It??™s important to realize that some printers can??™t be shared
over a network, which is usually a limitation of the printer??™s
driver, and an intentional one at that.
Note that the host computer, the one to which the printer is physically
attached, must be turned on and connected to the network in order to allow
other computers to print. You can overcome this limitation by using a print
server device, which connects most types of printers directly to your network.
510 | Chapter 8: Users and Security
Use a Print Server Without Software
A print server lets you plug most types of printers directly into your network,
something otherwise only high-end network printers can do.
A print server gets you two things. One, anyone on your network can print
without requiring that a specific PC be turned on and connected; this is particularly
useful on a wireless network, where nobody wants to have to feed a
printer cable to a PC each time someone needs to print. Second, adding a
print server means you can put the printer anywhere; it no longer has to be
right next to a PC.
Problem is, most print servers come with software you??™re supposed to install
on every PC. This can be a pain, and the software is often buggy.
The good news is that most of the time, you don??™t need the software at all,
provided you do the setup by hand:
1. First, connect your print server to your printer and turn everything on.
2. Next, connect your print server to your network.
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