Network features allow us to use a single printer shared among all the computers in the home or office running Windows XP.
The advantages of networking office or home computers are countless: just think about the possibility of sharing files and information simply by opening a remote folder as if it were on our workstation without having to resort to disks or CD-ROMs. In this tutorial, we will see how to use the network features of Windows XP to print from all workstations as if we were comfortably seated at our PC.
The first step is to physically install the printer on the computer that we will use as the print server. After making the necessary connections via parallel cable or – more commonly – USB, the computer will automatically recognize the new device and proceed to install the drivers (the software needed for operation).
If our printer is not automatically recognized by the operating system, we can use the installation wizard. Click Start > Control Panel and choose Printers and Other Hardware.
In the window that appears, choose Add Printer to start the installation wizard and click Next. Select the option that describes the printer; in this case Local printer attached to this computer and then click Next again. The computer recognizes the plug&play printer.
If we do not have a plug&play printer, we proceed with manual installation: locate the port to which the printer is connected and click Next. Select the brand and model of the printer we want to install from the list.
If we have disks containing the printer drivers, select Have Disk which will open a window allowing us to locate the manufacturer’s drivers directly on disks or CD-ROMs provided.
Then assign a name to the printer and optionally select Print a test page to verify proper operation. Proceed to the final screen which summarizes the selected options and confirm by choosing Finish.
Click on the icon of the printer you just installed or choose from the list of installed printers the one you want to share, then in the left column of the window select Share this printer.
Windows opens the printer properties window directly to the Sharing tab. Select Share this printer and set in the Share name text box the name by which the shared printer will be identified on our network. Confirm with OK.
Once the print server is set up, move to another workstation on the network and from Start > Control Panel > Printers and Other Hardware > Add Printer start the installation wizard again. This time, after clicking Next on the opening screen, select Network printer or a printer attached to another computer.
Windows XP can search for the printer on the network automatically or connect directly (it will, however, be necessary to specify the network path). Once the printer is found, simply select it to install it on the client computer. At the end of the procedure, a test page can be printed to verify correct operation.
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