Computer help needed (print servers?)

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Computer help needed (print servers?)

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:22:41 AM EDT

I have a wireless (secured) and hard wire able router in my home. My wife and I have a total of 4 computers, 2 laptops and 2 desktops (self employed).

We have several nice printers, we are tired of moving around to get to them. We have one hispeed samsung laser and a Canon color solid ink printer and an HP.

What can we do to make them all go to a centreal location?

We have the latest linksys 4 port wirless/ wired router. Or is there a thing we can buy to hook up on the back of the printers so that the wireless comp's can find them?

Thanks guys!

Chris

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:25:10 AM EDT

[#1]

How are these printers currently connected? And what specifically are you looking to do by "go to a central location"?

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:26:55 AM EDT

[#2]

We just take the USB's in and out back and forth from our laptops.

We would like to stop doing this, and just have them set up like in an office type of enviroment where they are shared.

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:27:30 AM EDT

[#3]

Unless you want to spend a few hundred dollars just have one computer share them.

ETA or two computers. It reall doenst matter.

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:28:56 AM EDT

[#4]

A few hundred is 'OK'.

We have tried going through XP pro to find them but no luck. Looking for hardware.

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:29:51 AM EDT

[#5]

Do these printers have network cards in them?

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:30:39 AM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
Unless you want to spend a few hundred dollars just have one computer share them.

ETA or two computers. It reall doenst matter.

Yup. If you have one computer that is always on then hang all of the printers off of it and share the printers. Then on the rest of the computers when you set up the printer instead of "local printer" you'll use "network printer" and enter the name or IP address of the server computer.

The alternative answer is to buy network cards for your printers, but even then you need a computer to act as the host for the print queue.

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:31:28 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Do these printers have network cards in them?

They have Cat 5/8 connections so I am assuming so.

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:32:19 AM EDT

[#8]

www.newegg.com/ProductSort/Subcategory.asp?Subcategory=387

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:33:25 AM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
A few hundred is 'OK'.

We have tried going through XP pro to find them but no luck. Looking for hardware.

I've often found that in a peer to peer network Windows has trouble finding the other workstations in its workgroup. If this is your problem there are ways around it.

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:34:45 AM EDT

[#10]

Is this something that can work?

Here

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:34:45 AM EDT

[#11]

You are looking for a Print Server. There are many kinds. There are router/hubs that include a parallel port for sharing a printer. We us AXIS print servers at work. There are many brands.

ByteTheBullet (-:

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:37:38 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Do these printers have network cards in them?

They have Cat 5/8 connections so I am assuming so.

simple,

Plug these printers directly into your router/switch, give them static IP addresses, then load them on the pc's and laptops using the IP addresses you have assigned them.

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:38:37 AM EDT

[#13]

Shouldnt need a print server. Share the printers on the computer that they are connected to. Then add the printers on the laptops as network printers, just like someone else said. My neighbor, from his house next door, can print to my printer thru the wireless network.

Maybe I am not understanding the situation.

Ziti are the printers connected to the wired workstations? If so how? USB? Printer cable?

Posted: 10/6/2005 5:44:01 AM EDT

[#14]

If they already have builtin Ethernet interfaces, just print out a configuration page, find out what IP addresses they have acquired (by default they're on DHCP), use your browser to go to that address, give it a static IP address that's not in the DHCP scope of your router. Create a new TCP port under printer properties and set the printer to use that port.

Posted: 10/6/2005 6:42:21 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
Shouldnt need a print server. Share the printers on the computer that they are connected to. Then add the printers on the laptops as network printers, just like someone else said. My neighbor, from his house next door, can print to my printer thru the wireless network.

Maybe I am not understanding the situation.

Ziti are the printers connected to the wired workstations? If so how? USB? Printer cable?

my thoughts exactly.

i would hook up the printers to the desktop's NOT the laptops. share the printers. If all the comptuers are running xp. as a default setting, if you have no software firewalls installed it will install network printers automatically.

then you can print from the laptops wirelessly, if you are in range. no print server needed.

Now if you do ALOT of printing it will tie up/ slow down the comptuer that its hooked up to. so if it doesn't have much ram, i would suggest upgrading. memory is very inexpensive, and helps all 'round.

if you do excessive about i would suggest the print server. you will most likely need to have someone come out to set it up for you

Posted: 10/6/2005 6:52:21 AM EDT

[#16]

might want to stick with sharing the printer- getting print servers/cards working can be trouble, especiall with ip addresses and such

Posted: 10/6/2005 6:56:34 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
might want to stick with sharing the printer- getting print servers/cards working can be trouble, especiall with ip addresses and such

They arn't bad. I've setup plenty You just can't be stupid about them.

dlink print servers

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Computer help needed (print servers?)

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