Tip #970 - Sharing Printers
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Sharing Printers
Do you have more than one computer but only one printer? If you have the computers networked together,
you can enable printer sharing on the computer with the printer. This is done
under the Network icon in the Control
Panel .
Then, install the networked printer you created above on the second computer.
You do this from the Printers folder in My
Computer ( XP users , head to the
Control Panel ). Just click "Install Printer" and when asked, tell it you're
installing a network printer. There's a handy little wizard to guide you through
the process (it's actually very easy). That should get you printing.
The only potential problem I can see is if the printer is not able to be used
on a network. Most can be, but there are some that will refuse to run.
OK, but what if the computers aren't networked together?
If they're not networked, you still have an option. Most computer stores sell
a switch box device that can be used to connect a single printer to several
computers. Although this doesn't work every time (some printers are funny about
switch boxes), most of the time it does the trick. You should be able to get
these switch boxes for under $30.00.
A word of caution: you may want to check your printer documentation to make
sure that the switch box is safe for the printer in question. I've never really
seen a problem with using a switch box, but it never hurts to check.
~ Steve
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