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4. | If the printer that you want to connect to isn’t listed, click (drumroll, please) The Printer That I Want Isn’t Listed.
You’re then presented with another dialog box, where you can type the
location and name of the printer to which you want to connect. If you
know its network name already, click Select a Shared Printer by Name
and enter the share name into the Name box in UNC format—for example, \\san\LaserJet.
Click Next to finish installing the printer. If you don’t know the
name, click Browse, and you’ll be able to dig into your network to find
the printer. The Network window that appears has a functioning Search
box in its upper-right corner. The search function works only when
you’ve selected a computer name in the left pane. (And if you search
for a printer by name, if results appear, be sure to select only a
result that is shown with a shared printer icon.)
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5. | After
you’ve identified the shared printer, click Next. Select the printer’s
manufacturer and model number from the displayed lists. If the printer
model isn’t listed, click Windows Update to see if the driver can be
downloaded.
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6. | Click Next when you have selected your printer model. Then, follow any additional instructions to finish setting up the printer.
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Again,
as noted previously, you can now use this printer like any other
Windows printer, and if you will use it most or all of the time, you
may want to make it your default printer.
Using Printers over the Internet with IPP
The
Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) permits you to send output to printers
over the Internet. Some companies and service bureaus provide this sort
of service. If you need to connect to an IPP-based printer, follow
these steps:
1. | Click
Start, Control Panel, Programs, Turn Windows Features On or Off. Click
the + sign next to Print and Document Services. Check Internet Printing
Client if it’s not already checked, then click OK. You only need to
perform this step once.
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2. | Click Start, Devices and Printers, Add a Printer.
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3. | Select Add a Network, Wireless or Bluetooth Printer, then immediately click The Printer That I Want Isn’t Listed.
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4. | Click Select a Shared Printer by Name, enter the URL supplied by the print service provider, then click Next. |
5. | You
might be prompted to select the printer manufacturer and model number.
The print service provider will tell you which model to select.
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6. | You
might also be prompted to enter a username and password, which will
also be supplied by the service provider. By default, Windows will use
your current logon name, domain, and password.
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Tip
If
you use a printing service while traveling, remember to delete the
printer from your Printers folder when you leave town; you don’t want
to accidentally send a report to Katmandu after you’ve returned to
Kalamazoo. |
When
the new printer icon is installed, you have a fully functional Windows
printer. You can view the pending jobs and set your print and page
preferences as usual, as long as you’re connected to the Internet (or
the LAN, in a service establishment).
Using UNIX and LPR Printers
In the UNIX world, most shared printers use a protocol called LPR/LPD.
Note
If you have a UNIX background, you might be happy to know that the familiar lpr and lpq
utilities are available as command-line programs in Windows 7 once LPR
support has been installed. Read on in this section to find
instructions for installing LPR support. |
The
LPR protocol is used outside UNIX, too. Manufacturers such as
Hewlett-Packard make direct network-connected printers that accept the
LPR protocol, and many companies sell small LPR-based print server
devices that can attach to your printer as well. You can connect one of
these printers to your LAN, configure its TCP/IP settings to match your
LAN, and immediately print without running a cable from a computer to
the printer. This way, you can place a printer in a more convenient
place than can be reached by a 10-foot printer cable. Better yet, you
can use these networked printers without requiring a Windows computer
to be left turned on to manage it.
To have Windows send output to an LPR print queue or device, follow these steps:
1. | Click
Start, Control Panel, Programs, Turn Windows Features On or Off. Click
the + sign next to Print and Document Services. Check LPR Port Monitor
if it’s not already checked, then click OK. You only need to perform
this step once.
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2. | Click Start, Devices and Printers, Add a Printer.
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3. | Click Local Printer. (You’re right, it doesn’t make sense that you have to select Local, not Network.)
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4. | Select Create a New Port, and set the type to LPR Port. Click Next.
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5. | In
the Add LPR Compatible Printer dialog box, enter the IP address or
hostname of the UNIX or print server, and the name of the print queue
on that server.
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6. | Select
the manufacturer and printer model. (If the appropriate driver is not
listed, you might be able to get it by clicking Windows Update.) Then,
click Next to proceed with the printer installation. |
Note
If
you enter the wrong IP address, hostname, or print queue name,
right-click the printer’s icon and select Printer Properties. Select
the Ports tab, highlight the LPR port, and click Delete Port. Click Add
Port, and enter the correct information. When the new port has been
added, check the check box next to its name. |
Because
an LPR printer is considered a local printer, you can share it with
others on your network as a regular Windows shared printer.
Alternatively, they can connect to it directly, as you did.
Using Other Network-Connected Printers
Windows
7 can use other types of network-connected printers as well. Some
printer models come with a built-in network connection, and others have
a network adapter option. You can also buy network printer servers,
which are small boxes with a network connector and one to three
printer-connection ports. These devices let you locate printers in a
convenient area, which doesn’t need to be near a computer.
The
installation procedures for various printer and server models vary.
Your networked printer or print server has specific installation
instructions. You have a choice about how the printer will be shared on
your network:
You can install the network-to-printer connection software on one
of your Windows computers and then use standard Windows printer sharing
to make the printer available to the other computers on your network.
You can install the printer’s connection software on each of your computers.
With
the first method, you guarantee that print jobs will be run first come,
first served (or you can set priorities for print jobs, if you want)
because one computer will provide a single queue for the printer.
Another plus is that you have to do the software setup only once; it’s
much easier to set up the additional workstations to use the standard
Windows shared printer. The one computer must be left on for others to
use the printer, however.
With the second
method, each computer contacts the printer independently, so there
could be contention for the printer. However, no computers need to be
left on because each workstation contacts the printer directly.
You
can use either method. The first one is simplest and is best suited for
a busy office. The second method is probably more convenient for home
networks and small offices.
